Funnel Design Validation

The Funnel Design Validation chart shows whether users follow your intended conversion path or explore elsewhere before converting—revealing friction points and opportunities to improve funnel design.

Quick start

1. Select a domain and a conversion path

2. Review the summary cards: Linear, Explored, and Abandoned percentages

3. Examine the flow diagram to see where users deviate

4. Hover over nodes and paths to understand specific user journeys

Understanding the summary cards

Card	What it shows
Funnel Entries	Total sessions that entered step 1 of your funnel during the selected period.
Linear	Percentage of sessions that followed your intended path without visiting other pages. Higher is better—these users found what they needed.
Explored	Sessions that visited pages outside the funnel but returned and converted. These users needed more information before deciding.
Abandoned	Percentage of sessions that left the funnel and never returned. These represent potential conversions lost to friction or unclear next steps.

Understanding the flow diagram

The flow diagram displays user journeys through your funnel using swim lanes (vertical columns) and flow paths (connecting lines). Each column represents a stage in the journey.

Swim lanes

Lane	What it contains
Entry Points	Marketing channels that brought users to step 1 (cookie mode only).
Step 1, Step 2, etc.	Your defined funnel steps. Pink numbered badges indicate the step order.
Exploration	Pages users visited after leaving a funnel step. Shows top 3 pages plus a collapsed count for the rest.
Return	Points where users re-entered the funnel after exploring. Indicates which step they rejoined.
Exit	Sessions that left the site entirely.

Node types

Icon	Meaning
Pink numbered badge	Funnel step. The number indicates step order in your defined path.
Clock icon	Entry channel. The marketing channel that brought users to the funnel.
Crosshairs icon	Untracked page. A page users visited that isn't in your tracked pages list.
Return arrow icon	Rejoin point. Where users re-entered the funnel after exploring elsewhere.
+X more pages	Collapsed summary. Multiple low-traffic pages grouped together for clarity.

Flow paths

Lines connecting nodes show user movement. Thicker paths indicate more sessions. Grey solid lines show forward movement through the funnel. Blue dashed lines show users returning to the funnel after exploring.

Using the filters

The Funnel Design Validation has its own dedicated Channel and Device filters, separate from the main dashboard filters. These allow you to analyse specific segments without affecting other charts.

Channel filter

Filter by marketing channel to see how users from specific sources navigate your funnel. Available in cookie tracking mode only. Select 'All Channels' to see combined behaviour.

Device filter

Filter by device type (Desktop, Mobile, Tablet) to compare navigation patterns across devices. Mobile users often behave differently from desktop users.

What should I do next?

If you see...	Then...
Low Linear percentage	Users need more information. Review funnel steps for clarity and consider adding supporting content inline.
High Explored percentage	Users are researching. Identify common exploration pages and consider linking to them from the funnel or addressing their concerns directly.
High Abandoned percentage	Significant friction. Examine where users leave and what pages they visit. Those pages reveal unmet needs.
Specific page appears often in Exploration	Users want this information. Either add it to the funnel step or provide a clear link back to the funnel from that page.
Users return to an earlier step	Navigation confusion or comparison behaviour. Consider whether your step order matches user expectations.
Mobile has different patterns than Desktop	Device-specific issues. Ensure mobile funnel is as clear and easy to navigate as desktop.
Many untracked pages in Exploration	Consider adding these pages to tracking. If they're frequently visited, they're important to user journeys.

Interacting with the diagram

Hover over any node to highlight all paths connected to it. This helps trace specific journeys through the funnel. Node tooltips show the session count. Hover over paths to see flow volume. The diagram scrolls horizontally for funnels with many steps.

Troubleshooting

Diagram shows 'Please select a path'

The Funnel Design Validation requires a conversion path to be selected. Choose a path from the Path filter in the main dashboard controls.

No entry channels visible

Entry channel tracking requires cookie-based tracking. If the domain uses cookieless tracking, entry points won't appear. The funnel steps and exploration patterns still display.

Channel filter is disabled

Channel filtering requires cookie tracking. In cookieless mode, the filter is hidden because channel data isn't available.

'No flow data available'

No sessions entered the funnel during the selected date range. Try expanding the date range or checking that the path is correctly configured.

FAQ

What counts as 'entering the funnel'?

A session enters the funnel when it reaches step 1 of the selected path. Sessions that start at later steps aren't counted as funnel entries in this visualisation.

Why might Linear + Explored + Abandoned not equal 100%?

These categories may not be mutually exclusive in all edge cases, and some sessions may not fit cleanly into any category. The percentages show the proportion of total funnel entries for each behaviour pattern.

What's the difference between this and the Conversion Funnel chart?

The Conversion Funnel shows drop-off at each step. Funnel Design Validation shows where users go when they leave the funnel—providing insight into why they leave, not just that they left.

How are 'top 3 pages' selected for Exploration?

Pages are ranked by session count. The three most frequently visited off-path pages from each funnel step are shown individually; the rest are collapsed into '+X more pages'.