Marketing Strategy · September 29, 2026 · 4 min read · Jaia Studio
How to Find Out Where Your Clients Come From
Ask a few recent clients how they found you and why they booked, then use what you hear to change one page on your website.
When new bookings slow down at a studio, clinic, or retreat, another promotion is the usual next move. Before you spend more, ask a few people who already booked how they first heard about you, and what happened between that and the booking.
Over the summer, Jaia Studio heard from a wave of new clients. They were in different countries, and they had no connections in common. When we asked how they'd heard about us, they said ChatGPT. We had the name of the tool. We still didn't know what they looked at, or what made them get in touch.
How clients find you and why they book
How someone first hears your name is one moment. Booking is a later one. A person, a post, a search, or a tool can put you on their list. They still have to find a service, a time, or a fee that fits, and a clear way to take the next step.
People don't always move through these in the same order.
They hear about you
Your name lands on their list.
They check whether it fits
They look for a service, a time, or a fee that matches what they need.
They book
They take the step that gets them in touch.
Three questions to ask recent clients
Write to five people who booked recently. They've already made the decision, so a short note is enough, and a sentence or two back is plenty.
Ask these three, in this order:
How did you first hear about us?
What did you look at, or what did you do, between finding us and getting in touch?
What helped you decide, and did anything almost stop you?
You can copy this note and send it as it is:
Hi, I'm glad you booked with us. If you have a minute, could you tell me how you first heard about us, what you looked at before getting in touch, and what helped you decide? If something almost stopped you, I'd like to know that too. A sentence or two is plenty.
If they tell you how they found you and skip what almost stopped them, ask that part once more while they still remember.
Example: a beginner unsure which class to book
This example is a hypothetical fitness studio. One reply turns into a page change. It isn't a Jaia Studio client, and it isn't the summer story above.
Where they first heard
An AI answer mentioned the studio.
What they checked next
The class page and the pricing page.
What nearly stopped them
They couldn't tell whether the class was suitable for beginners.
What resolved the hesitation
They emailed, and the studio confirmed that beginners were welcome.
One change to make
Say that beginners are welcome, next to the class description and the booking button.
That reply already names the page and the missing sentence. Put the sentence where someone decides to book. The rest of the page can stay.
Five replies won't describe everyone who looked and left. When the same snag shows up more than once, and it gets in the way of booking, start with that page.
Check for referrals from ChatGPT
If a client says an AI tool sent them, write down their words. Don't mention ChatGPT unless they did.
If you already have analytics, look for utm_source=chatgpt.com. OpenAI's publisher FAQ says ChatGPT search adds that to the links it sends. It only counts people who clicked. Others hear the name and type your site in. An empty row doesn't prove nobody asked.
A price, a FAQ, or a list of keywords will not get you recommended. What matters is the page they land on. Ask whoever looks after the site whether those pages can be reached, and whether the offer is written as text, not only sitting in a picture. Google's description of search is crawl, then index, then show a result, and none of that is promised. OpenAI's crawler list keeps the search crawler separate from the one used for training. Blocking search takes the site out of ChatGPT search answers, though a plain link can still appear. You don't have to let every crawler in.
Use client feedback to improve your website
Open the page they mentioned, on your phone, the way they would have seen it. The reply usually falls into one of these.
Make the right service easier to choose
They knew the name and still couldn't tell which class, session, or practitioner was for them. Read that page as if you've never been, and see whether the right choice is obvious.
Answer questions before the enquiry
A fee, a time, or who the service is for only came up after they wrote. Check that the detail is on the page before the enquiry or booking button.
Remove obstacles in the booking process
The right service was easy to find, and they still didn't finish. Walk the booking path on your phone and notice where the next step is unclear, or where it asks for something they don't have yet.
