Funnels
Chain pages and events into an ordered flow and see exactly where visitors drop off between each step.
What a funnel is
A funnel is an ordered sequence of steps a visitor moves through. Each step is a page (a path, globs allowed) or an event (a custom event name). Numative counts the unique visitors who reach each step in order within a single visit, and shows the drop-off between one step and the next, so you can see exactly where people fall out of a flow.
Two details decide the numbers. A visit ends after 30 minutes of inactivity, and the steps have to complete within 24 hours of the first one, so a flow spread over two days is not counted as one run through. Where a visitor made several attempts, their best single visit is the one that counts: someone who gets halfway on Monday and then runs the whole flow in one visit on Friday is counted as completed, on the strength of Friday's visit alone.
What a step can be
| Step type | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Page | A pageview whose path matches (globs allowed) | /pricing |
| Event | A custom event sent with this name | Signup |
A page path accepts a * wildcard, and matches the page whatever ?query the visit carried (write a query into the path to match one specifically). An event name does not: it matches exactly, including case, and only counts events your site actually sends. For which type a given step should be, and how to confirm an event name has arrived before you type it here, see how the pieces fit together.
Build a funnel
- 1
Track the steps you need
Page steps need no setup: they use pageviews you already collect. Event steps need the event sent from your site. See Custom events.
- 2
Open the Funnels section
In your site's dashboard, open Funnels and click New funnel.
- 3
Add ordered steps
Give the funnel a name, then add at least two steps in the order they happen. For each step choose Page or Event and enter the path or event name. A funnel can have up to twelve steps.
- 4
Save
The report renders immediately over your selected date range. Like goals, funnels are retroactive: they match your existing history, so you see results from before the funnel existed.
Worked example: a signup flow
A three-step funnel from the pricing page to a completed purchase:
| Step | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Page | /pricing |
| 2 | Event | Signup |
| 3 | Event | Purchase |
If 1,000 visitors view /pricing, 300 then send Signup, and 90 go on to Purchase, the funnel shows a 70% drop after pricing, a further 21% drop before purchase, and a 9% overall completion. That middle drop is where to look first.
Reading the report
- Per step: unique visitors who reached it, and that as a percentage of the visitors who entered the funnel.
- Between steps: how many visitors dropped off and the drop-off rate.
- Overall completion: the share of entrants who reached the final step.
Funnels honor the dashboard's filters and segments, so you can compare the same flow across sources, campaigns or devices to see which audience converts best.