[GA4] Funnel exploration

Funnel exploration lets you visualize the steps your users take to complete a task and quickly see how well they are succeeding or failing at each step. For example, how do prospects become shoppers and then become buyers? How do one time buyers become repeat buyers? With this information, you can improve inefficient or abandoned customer journeys.

Create a funnel exploration

1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
2. On the left, click Explore.

3. At the top of the screen, select the Funnel exploration template.
4. Configure your exploration using the options described below.

Until you add your funnel steps, you'll see the following notice: No data for this combination of segments, values, filters, and date range. Try editing the variables or settings or remove them.

Create a funnel report

You can select Save  to create a funnel report using the data in your funnel exploration. The funnel report enables you to access the information in your funnel more quickly. Learn more

Visualization

Select either a standard (stepped) funnel, or a trended (line chart) funnel. In a trended funnel, you can see all the steps simultaneously, or dive into a specific step by clicking the step names at the top of the visualization.

"Make open funnel" toggle

Funnels can be "open" or "closed," which determines how users can enter the funnel:

• In an open funnel, users can enter the funnel in any step.
• In a closed funnel, users must enter the funnel in the first step.

Users are only counted in the steps they complete in the specified sequence. If the user misses a step, they fall out of the funnel and aren't counted in any subsequent steps. If a single user completes the steps of the funnel multiple times during the specified date range, only the first sequence of steps will be reported. In other words, a user can only enter the funnel once.

Example

Suppose you have 2 funnels configured as follows:

Funnel	Steps	Open/Closed
Funnel 1	A, B, C	Open
Funnel 2	A, B	Closed

4 users visit your site in the funnel timeframe and meet these step requirements:

User	Step requirements met
1	A, B, C
2	B, C
3	A, C
4	C

 

Here's how these users are counted in each funnel:

Funnel 1:

User	Counted in step
1	A, B, C
2	B, C
3	A
4	C

 

Funnel 2:

User	Counted in step
1	A, B, C
3	A

Explanation:

Since funnel 1 is open, users can enter at any step. All 4 users are counted, but since users must complete the steps in the order specified, user 3 is only counted in step A (they skipped step B and so, fell out of the funnel).

Since funnel 2 is closed, users must enter the funnel at the first step (A). Only users 1 and 3 are counted.

Segment comparisons

Apply up to 4 segments to focus on specific sets of users. Right-click in the data table to create segments from the data.

Steps

Steps define the user journey you want to measure. You can define up to 10 steps in the funnel.

To reorder the steps, in Tab Settings, drag the steps to a new position.

Edit funnel steps

To add or edit steps, click the edit pencil, then:

1. Give each step a distinctive name.
2. Add one or more conditions that your users must meet to be included in that step of the funnel journey.
   
   Conditions can be based on events your users trigger or dimension values they share. For example, the dimension User acquired campaign equals "Summer Sale" or the purchase event with the parameter value >= 100.
   You can't define funnel steps based on metrics.
3. To add more clauses to a condition, click AND or OR.
4. To add steps to the funnel, click Add step.
5. Select whether the previous step is indirectly followed by or is directly followed by the new step. 
   1. Steps that indirectly follow the previous step can have other intervening actions.
   2. Steps that directly follow the previous step must occur immediately after the previous step.
6. To set a time frame within which this step must follow, click Within and set the time frame.
7. Click APPLY.

The Summary card on the right updates as you create your funnel to show you how your conditions match your data.

 To copy, remove, or add steps above or below a selected step, click More .

Breakdown

Select a dimension to use to provide the breakdown data series for the table. For example, if you select the "Device category" dimension, you will see each step broken down by the different device categories (e.g., desktop, mobile). 

When you include a breakdown dimension, users are only attributed to the first instance of the breakdown value that applies to them. For example, say User A enters the funnel using a mobile device but completes all the subsequent steps using a desktop. If Device category is used as the breakdown dimension, you will see User A in all the steps of the funnel but only under the mobile breakdown, as that was the device they used when they first entered the funnel.

This behavior also applies to trended funnels. In a trended funnel, users are only attributed to the first date when they were active in each step.

Rows per dimension

Set the number of data series displayed in the table.

"Show elapsed time" toggle

Turn this on to show the average time elapsed between funnel steps.

Next action

Select a dimension to show the most common user actions following each funnel step.

Filters

Restrict the data shown in the exploration according to the conditions you provide. If your filter has multiple conditions, all of the conditions must be met to apply the filter. Learn more