Question from user:
I know that I can pass source data via hidden fields and url parameters, but that only works if I set up a specific landing page that they fill out a form on. I don’t know how to get the source data to follow a prospect on their user journey throughout the website.
For example I would love to be able to have someone land on page 1 from a Google Ad and fill out a form on page 8 of their journey while still attributing it to Google. I imagine someone who knows how to use cookies or something could do this, but I don’t even know where to start.
Any insights, tips, or suggestions welcome.
Thank you for your time!
Answer from Nabil:
That’s a very common and insightful question about persistent source attribution in Salesforce.
The short answer is you’re right – you need a mechanism, typically using cookies or local storage, to store the initial source data and have it persist across pages, which is then sent with the final form submission.
The more robust, long-term solution for sophisticated cross-platform attribution, especially if you’re using Salesforce and Pardot (Account Engagement), is to implement a server-side tagging and attribution system.
For simple persistence, you would use a first-party cookie set on the landing page (Page 1).
This cookie stores the parameters from your Google Ad – like gclid and any custom UTMs.
When the user gets to the form on Page 8, a script needs to read that cookie and inject the values into hidden form fields before submission.
However, this relies on the user’s browser accepting the cookie and the cookie not expiring before they convert, and it doesn’t solve the full attribution picture when you want to connect marketing spend directly to customer records in a CRM.
A more powerful and comprehensive solution involves integrating your platforms using a setup like Salesforce API + Account Engagement API + Google Ads API + Google Tag Manager (GTM) + a server-side solution like Stape or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
This stack moves the attribution logic from the user’s browser (client-side) to a more reliable server-side environment.
Client-side tracking using GTM is susceptible to ad blockers and browser restrictions like ITP, which can shorten the lifespan of the cookies you need for persistence.
By using GTM’s server-side container, you can receive the initial hit on your server, store the attribution data more reliably, and then use the various APIs to connect the dots.
You can use the Google Ads API to fetch cost data, the Account Engagement API to create or update prospect records with detailed attribution data, and the Salesforce API to ensure the full customer journey, from ad click to sales opportunity, is linked.
This approach allows you to send richer data than just what fits in a URL parameter and ensures that the crucial source information is tied directly to the CRM record, providing much more accurate reporting and enabling features like offline conversion tracking (sending a purchase or lead Standard Event back to Google Ads from your server when a form is completed, providing full-funnel optimization).
This server-side infrastructure is superior because it gives you control over the data flow, is less impacted by client-side restrictions, and facilitates the sophisticated, cross-platform data synchronization necessary for true marketing ROI analysis.
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