How to Use Data to Understand What's Working in Your Lead Generation
- Redazione
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Imagine Giulia. She's the marketing manager for a small company that sells online courses.
He launches two campaigns, one on Facebook and one on Google: he spends €1,000 on each.
By the end of the month, he received 50 leads from Facebook and 30 from Google. On paper, Facebook seems successful—but he doesn't know which leads will actually become paying students.
Without precise tracking , Giulia can't tell if those contacts come from campaigns, organic traffic, or existing users. And so, month after month, part of her budget evaporates.
According to a ClickPatrol study, companies that track conversions correctly see an average 15-20% increase in ROI compared to those who don't.
The message is clear: in digital marketing, tracking isn't a technical detail, it's a strategic lever.
Summary
What is conversion tracking for?
Every time a user fills out a form or requests information, a conversion occurs. Tracking it means being able to answer three fundamental questions:
Where did the lead come from? (Attribution)
Which campaigns bring the best results? (Budget Optimization)
How much does a valid lead cost me? (Measurement and ROI)
Only with precise data can you understand what really works and multiply what generates results.
Google Tag Manager: the tracking "operations center"
Installing and updating each piece of code manually is a nightmare. Luckily, there's Google Tag Manager (GTM) , a free tool that lets you manage all your tags (the code snippets that track actions on your site) in one place.
With GTM you can:
Add and edit tags (Google Analytics, Meta pixel, Microsoft Ads) without touching your site code.
Activate tags only when needed, via triggers (e.g. “when the form is submitted”).
Use variables to pass dynamic values like IDs, amounts, or UTM parameters.
And before publishing, you can test everything with Preview/Debug mode. GTM is, in effect, the brain that connects data, platforms, and results.
UTM: the thread that connects each lead to its campaign
Whenever a user clicks on your ad, the URL can contain parameters like these:
These are UTMs , short for Urchin Tracking Module . They're used to record where traffic comes from: source (e.g., Facebook), medium (CPC = paid advertising), campaign, and ad version.
To avoid losing this data, you can use plugins or scripts that store it in your site's cookies and automatically save it in the contact form.
Thus, every lead you receive in the CRM or advertising platforms has the “label” of its origin.
Practical examples:
On WordPress : HandL UTM Grabber, UTM Leads Tracker, add-on for Contact Form 7 or WPForms.
On Wix : External apps or custom snippets that read the URL and pass data to the form.
A small technical detail, but a huge difference when analyzing performance because you can trace each sale back to the exact source.
Where to Drive Conversions (and Why)
Once conversions are tracked, they should be sent to the platforms where you work:
Google Ads → to optimize campaigns and automatic bidding
Google Analytics (GA4) → for deeper analysis of channels and user journeys
Meta Ads → to improve the algorithm and boost remarketing
Microsoft Ads → for strategies on Bing and the Microsoft network
When a platform knows which click led to a conversion, it can optimize future clicks more intelligently, reducing waste and improving cost per lead.
The impact of clean tracking
Well-configured tracking can change the trajectory of your campaigns:
Lowest CPC (cost per click): The algorithm recognizes quality clicks.
Lower CPL (cost per lead): Spend less on valid leads.
More leads for the same budget.
Faster understanding of what works.
When the data is clear, the decisions become clear too.
First-party and third-party cookies: what really changes
To understand the debate, let's start with a practical example.
First-party cookies → are "stored" by the domain the user is visiting. Example: you visit www.mysite.it , and the site saves a cookie to remember that you filled out a form or viewed a page. 👉 This is useful for analytics and user preferences, and is generally allowed by browsers.
Third-party cookies → These are created by external domains, like ads.tracker.com . For example, you visit a news site and an advertising banner places a cookie to track you on other sites. 👉 They're the basis of remarketing, but Safari, Firefox, and soon Chrome are disabling them.
The result? Traditional tracking systems are becoming increasingly unreliable.
The Solution: Server-Side Tracking or Conversion API
With server-side tracking, your server sends conversion information directly to the platforms (Google, Meta, etc.).
This method is more stable, browser-independent, and more privacy-friendly.
It is estimated that server-side tracking can recover up to 20% of conversions lost with browser-only tracking.
Privacy, GDPR and Google Consent Mode
Data tracking must respect user privacy . For those operating in Europe, the GDPR requires obtaining consent before activating cookies and profiling tools.
Google Consent Mode
It is a system that adapts Google tags (Ads, Analytics) based on the consent expressed by the user.
If the user accepts, the tags function normally.
If you decline, Google only sends anonymized (cookieless) pings that are then statistically modeled to estimate missing conversions.
Enhanced Conversions
Additionally, Google Ads may send encrypted data (such as the user's hashed email) to improve measurement even without cookies.
This feature is compatible with Consent Mode v2 , which Google will require for all EU advertisers starting in 2024.
The result: less data loss and a more transparent and compliant advertising system.
CMP: the guardian of consensus
Collecting consent properly is not just a formality, but an essential part of your data strategy.
To do this, you need a CMP (Consent Management Platform) : a system that manages the cookie banner, stores user choices, and communicates which tags can be activated to tools like Google Tag Manager or Meta Pixel. An effective CMP must:
✅ Be certified IAB TCF 2.2 , the recognized standard in Europe for transmitting consent to advertising platforms.
⚙️ Natively integrate with Google Consent Mode v2 , so you can automatically communicate consent states to all your Google tags.
🔄 Talk to Tag Manager (via data layer or API) to lock tags until the user accepts.
🧾 Record and archive evidence of consent , as required by the GDPR, retaining the date and version of the banner accepted.
🧠 Be clear and user-friendly : a banner that is too intrusive or poorly configured can drastically reduce acceptance rates (and therefore useful marketing data).
Why is it so important that it works well?
A poorly configured CMP can block essential tags or, conversely, trigger them without explicit consent—two opposite but equally serious errors.
In the first case, you lose data and conversions ; in the second, you risk fines or loss of user trust.
According to a Usercentrics analysis, up to 25% of European companies have incomplete or outdated CMP implementations. Proper configuration, however, ensures data continuity and legal compliance, protecting the business and brand reputation.
Towards a cookieless future (2025-2026)
Tracking as we know it today will change radically. Here's what awaits us in the coming years:
Chrome will completely phase out third-party cookies (late 2025-2026).
Google's Privacy Sandbox : New targeting and measurement methods based on aggregate, not individual, data.
Machine learning and predictive modeling : Algorithms estimate unobservable conversions.
Enhancement of first-party data (logins, registrations, CRM).
Focus on incremental measurement : controlled tests to understand the real effect of each campaign.
Those who adapt today with server-side tracking, Consent Mode, and first-party data will be ready for the marketing of tomorrow.
Quick Glossary
Tracking conversions well isn't just a technical issue: it's the difference between hoping for results and actually managing them . Every click costs money. Every lost data costs even more.
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