If you’re spending hours sifting through website leads and still missing the ones that actually matter, you’re not alone. Lead scoring promises to solve this—if you set it up right. This guide is for sales teams, marketers, or anyone using Visualvisitor who’s tired of chasing dead ends and wants a realistic way to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Let’s cut through the vague advice and get your Visualvisitor lead scoring working for you, not the other way around.
Why bother with lead scoring?
Here’s the deal: Not every website visitor is worth your time. Some are just browsing, others are competitors, and a few are exactly the people you want to talk to. Lead scoring helps you spot the difference—if you set it up to match your real-world sales process, not just what some vendor suggests.
But don’t expect miracles. Lead scoring is a filter, not a crystal ball. You’ll still need to review leads, but you’ll waste less time on the obvious tire-kickers.
Step 1: Get clear on what a "good lead" means for you
Before clicking around in Visualvisitor, step back and define what your best prospects actually look like. Don’t just copy a generic scoring template. Ask:
- What company sizes are a good fit?
- Which industries do you actually close deals with?
- What pages do serious buyers look at before reaching out?
- Are repeat visits a real buying signal, or just window shopping?
Write down your must-haves and nice-to-haves. If your sales team argues about this, good—it means you’re getting real.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure what matters, pull up your last 10 closed deals and see what traits they share.
Step 2: Log in and find the lead scoring settings
Once you know what you’re looking for, log in to Visualvisitor. The lead scoring feature is usually under the “Settings” or “Lead Management” section, but if you’re lost, use the help chat. Don’t waste time hunting through menus.
Visualvisitor’s interface can feel a bit dated, but don’t let that throw you. The scoring rules are where the real work happens.
Step 3: Build your scoring criteria
This is where you’ll translate your notes into actual rules. Visualvisitor lets you assign points based on:
- Company attributes: industry, size, location, etc.
- On-site behavior: page visits, time on site, downloads.
- Repeat visits: how many times they’ve come back.
Here’s what you should do:
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Start simple. Don’t go wild with 20 different criteria. Two or three main factors are enough to start.
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Assign realistic weights. Not all actions are equal. Visiting your pricing page? Worth more than reading your blog. Downloading a whitepaper? Even better.
Example: - +10 points: From a target industry - +8 points: Visited pricing or demo page - +5 points: Company size fits your customer profile - +2 points: Multiple visits in a week
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Ignore vanity metrics. Don’t give points for stuff that doesn’t lead to sales (like just being from a big company, if you know they never buy).
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Set up negative scoring. Visualvisitor lets you subtract points. This is great for excluding:
- Competitors (by IP or domain)
- Student traffic
- Job seekers
What to skip: Don’t bother assigning points for every minuscule action. You’ll just drown in noise. Focus on clear buying signals.
Step 4: Set your lead score thresholds
Now you need to decide: When does a lead become “hot” enough for sales to care?
- Pick a starting threshold. For example, 15 points and up = hot lead.
- Set up alerts. Visualvisitor can email you or notify your CRM when a lead crosses your threshold.
Don’t stress about getting the threshold perfect the first time. You’ll almost certainly need to adjust it after you see what comes through.
Pro tip: If you’re getting too many “hot” leads, your threshold is too low. Too few? It’s too high. Adjust, don’t agonize.
Step 5: Test with real data
Now the rubber meets the road. Watch your lead list for a week or two.
- Are the top scorers actually good fits?
- Is sales ignoring “hot” leads because they’re junk?
- Are you missing out on leads that should have scored higher?
Sit down with your sales team and ask for blunt feedback. If they’re not using the scores, your rules need work.
What usually goes wrong: People set up scoring based on what should matter, not what actually does. Don’t be afraid to tweak aggressively.
Step 6: Tweak and improve (but don’t overdo it)
Lead scoring is not “set it and forget it.” As you get more data, adjust your rules:
- Drop criteria that aren’t predicting good leads
- Add new signals that seem useful (maybe a new product page is important)
- Raise or lower your thresholds as needed
But don’t turn it into a science project. The goal is to help you focus, not create a perfect algorithm.
Things that actually matter (and what doesn’t)
Here’s what’s usually worth your time:
- Buying signals: Pricing page visits, demo requests, download of product materials.
- Fit: Company size, industry, geographic region.
- Engagement: Multiple site visits, long time on important pages.
Here’s what’s usually noise:
- Visits to your careers page
- Blog traffic from unrelated industries
- Social media clicks that never convert
If your lead scoring rules start to get complicated, ask yourself: “Would I actually care if a sales rep called this person tomorrow?” If not, drop it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to be too clever. More rules don’t mean better results.
- Ignoring the sales team. If they don’t use the scores, you’re wasting your time.
- Never revisiting your setup. Your business changes, and so should your scoring.
A quick note on integrations
Visualvisitor can push lead scores into your CRM or send notifications by email. Make sure these are set up—otherwise, your leads will just sit there, unseen.
Hook up the integration, test it, and double-check that leads are actually making it to sales.
Keep it simple and iterate
Lead scoring in Visualvisitor isn’t magic, but it does work—if you keep it simple, review regularly, and don’t let it drift into complexity for its own sake.
Start with a few rules, get feedback, and tweak as you go. You’ll waste less time on the wrong leads and have better conversations with the right ones. That’s the whole point.