Count intake answers
Keep direct AI names, later searches, and unknown responses separate. Unknown is the error bar.
For law firm marketing and intake teams
Find the AI-referred inquiries GA4 cannot.
A free intake question, CRM dropdown and monthly worksheet for the caller who got your name from ChatGPT, searched later, and never arrived with an AI referrer.
Free to adapt · No email gate · No intake data is entered here
One inquiry · two partial instruments
Neither side is the total
GA4 observes
The click
Recognized AI referrer retained
Intake observes
The memory
Caller recalls what influenced them
The missing event
An assistant recommends the firm. The prospect calls or searches the name later. Referral analytics never receive an AI click to classify.
The intake script
Ask after the matter details, not before.
The client should never feel that attribution matters more than their problem. Ask late, name examples, and store one structured answer.
Ask every new inquiry
“One last thing so we know what is working — before you called us, did you use an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Gemini, or did you find us another way?”
If yes, follow with
“Do you remember whether it gave you our name directly, or whether you searched for us afterwards?”
The CRM field
Seven options. No “internet” bucket.
Keep an optional notes field for the caller’s own words. Use this required dropdown for the count you intend to compare month over month.
01
AI assistant — named us directly
The caller says an assistant gave them the firm’s name.
02
AI assistant — searched after
An assistant influenced the choice, then the caller searched or clicked elsewhere.
03
Search engine
The caller describes searching; no assistant was mentioned.
04
Referral — person
Friend, family member, another lawyer, or past client.
05
Directory or review site
The caller names a directory or review platform.
06
Advertising
The caller recalls an ad, billboard, radio spot, or mailer.
07
Other / unknown
The caller cannot say. The intake team does not guess.
Pull the click data
Use GA4’s AI Assistant channel and Search Console’s generative-AI reports for the same month.
Compare—do not merge
The instruments observe different events. The gap is a finding; forcing one total manufactures certainty.
Free to adapt · No email gate · No intake data is entered here
From attribution to visibility
A referral count still cannot tell you who was recommended.
Intake and GA4 measure downstream behavior. A recommendation check measures the upstream answer: whether assistants named the firm, which competitors appeared, and which sources shaped the response.
Use both when the question matters
- Recommendation evidence: what assistants actually said.
- GA4 and Search Console: which measurable clicks followed.
- Intake: which callers remember an assistant influencing them.
What the kit can—and cannot—tell you
Does GA4 already have an AI Assistant channel?
Yes. Google announced the native channel on May 13, 2026. Recognized visits receive the medium “ai-assistant” and campaign “(ai-assistant).”
Why ask intake if GA4 has the channel?
GA4 needs a visit and a classifiable referrer. It cannot attribute someone who was given the firm name, called directly, or searched the name later.
Does the GA4 channel include Google AI Overviews and AI Mode?
No. Google’s default-channel documentation explicitly excludes both; those clicks are reported with Google search traffic.
Are intake answers ground truth?
No. They depend on memory and consistent staff execution. Report the unknown count and keep the wording stable before comparing months.
Does this page collect intake data?
No. There is no form for client or matter data. The optional post-download form accepts only an email address and whether you asked for CRM setup help so Briefly can deliver the blank templates and respond to that request. It does not add you to a newsletter.
Platform details: Google’s May 13, 2026 release note and default-channel documentation. For the complete attribution method, read the law-firm AI referral guide.