TL;DR:
To set up a conversion funnel: pick the goal, list the ordered steps that lead to it (pages or events), create the funnel in your analytics tool, and read the drop-off between steps. The step where the most people leave is the highest-value fix. Keep the funnel short and specific so one weak step stands out clearly.
A conversion funnel turns "we lose people somewhere" into "we lose 60% between the pricing page and signup". Setting one up is four steps: decide the goal, map the path, build it, and read the biggest gap. Here is how.
- 1
Choose the goal
Decide the single outcome the funnel measures, a completed signup, a purchase, a booked demo. One funnel, one goal; a funnel that tries to measure two things measures neither clearly.
- 2
List the ordered steps
Write the path to the goal as a short, ordered sequence of pages or events. For example: viewed pricing → started signup → completed signup → started trial → upgraded. Each step should be something analytics can see (a pageview or a tracked event).
- 3
Build the funnel in your tool
Create the funnel and add the steps in order, pointing each at the matching page or event. If a step is an action rather than a page ("added to cart"), it needs to be a tracked event first, see how to track custom events.
- 4
Read the drop-off
Look at the conversion rate between each pair of steps. The biggest single drop is where to focus: more people are lost there than anywhere else, so a fix there moves the most revenue. Compare the funnel by source, too, paid and organic traffic often leak at different steps.
Keep it to four or five clear steps. A long funnel where every step loses a little tells you less than a short one where a single weak step stands out.
Open Analytics builds funnels from your pages and events and shows where each source drops off, cookieless.
See funnelsFrequently asked questions
- How do I create a conversion funnel?
- Choose one goal, list the ordered steps that lead to it as pages or events, build the funnel in your analytics tool by adding those steps in order, then read the drop-off between them. The step with the biggest drop is where to focus. Keep it to four or five clear steps.
- What steps should a funnel have?
- The real steps on the path to your goal, in order, no more than four or five. For SaaS that is often viewed pricing → started signup → completed signup → trial → paid. Each step must be something analytics can see: a pageview or a tracked event.
- Do I need custom events to build a funnel?
- Only if a step is an action rather than a page visit. Page-based steps work from pageviews alone; action steps like "added to cart" or "clicked upgrade" need to be tracked as events first. See our guide on how to track custom events.