Lead sources
What this page is — the configured list of channels a lead can arrive through: Google Ads, a referral, a trade show, the website form.
What it is for — so every lead records where it came from, in a shared value rather than free text each person types differently.
The problem it solves — without sources you cannot answer "which channel is worth the money". Attribution reporting has nothing to group by, and the Source filter on the leads list is empty.
Route: /org/marketing/leads/settings?tab=sources · Permission: Manage Lead Sources
1. What a source is
| Lead source | UTM fields | Source category | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers | Which channel? | Which specific campaign? | Which kind of channel? |
| Example | Google Ads | utm_campaign=q3-diagnostics | Paid Advertising |
| Configured | Yes — a table of rows | No — free text per lead | Yes |
| Reused | Across every lead | Never | Across sources |
2. Field reference
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | text, required | Displayed everywhere a source appears |
| Code | text, required | The stable identifier. Integrations match on this |
| Description | text | Shown beneath the name in the list |
| Category | select | From source categories |
| Status | toggle | Inactive sources stay on existing leads but leave the pickers |
Rename freely; changing a code breaks any integration that references it. The webhook takes a a source id, but CSV and API callers commonly match on the code.
3. Step by step
Grouped by Category toggles between a flat list and the grouped view in Figure 1. The grouped view shows a count per category, which is the quickest way to spot an empty one.
Deleting a source
The application checks usage first — a source attached to leads cannot simply vanish. Deactivate rather than delete when a channel closes: existing leads keep their attribution and the source stops appearing in pickers.
4. The admin contract
| Needs | Or |
|---|---|
| At least one source | Every lead has no attribution, and Acquisition reports are empty |
| Categories, to group them | All sources sit ungrouped |
| Manage Lead Sources | Read-only — and the whole hub is unreachable |
5. Downstream
| A source reaches | As |
|---|---|
| The leads list | The Source & Origin column |
| The filter rail | The Source filter's options |
| Acquisition report | The attribution dimension |
| Scoring rules | A field a rule can test |
| Vox campaigns | Vox reads lead sources when building a campaign |
6. Don't confuse this with…
| This | Not this |
|---|---|
| Manage Lead Sources | View lead sources / .edit / .delete — all three are dead |
| A source | A source category |
| A source | first_touch_source / last_touch_source, free-text attribution fields on the lead |
7. Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| Source filter empty on the list | No active sources |
| A source will not delete | It is in use — deactivate instead |
Granting sources.edit changed nothing | It is dead. Grant manage_sources |
| Acquisition report shows leads as unattributed | Those leads have no source — common with imports |