How Sparkforge Attribution Traffic Sources Work

Attribution shows which channel a contact came from so you can spend on what works. Sparkforge stores two values on every contact: First Attribution and Latest Attribution.

First vs. Latest attribution

• First Attribution: the channel of the contact's very first tracked interaction. This never changes.
• Latest Attribution: the channel of the most recent tracked interaction. Updates every time the contact converts again.

Example: a lead fills out your contact form via Google Ads (First = Paid Search), then later buys through a two-step order form they hit via an email link (Latest = Email/Direct depending on UTMs).

Where to find attribution data

In a Sub-Account, open Contacts > [select contact] > Activity tab. Attribution appears in the bottom-right column of the contact record.

The eight attribution sources

Paid Search

Google Ads and Bing/Microsoft Ads. Required UTM template:

?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium={adname}&utm_campaign={campaignname}&utm_content={adgroupname}&utm_keyword={keyword}&utm_matchtype={matchtype}&campaign_id={campaignid}&ad_group_id={adgroupid}&ad_id={creative}

Paid Social

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Reddit ads. Facebook UTM template:

?utm_source=fb_ad&utm_medium={{adset.name}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{ad.name}}&campaign_id={{campaign.id}}

Use fb_ad, linkedin_ad, twitter_ad, or reddit_ad as the source value. The old utm_source=facebook is deprecated.

Organic Search

Non-paid traffic from Google, Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo. Search keywords show as Unknown (SSL) when the engine encrypts them, which is now the norm.

Social Media (Organic)

Visitors arriving from social platforms via shared posts or profile links — no paid UTM markers.

Direct

No referring domain and no UTM parameters. Usually means the visitor typed the URL or used a bookmark.

Referrals

External sites that aren't search engines or social platforms linking to your pages.

CRM UI

Contact created manually inside the Sparkforge CRM (not from a tracked event).

Third-Party

Contact created by an outside integration like Zapier, an API call, or a Make scenario.

Which events record attribution

Attribution is captured only on Sparkforge-native conversion events:

• Form submission
• Survey submission
• Calendar booking
• Chat widget submission (after contact info)
• One-step or two-step order form

Events from non-Sparkforge tools won't capture UTM data, even if the URL has parameters.

Rule order Sparkforge uses

Attribution rules apply in this order — the first match wins:

1. utm_source contains adwords → Paid Search.
2. gclid, wbraid, gbraid (Google) or msclkid (Microsoft) present → Paid Search.
3. Any UTM parameter present and referring domain is google.com → Paid Search.
4. utm_source contains fb_ad, linkedin_ad, twitter_ad, or reddit_ad; or ctwa_clid present (WhatsApp) → Paid Social.
5. Referring domain is a social media site → Social Media.
6. Referring domain is a search engine → Organic Search.
7. Other referring domain → Referral.
8. No referring domain or tracking → Direct.

Common attribution issues

• UTMs are case-sensitive. utm_source=AdWords won't match the adwords rule.
• Non-Sparkforge forms don't capture attribution. Use native forms, surveys, calendars, chat, or order forms.
• Latest attribution overwrites itself. If you need to preserve the original source, rely on First Attribution.