Which source gets the credit when a customer found you several ways?
Record both. First touch is the channel that introduced a person to your business; last touch is the channel they used just before they got in touch. First touch shows what makes new people aware of you, and last touch shows what turns that interest into an inquiry. Keep both on every lead, pick one as your main view for decisions, and apply the same rule every time so the numbers stay comparable.
First touch and last touch in plain words
Picture a customer who first sees your name when a neighbor shares one of your posts. Two weeks later they ask an AI assistant who to hire, see you named in the answer and fill in your contact form.
First touch gives the credit to social, because that is where they first met you. Last touch gives it to the AI answer, because that is what got them to reach out. Neither is wrong. They answer different questions, which is why it pays to keep both.
What each one is good for
| First touch | Last touch | |
|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | What first made this person aware of us? | What got them to contact us? |
| Useful for | Seeing which channels bring in people who have never heard of you | Seeing which channels turn interest into inquiries |
| Weak spot | Gives no credit to what happened later | Gives no credit to what started it |
| How to capture it | Ask: how did you first hear about us? | Note how and where the inquiry arrived |
How to record it
Use the same eight channels for both: search, AI answer, social, referral, paid, email, campaign or direct. For first touch, ask how they first heard about you; for last touch, ask what made them get in touch today and note how the inquiry arrived. If you cannot tell, say so in the notes rather than guessing. The related answers on lead attribution and tracking phone leads cover the details.
Pick a rule and keep it
The rule you choose matters less than using the same one every time. If one month credits first touch and the next credits last touch, your numbers will move for reasons that have nothing to do with your marketing.
A practical habit for many owners is to make month-to-month spending choices on last touch, and to look at first touch every quarter to see which channels are quietly introducing new people to the business.
Either way, follow each lead to its outcome: won, lost or still open. Credit should go to the channels that produce paid work, not only to the ones that produce inquiries.
Related answers
- What is lead attribution, and why does a small business need it?
- How do you track leads that come in by phone?
- How do you know if your marketing is working?
- How do you set up a simple lead tracker?
Lead systems and lead tracking
A lead that waits a day goes cold, and a lead with no source teaches you nothing. Ascent Vision fixes both.