GHL–AccuLynx Attribution Strategy
Strategy Purpose
Create a controlled attribution path from lead origin in Go High Level (GHL) to the corresponding customer and job record in AccuLynx. The implementation should preserve the original source, prevent avoidable duplicates, and support reconciliation from captured lead through signed revenue across the five paired subaccounts described in the source workbook.
This is a target operating design, not a statement that every named integration, API, permission, trigger, connector, or field rule is available in every account. Validate each capability in the live GHL, AccuLynx, advertising, call-tracking, and automation environments before enabling it.
Attribution Architecture
Layer 1: Shared Taxonomy
Maintain one governed lead-source taxonomy across GHL and AccuLynx. Each source value must have:
A unique canonical name
A channel category
An automatic or manual capture rule
An owning system and field
Applicable brands or subaccounts
A verification method
A change owner and effective date
Use the workbook taxonomy as the starting proposal, not as an immutable list. Reconcile it against current source values, active channels, reporting requirements, and platform field limits before locking the production version. Archive or map old values only after historical records have been exported and a rollback path exists.
Layer 2: Capture in GHL
Capture the source at the earliest reliable point and preserve it separately from later operational labels.
Lead path | Proposed capture method | Required verification |
|---|---|---|
Paid lead forms | Supported account integration or automation plus campaign metadata | Submit a test lead and compare the ad-platform record with GHL |
Website forms | Hidden UTM fields and a first-captured timestamp | Test direct, paid, organic, and referral URLs on every form |
Phone calls | Unique tracking numbers or another approved call-attribution method | Place test calls and confirm source, market, and contact creation |
Chat and inbound text | Supported webhook or workflow | Confirm the source survives contact creation and later updates |
Manual sources | Required source selection at creation | Attempt to save a controlled test record without a source |
Cross-brand referrals | Explicit cross-brand source plus originating record reference | Test both directions without double-counting the household |
Retain the earliest source in dedicated fields such as utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term, and first_captured_date. Do not overwrite the original source when a lead is reassigned, requalified, or moved to another stage.
Layer 3: Qualified-Lead Sync to AccuLynx
The workbook proposes syncing after a GHL lead reaches Appointment Set or Qualified. Confirm the production trigger with the sales process before launch so an automation does not create jobs too early or omit valid opportunities.
For each paired subaccount, the controlled sync should:
Trigger only on an approved stage or qualification event.
Route the record to the correct AccuLynx account by an explicit, tested subaccount mapping.
Search for an existing person using normalized phone and email before creating a record.
Create or update the AccuLynx contact according to a documented conflict rule.
Transfer identity, contact, address, canonical lead source, original UTM values, and first-captured date.
Store the GHL contact ID in AccuLynx and the AccuLynx contact ID in GHL when supported.
Record automation run ID, timestamp, result, and error state outside the customer-facing fields.
Prevent retries from creating duplicate contacts or double-counting the same attribution event.
Layer 4: Reconciliation and Reporting
Build the reporting layer only after source capture and the sync are stable. Whether the team uses direct connectors, an approved data bridge, or scheduled exports, retain a source-system key for every record.
The minimum reporting path is:
Report by brand or paired subaccount, geography, channel, canonical lead source, campaign, qualification status, signed outcome, and revenue. Include data-health measures such as blank source rate, duplicate rate, unmatched ID rate, sync failures, and source-count variance.
Canonical Fields and Mapping
Canonical field | GHL source | AccuLynx destination | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
GHL contact ID | GHL system ID |
| Immutable linkage key when supported |
AccuLynx contact ID | Returned after find/create |
| Store only after a successful response |
Lead source | Governed GHL source field | AccuLynx lead source | Map through the approved taxonomy table |
Original UTM source |
|
| Preserve first nonblank value |
Original UTM medium |
|
| Preserve first nonblank value |
Original UTM campaign |
|
| Preserve first nonblank value |
First captured date |
|
| Use lead-origin time, not appointment time |
Contact identity | Name, email, normalized phone, address | Matching contact fields | Define normalization and conflict rules |
Confirm actual field names, data types, lengths, edit permissions, and API visibility in each production account. Use a mapping table if a platform cannot accept the canonical value directly.
Subaccount Automation Pattern
The workbook proposes one repeated GHL-to-AccuLynx automation for each paired subaccount labeled Cardinal, Kennesaw, Franklin Roofing, Trimlight, and Masters. Treat these labels as account mappings until their brand and geography dimensions are confirmed.
Every automation should use the same versioned template:
Configuration that varies by subaccount—credentials, account IDs, stage IDs, owners, and fallback routes—must be stored as configuration, not embedded informally in step text.
Supporting Automations
Consider these only after the five core syncs are stable:
Weekly comparison of advertising-platform lead counts with GHL source counts
Cross-brand referral creation in either direction after an approved job-completion event
Duplicate detection across relevant accounts using normalized identity fields
Scheduled export or data bridge for reporting when a direct, approved connector is unavailable
Before building any supporting automation, confirm platform support, data access, privacy requirements, task volume, retry behavior, ownership, and failure notification.
Team Ownership
Workstream | Owner | Support | Definition of done |
|---|---|---|---|
Attribution architecture, integration design, tracking, technical QA, and final sign-off | You | Cayla and Lara | Field mappings, tests, reconciliation, monitoring, and rollback checks pass |
Coordination, GHL configuration, lead-stage decisions, and performance use | Cayla | You | Production choices match the sales process and owners act on exceptions |
Channel taxonomy and campaign metadata review | Marketing teammate | You and Cayla | Active sources and campaign values map to the canonical taxonomy |
WordPress form and hidden-field implementation | Lara | You | Approved fields persist through every relevant form without harming conversion |
Credential changes, production connections, source deletions, and required-field enforcement need an approved owner and rollback plan. Do not place credentials or API keys in documentation, spreadsheets, automation names, or logs.
Implementation Sequence
The workbook supplies a 30-day sequence. Use it as a four-phase plan rather than fixed calendar dates.
Phase 1: Inventory and Taxonomy
Inventory all five GHL and five AccuLynx subaccounts, current sources, stages, fields, integrations, owners, and credentials custodians.
Export current source values and representative historical records.
Approve the canonical taxonomy and old-to-new mappings.
Define lead, qualified lead, appointment, signed contract, revenue, duplicate, and first-captured date.
Document backup, rollback, and change windows before altering required fields.
Phase 2: Capture and Field Configuration
Create or confirm attribution fields in both systems.
Implement website UTM capture and first-captured timestamp preservation.
Connect only supported and approved lead sources.
Test each source path in a nonproduction environment or controlled test window.
Enforce source requirements only after integrations and manual workflows can populate valid values.
Phase 3: Pilot and Repeatable Sync
Select one paired subaccount as the pilot.
Build the idempotent find/create/update flow and reciprocal-ID mapping.
Test new, existing, incomplete, duplicate, retried, and wrong-market records.
Reconcile a sample from GHL through AccuLynx and signed outcome.
Approve the template, then deploy it to the other four mappings one at a time.
Phase 4: Reporting and Adoption
Select a reporting path after connector availability, security, refresh rate, cost, and maintenance have been verified.
Reconcile totals and document known timing or attribution limits.
Train sales and marketing owners on source selection, exception handling, and correction rules.
Run the first weekly health review before declaring the implementation live.
Move from launch monitoring to weekly review, monthly attribution audit, and quarterly taxonomy review.
Verification Matrix
Test | Expected result | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
Create a manual lead without a source | Save or stage change is blocked only where the approved rule applies | Screenshot or test record ID |
Submit each paid and website form | Correct source and original campaign fields appear in GHL | Source record and GHL contact ID |
Place each tracked test call | Correct source and destination account are recorded | Call record and GHL contact ID |
Advance a pilot lead to the sync stage | One AccuLynx record is created or updated | Both system IDs and automation run ID |
Replay the same event | No duplicate record or attribution event is created | Retry log and record count |
Change a later operational label | Original attribution remains unchanged | Before-and-after field values |
Compare weekly source counts | Variance is within an approved, evidence-based tolerance | Reconciliation report and investigation notes |
Disable the automation | Rollback stops writes without losing queued or failed-event visibility | Rollback log and owner sign-off |
Do not use a universal percentage tolerance without a measured baseline. Some workbook thresholds are proposed starting points and may not reflect actual platform definitions or valid lead-count differences.
Exception Handling
Blank Source
Check whether the capture integration, field mapping, required-field rule, or manual workflow failed. Correct the cause before bulk-editing records. Preserve the original value and correction audit trail.
Source Mismatch Between Systems
Inspect the mapping version, automation run, and edit history. Restrict post-capture edits where operationally appropriate, but provide a documented correction process for authorized owners.
Duplicate Contact
Normalize phone and email, verify whether the records represent one person, one household, or valid cross-brand interactions, then merge or relate them according to the approved policy. Do not treat all cross-account matches as errors.
Count Variance
Compare time zones, date windows, test leads, invalid or incomplete submissions, deleted records, and each platform's definition of a lead. Set alert thresholds from observed variance, not from an unsupported assumption.
Sync or Connector Failure
Pause unsafe writes, retain failed-event details, correct authorization or mapping, replay only idempotent events, and reconcile the affected period after recovery.
Operating Cadence
Weekly Health Review
Review blank sources, failed automations, unmatched IDs, duplicates, count variance, newly added channels, and corrections awaiting approval.
Monthly Attribution Audit
Trace a sample from source through GHL, AccuLynx, signed contract, and revenue. Reconcile totals by subaccount and channel, review access, and confirm that the original attribution remains intact.
Quarterly Taxonomy Review
Approve source additions, retire obsolete values through mappings, verify that active campaigns use canonical metadata, and document effective dates. Avoid frequent taxonomy changes that break historical comparability.
Guardrails and Definition of Done
Treat the workbook as source material and validate every vendor-specific capability in the live environment.
Do not delete or overwrite historical source values before export and mapping.
Do not enable required-field rules until automated and manual capture paths have passed testing.
Do not write to the wrong AccuLynx account when a market or subaccount mapping is missing; fail safely and alert an owner.
Do not create a new contact before performing the approved duplicate search.
Do not let retries produce duplicate contacts or duplicate attribution events.
Do not store credentials in documents, spreadsheets, or logs.
Do not declare the reporting layer reliable until totals reconcile with source systems and known exceptions are documented.
The strategy is complete when every active lead path has a canonical source; each paired subaccount sync passes controlled tests; reciprocal IDs or equivalent durable keys link the systems; exceptions are monitored and owned; historical values remain traceable; and a sample can be followed from origin through signed revenue without manual guesswork.