AI lead attribution: know which leads came from ChatGPT and other AI
Every form fill, phone call and booking labelled with where it came from: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, or everything else. Each label comes with the evidence behind it.
Why leads are where AI attribution matters
Traffic numbers flatter and frustrate in equal measure. A hundred AI visits that produce nothing are worth less than three that became customers. And for many businesses, especially service businesses, the most valuable AI customers never show up as a visit at all: they pick up the phone. Lead attribution starts from the other end: here’s a lead, now where did it come from?
How a lead gets its source
- The visit is remembered. When someone arrives from an AI assistant, the source is stored with that anonymous visitor for 90 days, so a form filled in a week later still knows.
- The form submit becomes a lead. Contact and quote form submissions on your site are picked up automatically, with no form changes needed. The lead lands in your inbox with its source and every page the person read before getting in touch.
- The customer is asked. An optional “How did you first hear about us?” question on the form catches people who asked an AI, then came back by typing your address or searching your name.
- Phone leads are logged. Add a phone lead in a click and record what the caller said. The report shows how often the question was asked, so “nobody said ChatGPT” and “nobody was asked” look different.
- CRM leads can be matched. Import a CSV from your CRM and rows merge with tracked leads by email or phone.
Three levels of evidence
| Label | What it requires | How much to trust it |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | A tracked visit from an AI assistant (referrer or AI-added UTM) within 90 days before the lead | Highest: it’s in the data |
| Declared | The customer named an AI tool when asked how they found you | High: in their own words |
| Assisted | Written evidence that AI shaped the choice while another channel completed it | Supporting: only with a note |
Leads without evidence stay in their normal channel: Google, Yelp, referral, direct. An old AI visit alone never turns a lead into an AI lead. Detail: Confirmed vs Declared.
What you do with it
- Work the leads. Move each lead from New to Won, add notes, set a value.
- Send them where you already work. Push every lead to Zapier, Make, GoHighLevel, HubSpot or any webhook, tagged with its AI source.
- Get alerted. An email the moment AI sends a lead, so you call back while they’re still choosing.
- Prove the value. Won leads turn into AI revenue.
Getting started
Connect your site (one click on WordPress and Wix, one line of code elsewhere), switch on the source question, and your first AI leads appear as they come in. For service businesses, see AI leads for home service companies. For the full picture, see AI search attribution.
AI lead attribution questions
Can you track leads that come from ChatGPT by phone?
Not from the website: the call never touches it. That’s what the “How did you first hear about us?” question is for. Callers who say ChatGPT are recorded as Declared AI leads.
What if the form is an embedded iframe?
Scripts can’t read inside third-party iframes. Pass the visitor ID through the iframe URL, or import your CRM export so leads are matched by email or phone.
How long is the attribution window?
90 days. An AI visit counts toward a lead that arrives within 90 days of it.
Do I need a CRM?
No. You can manage leads and mark sales in the dashboard. A CRM is optional.
See what AI is already sending you
Connect your website in one click, add one question to your form, and see AI leads and revenue with the evidence for each.