Refreshed and republished on May 6, 2021
This post was originally published on October 19, 2015 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.Lead source is an important data point you need to capture in order to report on the value of your marketing campaigns. This article will walk you through how to setup and track lead source within Pardot.
Where to find the Lead Source field in Pardot
The lead source field is a default field in Pardot and can be synced with Salesforce. The field can be found on the prospect’s record under additional fields.
How a prospect’s source is populated
The prospect’s source field is determined by the referring URL. The referring URL is the page the visitor was on before visiting a page. The page must have the Pardot tracking code embedded to pull in the referring URL.
For example, if a prospect’s referring URL is www.linkedin.com/profile/JennaMolby and no UTM parameters exist, Pardot populates the prospect’s source field as LinkedIn.
Here are some values that can appear in the source field:
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The default sources can be extremely useful since it’s not likely all your links will have source parameters. However, try to use custom sources where you can.
How to create custom sources
To create custom lead sources in Pardot, you will need to use URL parameters in you landing page links. Pardot looks for the parameter utm_source within your URL. This will override the default Pardot lead sources, so you can use both to track lead source.
URL example
https://www.jennamolby.com/MyLandingPage.html?utm_source=WebinarThe parameter can be whatever you want, but try to have a standard way of defining your lead sources for better reporting. Here are some common lead source values:
- List Upload
- Partner
- Referral
- Phone Inquiry
- Cold Call
- Tradeshow
- Webinar
- Whitepaper
- Website
Maunually set the source field value
You can manually set the source field value by using imports, automation rules, completion actions, segmentation rules, and engagement programs.
Questions?
Send me a tweet @jennamolby, or leave a comment
Very timely article for my team. Are there any pitfalls with using UTM parameters within Pardot custom redirects?
Hi Debbi, That’s great to hear! Here’s a great article on custom redirects and UTM parameters: https://www.paretopi.com/blog/how-you-can-use-google-analytics-utm-links-in-pardot-and-track-them.
Hi Jenna, we use form handlers and have the hidden UTM fields, but I’m having issues with Google Natural Search and Google Paid search. The only time we get source info is when they come from one of the links i’ve created with the UTMs inside. How can I adjust our form handlers to make sure we are getting the Google info? Thank you so much!
Hi Tess, This is likely because you’re using form handlers instead of an embedded Pardot form. Upvote this idea here to allow the Google Analytics Connector to work with form handlers: https://trailblazer.salesforce.com/ideaView?id=0873A000000PWkBQAW.
Hey Jenna,
If I have a completion action to set the lead source, but someone comes through a URL with a UTM source, which one will take precedence? I’m hoping the UTM source will. So, for example, if there’s no UTM source, and Pardot is unable to detect the lead source, I want to set the lead source to “Website” through a completion action on the form. However, if I can track the lead source to the referring source, then that’s even better.
Hi Doug, When I tested this, the completion action overwrote the source value from the UTM.
Hi Jenna
I am trying to implmemnt this my Pardot Form Hander so we can begin populating the lead sources.
It seems to be working some of the time. Are there some instances where pardot cannot populate the lead source?
Thanks
Hi Elliott, It should be working in all instances. Are you sure there aren’t instances where people would be filling out your form handler with no parameters in the URL? Cheers, Jenna
Thanks for the info. I do have a follow up question. I’m using completion actions on my forms to set prospect lead source, but Pardot is auto-populating the field with Google Natural Search. Is there a way to get around this and force Pardot to use the lead source I specify in my completion action? I have reports and workflow rules in SF that rely on the lead source field, so I need it to be specific. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Hey Joe,
Do you have no need to know that a prospect came from Google? What’s an example of a lead source that you’re wanting to override “Google Natural Search” with?