How to Use Hubspot Traffic Source Properties to Filter Contacts

Hubspot gives you powerful traffic source properties that help you understand where your contacts originally came from and how they continue to find your site. By learning how these properties work together, you can build smarter lists, workflows, and reports that keep your database clean and your marketing highly targeted.

Understanding Hubspot Original Source Properties

Traffic source data in Hubspot is stored in a set of related contact properties. Together, these properties capture both the first time a visitor was tracked and the most recent non-direct session. Knowing the difference between them is essential for accurate segmentation.

Key traffic source properties in Hubspot

• Original source: the channel of the first recorded session that led to the contact being tracked.
• Original source drill-down 1: a more detailed descriptor of that first session, such as a specific social network or referrer.
• Original source drill-down 2: additional detail about the first session, such as campaign, keyword, or variation, depending on the source.
• Latest source: the most recent non-direct channel that brought the contact back to your site.
• Latest source drill-down 1 and 2: detailed breakdowns for that last recorded non-direct session.

These properties are populated automatically as visitors interact with your site, forms, and tracking tools implemented inside your portal.

How Hubspot Determines Original Source

The original source fields in Hubspot are set based on the first time the visitor is successfully tracked and associated with a contact record. That first tracked interaction can happen in several ways, and understanding them will help you interpret your data correctly.

Scenarios for setting original source in Hubspot

1. First page view with tracking code

   When a visitor first lands on a page that contains your tracking code and accepts cookies, Hubspot records a session. If the visitor later converts and becomes a contact, that original session defines the contact’s original source.

2. Form submissions

   If a visitor submits a form, Hubspot will associate the submission with an existing cookie or create a new record. If no prior session existed, the form submission itself can set the original source.

3. Manual creation and imports

   When contacts are created manually, imported, or synced via integrations, Hubspot will often set the original source to values such as Offline sources unless additional tracking data is available.

Once the original source is set, it usually does not change, even if the contact later returns via different channels.

How Hubspot Determines Latest Source

Where original source represents the first tracked touch, latest source in Hubspot represents the most recent non-direct session. Direct traffic is ignored for this logic, so that your reporting focuses on meaningful new interactions.

How the latest source updates in Hubspot

• Each time a contact returns to your site through a tracked channel, Hubspot evaluates that session.
• If the session is not classified as direct traffic, the latest source and its drill-down fields are updated.
• If the visit is direct, the latest source does not change, preserving the last known marketing-driven interaction.

This distinction allows marketers to analyze both long-term origin and recent engagement for every record.

Using Hubspot Traffic Source Properties to Filter Contacts

Once you understand how the tracking logic works, you can use these properties in Hubspot lists, views, and other tools to build precise filters that power your reporting and automation.

Create contact lists using Hubspot traffic source data

To build an active list based on source properties, follow these steps:

1. In your account, navigate to your Contacts tool and open Lists.
2. Click to create a new Active list.
3. Choose Contact properties as the filter type.
4. Search for Original source or Latest source and select the property you need.
5. Choose a filter operator, such as is any of or is equal to.
6. Select one or more traffic source values, for example:
   • Organic search
   • Paid social
   • Email marketing
   • Offline sources
7. Add more criteria using Original source drill-down 1 and 2 if you need more granular segmentation, such as a specific ad network or campaign.
8. Save the list and allow it to update as new contacts match the criteria.

These lists can be used for targeted email campaigns, sales outreach, and audience analysis.

Filter contact views in Hubspot by source

You can also apply filters directly to contact index views.

1. Open the Contacts index.
2. Click Advanced filters or Add filter.
3. Select the same traffic source properties used in lists, such as original source and its drill-downs.
4. Apply the filter logic and save the view if you want ongoing access to the filtered segment.

This method is useful for day-to-day inspection by sales and service teams.

Updating and Using Hubspot Source Data in Workflows

While traffic properties in Hubspot are typically set automatically, you can reference them inside workflows to branch logic, score leads, and update additional fields.

Branching workflow logic with Hubspot source properties

1. Create or edit a Contact-based workflow.
2. Add an If/then branch action.
3. Choose Contact properties as the condition type.
4. Use Original source or Latest source as the filter, then specify your values.
5. Configure different actions for each branch, such as assigning contacts to different owners, setting lifecycle stages, or enrolling them in tailored nurture sequences.

This approach ensures that leads from distinct channels receive messaging and follow-up that match their intent.

Referencing Hubspot traffic data in other properties

You may not want to overwrite original and latest source values directly, but you can copy or map them to custom fields for reporting.

• Use Set property value actions to fill custom text or dropdown fields with normalized source labels.
• Create calculated segments in lists based on both source and drill-down combinations.
• Use these custom fields in reports and dashboards for cleaner visualizations.

For deeper reporting strategy and technical setup, you can consult specialists such as Consultevo, who focus on CRM and analytics optimization.

Best Practices for Working With Hubspot Source Data

To keep your analytics and segmentation accurate, follow a few practical guidelines when using traffic source properties in Hubspot.

Maintain consistent tracking setups

• Ensure the tracking code is installed on all public-facing pages and that cookie consent banners are correctly configured.
• Standardize UTM parameters across paid campaigns so drill-down values are reliable.
• Check that integrations and imports are mapped properly and do not override traffic data unnecessarily.

Segment by both original and latest interactions

• Use Original source to understand how your database is initially acquired.
• Use Latest source to identify channels currently re-engaging your contacts.
• Combine both views in reports to see lifetime journey patterns, from first touch to recent activity.

Audit filters and lists regularly

• Review active lists that rely on traffic properties to ensure they still reflect your current channel structure.
• Confirm that naming conventions for campaigns, ads, and integrations produce clear drill-down values.

Learn More About Hubspot Traffic Source Logic

If you want more technical detail on how each source and drill-down value is calculated, you can review the official documentation. The original guide used for this article is available at Hubspot knowledge base: update and filter contacts using traffic source properties. That resource provides property definitions, example scenarios, and additional field-level references.

By combining a clear understanding of these properties with thoughtful segmentation and workflow design, you can turn your Hubspot portal into a reliable source of channel performance insights and tailored engagement.

Need Help With Hubspot?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.

Scale Hubspot

“`