Lead Table or End-to-End Analytics: Which One to Choose?

Lately, we’ve been hearing a common request from our clients: “We need deeper insights into our users, but we don’t have the budget for full end-to-end analytics yet.”

In such cases, we sometimes suggest an intermediate solution — a Lead Table. It’s not a replacement for end-to-end analytics, but it does allow you to gather more information than simply reviewing submissions in your CRM or email.

What is a Lead Table?

A Lead Table is a spreadsheet that’s filled in partly automatically and partly by sales managers. It shows who submitted a form on your website or made a purchase.

Data is collected via forms and Google Tag Manager, then stored in Google Sheets. The table can automatically pull in details such as:

• Traffic source (UTM tags).
• Event time.
• Form data (name, phone number, email).
• Client ID, and more.

Managers can then manually add information like lead status, purchase amount, currency, whether it’s a repeat purchase, and any comments.

In other words, a Lead Table is like a “lead logbook” that helps you better understand where your leads are coming from — though it still requires some manual input.

What Is End-to-End Analytics?

End-to-end analytics is a more advanced solution that integrates your website, CRM, and advertising platforms, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, GA4, etc.

This integration automatically maps the entire customer journey, from the very first click to repeat purchases. It also tracks all sales, even those made outside the website (e.g., by phone or via Instagram DMs).

End-to-end analytics enables you to calculate key business metrics such as:

• LTV (Lifetime Value);
• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost);
• ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment).

Moreover, this type of integration reduces errors, preserves a complete customer history, and creates a solid foundation for scaling your business.

What’s the Difference?

We often start with a Lead Table to quickly give a business basic analytics. As the number of leads and sales grows, we gradually move toward end-to-end analytics, integrating the CRM, advertising platforms, and website into a single system.

The main drawback of a Lead Table is that it doesn’t show the full customer journey. For example, if someone first saw an ad, then returned via organic search, and finally made a purchase after a phone call, the table won’t capture that. That’s why it works best as a starting point, not a complete analytics solution.

What Data Can Be Captured in a Lead Table?

Automatically (via website and GTM):

• transaction_id — transaction ID (if a purchase was made).
• timestamp — time of the event.
• name, email, phone — data from the website.
• product/topic — what the customer is interested in.
• utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term — UTM tag data.
• gclid, fbclid, ttclid — advertising click identifiers (if available).
• client_id — user identifier (from GA cookie).
• referrer — the website the user came from.
• device/platform — user’s device or platform.

Manually (added by sales managers):

• status — lead status (new, in progress, converted, etc.).
• sale_date — date of purchase.
• sale_amount — purchase amount.
• sale_currency — purchase currency.
• repeated_sale — indicates a repeat purchase.
• source_manual — if the lead came from outside the website (Instagram, phone call, referral, etc.).
• manager_name — name of the sales manager handling the lead.
• crm_id — CRM ID (if integrated).
• comment — any notes from the manager.

When configured properly, a Lead Table can be quite insightful. By setting up automated data collection through Google Tag Manager and maintaining disciplined manual updates, you can track not only lead submissions but also key business metrics, such as sales amounts, repeat purchases, and manager performance.

When to Choose a Lead Table

A Lead Table is suitable if:

• You run a small business with a manageable number of leads or purchases per day.
• You need to quickly access basic information about leads from your website.
• You don’t have a CRM yet, or it’s not fully set up.
• Your budget is limited, but you still want to see which channels your leads are coming from.

When to Invest in End-to-End Analytics

End-to-end analytics is the right choice if:

• Your business is scaling, and sales volume is high.
• You need to calculate LTV, CAC, and ROMI.
• You want to see the entire customer journey and optimize marketing based on performance, not just lead volume.

A Lead Table is a compromise solution. It provides a basic understanding of lead sources but doesn’t replace end-to-end analytics.

However, for comprehensive business optimization and data-driven decisions, it’s worth moving toward end-to-end analytics.

At Livepage, we help businesses build both simple Lead Tables and full end-to-end analytics systems, tailored to your goals, tools, and budget. Our team can guide you step by step from basic data collection to a complete marketing analytics setup that drives real growth.