Have you ever wondered how Google Analytics (GA) creates Funnel Visualization reports? Since we’ve gotten several inquiries about how to better understand those reports and what data is being collected & populated for each step of a funnel report, we’re going to give you the inside scoop along with an official statement from our GA contact.
We are going to specifically look at the”Required Step 1” checkbox option. [more]
If you’re not familiar with GA’s general Help/FAQs on this subject, here it is along with a link to the topic:
How does 'required step 1' affect my goals?
You can choose to make the first step in the funnel mandatory, by selecting the 'Required step' checkbox next to the funnel on your Goal Settings page.
If this checkbox is selected, users reaching your goal page without traveling through this funnel page will not be counted as conversions in the Funnel Visualization report. Only users who reach the goal URL after viewing this first page will be counted as conversions. For example, visitors that start at Step 2 and complete the funnel will not show up in the Funnel Visualization report, whereas a visitor who visits Step 1, skips the remaining steps, and visits the goal page, will show up as a conversion. The visitor can visit Step 1 at any point during the session, and it does not need to be an entrance page to count as a conversion. You can view the Funnel Visualization report for data on the funnel path.
For example, if you are tracking user flow through your checkout pages, do not include a product page as a step in your funnel.
Note that the 'Required step' checkbox only affects the Funnel Visualization report. It does not keep a goal from showing a conversion in any other goal report.
GA doesn’t really elaborate on what happens to In-Between Steps that visitors DON’T hit in the funnel visualization report. In the case of visitors who start on step 1 of the process and DON”T hit Steps 2 and 3 but hit Steps 4 and 5 and then the Goal Conversion Page, GA’s reporting system will backfill the steps that were NOT hit by the consumer with a visit to keep the report balanced properly.
Statement from a GA Technician:
“Steps 1 through 5 would each register a visit. We backfill "in-between" steps (product decision).”
This may not be the best approach based on this product decision. You really can only trust accurate visit numbers for the FIRST and LAST/GOAL Step. However, we must still give credit to GA for being gracious in providing this report for FREE. Note: this report really should be analyzed along with a few other reports, such as navigation summary, site overlay, etc… before starting any page optimizations.
In comparison to GA’s Funnel Visualization report, Omniture SiteCatalyst (another web analytics solution) provides a similar report called the Fall-Out Report. This report FAR surpasses the capabilities of Google Analytics because these reports are dynamically generated on the fly by the user. This report is STRICTLY based on visits that went through each step IN ORDER. The visit MUST include all steps to be counted in the report. In addition, Fall-Out reports are retroactive. Unlike GA, you DON’T need to have pre-defined funnels to start reporting.
Example of Building a Fall-Out Report with Dynamic Funnels by Simply Dragging Pages From Left to Right:
Sample Fall-Out Report:
Understanding where the major drop-off points are in your conversion funnel is very important to the success of any website. Properly setting up your Funnels in GA is critical for obtaining trustworthy reports. For Omniture SiteCatalyst there are other setup issues to consider before you can truly trust Fall-Out reports. We have assisted many clients with proper GA and/or Omniture setup and analysis of these reports to guide their web optimization efforts. We can do the same for you. Contact us for any of your web analytics needs.