Conversion
Funnel analysis
Funnel analysis measures how many people reach each step of a defined path and where they leave.
What is funnel analysis?
Funnel analysis measures how many people reach each step of a defined path and where they leave. It locates the loss; it does not explain it.
What it affects
It is the fastest way to find where to look, and the slowest way to find out why, which is why it needs pairing with qualitative research.
How it gets implemented
Built from instrumented steps with consistent definitions, segmented by device and channel because the drop-off pattern usually differs sharply between them.
The common misunderstanding
The biggest percentage drop is not always the biggest opportunity. A step that loses half of a hundred people matters less than one losing a tenth of ten thousand.
Worth knowing because it comes up in almost every conversation about this.
Where this comes up in the work
It is part of Marketplace Marketing, and more specifically of Regional marketplace marketing. Across the rest of the work it shows up in:
- Local SEO, where getting it wrong shows up in fixing the aggregator record so the corrections stop reverting
- Ecommerce SEO: it is the reason reporting contribution margin by channel after returns rather than revenue is scoped the way it is
- Digital PR and Link Building, where it is the difference between working out which sources link to competitors and which of those are winnable working and appearing to
- Google Ads Management, where it quietly limits how far catching the tracking break before it wastes a month of optimisation can go
What to check
Two questions that establish whether this is actually in order on a given site:
- Whether the person who set it up is still the person who understands it
- Whether it is consistent across templates, or correct only on the page somebody checked
Common questions
What is the evidence for funnel analysis mattering?
By measuring it rather than by argument. Built from instrumented steps with consistent definitions, segmented by device and channel because the drop-off pattern usually differs sharply between them.
Is funnel analysis just another name for something?
The biggest percentage drop is not always the biggest opportunity. A step that loses half of a hundred people matters less than one losing a tenth of ten thousand. Worth clarifying before agreeing to work on it.
Is funnel analysis a ranking factor?
It is the fastest way to find where to look, and the slowest way to find out why, which is why it needs pairing with qualitative research. The honest framing is that it removes a constraint rather than adding a boost.
How is funnel analysis audited?
Built from instrumented steps with consistent definitions, segmented by device and channel because the drop-off pattern usually differs sharply between them. The check is cheap; the fix is where the work sits. Answer Engine Optimization is the one people underestimate. App Store Optimization is the one they over-invest in.
Who should be responsible for funnel analysis?
It needs one named owner rather than a shared responsibility. The natural home is analytics and measurement, since getting a baseline recorded before the work starts is where the consequence lands. A lot of the work here is really Subfolder localisation or Country-code domain, with WordPress or Shopify close behind.
What does fixing funnel analysis involve?
The diagnosis is cheap. The fix ranges from an afternoon to a project depending on how deep it sits in the build, and we scope the second after doing the first. If a number has to be defended at the end of the quarter, How long does SEO take to show results? and How many words should a page be? are where that starts.
Get a straight answer before you commit
We would rather tell you the work is not worth the money than take it and report on activity.