Title: Form Attribution Tracking
Author: Ryan Howard
Published: <strong>Novanm 17, 2025</strong>
Last modified: Novanm 17, 2025

---

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# Form Attribution Tracking

 By [Ryan Howard](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryhowa/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/form-attribution-tracking.1.1.2.zip)

 * [Details](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/#installation)
 * [Development](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/form-attribution-tracking/)

## Description

Track the complete customer journey from first click to conversion with referral
and Google Ads attribution data captured in your WordPress forms.

### Overview

Form Attribution Tracking is a WordPress plugin that automatically captures and 
stores complete attribution data from Google Ads campaigns (and other traffic sources)
directly in form submissions. This enables you to connect specific leads back to
their originating campaigns, keywords, and ads in Google Ads for accurate conversion
tracking and ROI measurement.

The plugin uses first-touch attribution, meaning it captures the visitor’s original
traffic source on their first visit and maintains that data through their entire
journey until they convert via a form submission.

### Key Features

### Complete Google Ads Attribution Data

Automatically captures 8 attribution fields for every form submission:

 * **Attribution Source** – Traffic source (google, facebook, direct, etc.)
 * **Attribution Medium** – Traffic medium (cpc, organic, referral, etc.)
 * **Attribution Campaign** – Campaign name from utm_campaign
 * **Attribution Term** – Keyword from utm_term
 * **Attribution Content** – Ad variation from utm_content
 * **Google Click ID (GCLID)** – Direct link to the specific Google Ads click
 * **Landing Page** – The first page the visitor landed on
 * **First Click Timestamp** – When the visitor first arrived

### Google Ads Conversion Tracking

The Google Click ID (GCLID) field enables you to:
 – Import conversions directly
back into Google Ads – Connect form submissions to specific ad clicks – Measure 
true campaign ROI based on actual leads/sales – Track the complete path from ad 
click to conversion – Attribute conversions to the exact keyword and ad that drove
them

### Smart Tracking Technology

 * **First-Touch Attribution** – Captures original source, not last-click
 * **Cookie Persistence** – Maintains attribution data across multiple sessions (
   configurable 1-365 days)
 * **JavaScript + PHP Fallback** – Dual-layer tracking ensures data capture even
   if JavaScript is disabled
 * **Dynamic Form Support** – Mutation observer watches for forms loaded via AJAX
 * **UTM Parameter Detection** – Automatically parses and stores all UTM parameters
 * **Intelligent Source Categorization** – Recognizes and categorizes traffic from
   Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and 15+ other platforms

### Universal Form Plugin Support

Works seamlessly with:
 – **Gravity Forms** – **Fluent Forms** – **Formidable Forms**

Modular architecture makes it easy to extend to other form plugins.

### Comprehensive Admin Dashboard

 * **Statistics Dashboard** – View submission counts, attribution source distribution,
   and recent activity
 * **Form Management** – See which forms have attribution tracking and bulk-add 
   fields to all forms
 * **Debug Mode** – Browser console logging for troubleshooting
 * **Flexible Configuration** – Customize cookie duration and auto-add behavior

### How It Works

### Data Capture Flow

 1. **Visitor Arrives** – When someone visits your site, the JavaScript tracking code
    immediately captures:
 2.  * All UTM parameters from the URL
     * Google Click ID (GCLID) if present
     * HTTP referrer to determine traffic source
     * Current page URL as landing page
     * Current timestamp
 3. **Attribution Stored** – All data is packaged as JSON and stored in a first-party
    cookie with your configured expiration (default 30 days)
 4. **First-Touch Persistence** – If the visitor returns multiple times before converting,
    the original attribution data is preserved (not overwritten)
 5. **Form Submission** – When the visitor fills out a form, the tracking code automatically:
 6.  * Reads the stored attribution data
     * Populates hidden fields in the form
     * Submits with the complete attribution chain
 7. **PHP Fallback** – If JavaScript fails to populate fields, the PHP integration 
    captures attribution server-side before form processing

### Integration with Google Ads

To enable conversion imports in Google Ads:

 1. Forms will capture the GCLID parameter automatically from your ad URLs
 2. Export your form submissions (including attribution fields) as CSV
 3. In Google Ads, navigate to Tools  Conversions  Uploads
 4. Create a conversion action using the GCLID field to match conversions
 5. Upload your leads with timestamps and GCLIDs
 6. Google Ads will attribute the conversions to the exact campaigns, ad groups, keywords,
    and ads that generated them

This creates a closed feedback loop between your ad spend and actual business results.

### Configuration

### Settings

Access settings via **Form Attribution Tracking  Settings**:

 * **Auto-add to new forms** – Automatically adds all 8 attribution fields when 
   new forms are created
 * **Cookie Duration** – How long to preserve first-touch attribution data (1-365
   days, default 30)
 * **Debug Mode** – Enables detailed logging in browser console for troubleshooting

### Managing Existing Forms

Use the **Manage Forms** tab to:
 – View all forms and their attribution tracking
status – Bulk-add attribution fields to all existing forms with one click – See 
which forms already have tracking enabled

### Statistics

The **Statistics** tab provides:
 – Total submissions tracked across all forms –
Breakdown of traffic sources (Google, Facebook, Direct, etc.) – Recent form submissions
with their attribution data – Forms-with-tracking count

### Usage

### For Marketers

Once installed and configured, the plugin works automatically. Every form submission
will include complete attribution data that you can:

 * Export to CSV and upload to Google Ads for conversion tracking
 * Analyze in your CRM to understand which campaigns drive the best leads
 * Use to calculate true cost-per-lead and ROI by campaign
 * Review to optimize your landing pages and ad targeting

### For Developers

#### JavaScript API

The plugin exposes a global API for programmatic access:

    ```
    `javascript
    ```

// Get full attribution data object
 const attribution = window.FormAttributionTracking.
getAttributionData(); // Returns: { utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term,
utm_content, gclid, landing_page, timestamp }

// Get just the traffic source (legacy method)
 const source = window.FormAttributionTracking.
getReferralSource();

// Manually trigger form field population
 window.FormAttributionTracking.populateFormFields();

// Access configuration
 const config = window.FormAttributionTracking.config; `

#### JavaScript Events

Listen for when attribution data is populated:

    ```
    `javascript
    ```

window.addEventListener(‘attributionDataPopulated’, function(event) {
 console.log(‘
Attribution captured:’, event.detail.attribution); console.log(‘Fields populated:’,
event.detail.fieldsCount); }); `

#### PHP Hooks and Filters

Extend or customize the plugin:

    ```
    `php
    ```

// Add custom form plugin integration
 add_filter(‘attribution_tracking_integrations’,
function($integrations) { $integrations[‘CustomForms’] = new CustomFormsIntegration();
return $integrations; });

// React to integration initialization
 add_action(‘attribution_tracking_integration_initialized’,
function($integration_name) { error_log(“Attribution tracking initialized for: ”.
$integration_name); });

// Hook into debug logging
 add_action(‘form_referral_source_debug_log’, function(
$message, $context, $source) { error_log(“[$source] $message: ” . print_r($context,
true)); }, 10, 3); `

### Attribution Field Names

The plugin creates these hidden fields in your forms:

 * `attribution_source` – Traffic source identifier
 * `attribution_medium` – Marketing medium
 * `attribution_campaign` – Campaign name
 * `attribution_term` – Keyword/search term
 * `attribution_content` – Ad content variation
 * `attribution_gclid` – Google Ads Click ID
 * `attribution_landing_page` – First page visited
 * `attribution_timestamp` – ISO 8601 timestamp of first visit

All fields are automatically populated by JavaScript and have PHP fallbacks.

### Traffic Source Detection

The plugin intelligently categorizes traffic sources:

### UTM Parameters (Highest Priority)

If UTM parameters are present in the URL, they are captured exactly as provided.

### Known Platforms (Automatic Categorization)

The plugin recognizes and categorizes referrers from:
 – Google (google.com, google.
co.uk, etc.) – Facebook (facebook.com, fb.com, m.facebook.com) – Twitter/X (twitter.
com, x.com, t.co) – LinkedIn (linkedin.com, lnkd.in) – YouTube (youtube.com, youtu.
be) – Instagram (instagram.com) – TikTok (tiktok.com) – Pinterest (pinterest.com,
pin.it) – Reddit (reddit.com) – Bing (bing.com) – Yahoo (yahoo.com) – DuckDuckGo(
duckduckgo.com)

### Generic Referrals

For unlisted referrers, the clean hostname is stored (e.g., “example.com”)

### Direct Traffic

When no referrer or UTM parameters are present, traffic is marked as “direct”

### Troubleshooting

### Attribution Data Not Being Captured

 1. **Enable Debug Mode** in plugin settings
 2. Open browser console (F12) and check for “[Referral Source]” log messages
 3. Verify cookies are enabled in the browser
 4. Check that JavaScript is not being blocked

### Fields Not Populating in Forms

 1. Enable Debug Mode and check console for “Field populated” messages
 2. Verify the form fields exist (check Manage Forms tab)
 3. Test with a fresh browser/incognito window
 4. Check that the form HTML includes the expected hidden field names

### Forms Not Showing in Dashboard

 1. Verify your form plugin (Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, or Formidable Forms) is active
 2. Check that you have forms created in that plugin
 3. Look for PHP errors in debug.log if WP_DEBUG is enabled

### GCLID Not Being Captured

 1. Verify your Google Ads URLs include the {gclid} parameter
 2. Use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to test: https://ga-dev-tools.google/campaign-
    url-builder/
 3. Check that cookies are working (GCLID is stored in the attribution cookie)
 4. Enable Debug Mode to see what parameters are being captured

### Extending the Plugin

### Adding Support for Other Form Plugins

Create a new integration class:

    ```
    `php
    ```

<?php
 namespace FormAttributionTracking\Integrations;

use FormAttributionTracking\Abstracts\AbstractFormIntegration;

class CustomFormPluginIntegration extends AbstractFormIntegration
 { public function
isAvailable(): bool { return class_exists(‘CustomFormPlugin’); }

    ```
    public function getName(): string {
        return 'Custom Form Plugin';
    }

    public function getVersion(): string {
        return '1.0.0';
    }

    protected function registerHooks(): void {
        // Hook into your form plugin's save/render events
        add_action('custom_form_save', [$this, 'onFormSaved'], 10, 2);
    }

    public function addReferralSourceField(int $formId): bool {
        // Implement logic to add hidden fields to forms
    }

    public function removeReferralSourceField(int $formId): bool {
        // Implement logic to remove hidden fields
    }

    public function hasReferralSourceField(int $formId): bool {
        // Check if form has attribution fields
    }

    public function getAllForms(): array {
        // Return array of all forms
    }
    ```

}
 `

Register your integration:

    ```
    `php
    ```

add_filter(‘attribution_tracking_integrations’, function($integrations) {
 $integrations[‘
CustomFormPlugin’] = new CustomFormPluginIntegration(); return $integrations; });`

### Architecture

The plugin uses a clean, modern PHP 8+ architecture:

    ```
    `
    ```

src/
 ├── Contracts/ │ └── FormIntegrationInterface.php # Interface all integrations
must implement ├── Abstracts/ │ └── AbstractFormIntegration.php # Base class with
common functionality ├── Integrations/ │ ├── GravityFormsIntegration.php # Gravity
Forms support │ ├── FluentFormsIntegration.php # Fluent Forms support │ └── FormidableFormsIntegration.
php # Formidable Forms support ├── Views/ │ └── admin-page.php # Admin dashboard
template └── Plugin.php # Main plugin orchestration class `

### Privacy & Compliance

This plugin stores first-party cookies to maintain attribution data. Consider these
compliance aspects:

 * **Cookie Duration**: Configurable 1-365 days (default 30)
 * **Data Stored**: Marketing attribution data only (no PII)
 * **First-Party Cookies**: Data stays on your domain
 * **User Control**: Respects browser cookie settings
 * **GDPR**: Consider adding cookie consent notices per your requirements
 * **Data Retention**: Attribution data is only stored in form submissions per your
   form plugin’s data retention policies

### Support & Contributing

For bug reports, feature requests, or contributions:

 * Plugin Author: Ryan Howard
 * Website: https://www.ryanhoward.dev
 * Text Domain: form-attribution-tracking

### License

This plugin is licensed under the GPL v2 or later.

## Installation

### Requirements

 * WordPress 6.0 or higher
 * PHP 8.0 or higher
 * At least one supported form plugin (Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, or Formidable
   Forms)

### Setup Steps

 1. Upload the plugin files to `/wp-content/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/`
 2. Run `composer install --no-dev` in the plugin directory (if installing from source)
 3. Activate the plugin through the WordPress admin panel
 4. Navigate to **Form Attribution Tracking** in the WordPress admin menu
 5. Configure your settings (recommended: 30-day cookie duration, auto-add enabled)
 6. The plugin will automatically add attribution fields to new forms, or use the “
    Manage Forms” tab to add fields to existing forms

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Form Attribution Tracking” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ Ryan Howard ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryhowa/)
 *   [ Pavlo Samsonov ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/samsonovteamwork/)

[Translate “Form Attribution Tracking” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/form-attribution-tracking)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/form-attribution-tracking/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/form-attribution-tracking/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/form-attribution-tracking/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/form-attribution-tracking/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

### 1.1.0

 * Enhanced documentation with comprehensive Google Ads integration guide
 * Improved attribution field descriptions and usage examples
 * Added detailed troubleshooting section
 * Updated developer API documentation
 * Added privacy and compliance guidelines
 * Clarified first-touch attribution methodology

### 1.0.0

 * Initial release
 * Support for Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, and Formidable Forms
 * Complete Google Ads attribution tracking (8 fields)
 * GCLID capture for conversion imports
 * First-touch attribution with cookie persistence
 * JavaScript + PHP dual-layer tracking
 * Admin dashboard with statistics
 * Debug mode for troubleshooting
 * Modern PHP 8+ architecture
 * Mutation observer for dynamic forms

## Meta

 *  Version **1.1.2**
 *  Last updated **5 months ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.8.5**
 *  PHP version ** 8.0 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/)
 * Tags
 * [attribution](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/attribution/)[forms](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/forms/)
   [referral](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/referral/)[tracking](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tracking/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://hat.wordpress.org/plugins/form-attribution-tracking/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/form-attribution-tracking/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/form-attribution-tracking/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ Ryan Howard ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ryhowa/)
 *   [ Pavlo Samsonov ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/samsonovteamwork/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/form-attribution-tracking/)