> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.fullsession.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.fullsession.io/funnels.md).
# 12. Funnels
A **funnel** is an ordered sequence of steps you want visitors to complete — *View product → Add to cart → Checkout → Purchase* — and the analysis of how many make it through each one. Funnels show you exactly **where people drop off**, **why**, and let you jump straight into the sessions behind every lost conversion. They build on segments (\[Chapter 11 — Segments]), with which they share their underlying model.
> Funnels are available from the **Growth** plan (\[Chapter 17, section 17.1]) and require the **view funnels** permission. If you don't see Funnels, it isn't included in your plan or allowed by your role.
***
### 12.1 Building a Funnel
A funnel is a named set of **ordered steps**. Each step is a condition a visitor must satisfy, in sequence, to keep advancing through the funnel.
#### Step types
A step can be any of four types:
| Step type | Matches when a visitor… | Defined by |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| **Visit page** | Loads a particular page/URL | A URL (with a match operator like *is* / *contains*) |
| **Click** | Clicks a specific element | A **CSS selector** or the element's **text** |
| **Changed input** | Changes an input field | The field's selector/text |
| **Custom event** | Fires one of your `FUS.event(...)` events | The event name |
Each step has a **name**, a **value** (the URL, selector, text, or event name), a **match operator**, and an **order** in the sequence.
#### Defining steps
1. Open **Funnels** and create a new funnel.
2. Add steps in order — for example:
* Step 1: *Visit page* `/product`
* Step 2: *Click* the *Add to cart* button (by selector or text)
* Step 3: *Visit page* `/checkout`
* Step 4: *Custom event* `purchase`
3. Name the funnel and save.
#### Scoping to a segment
A funnel is analyzed within a **segment**. By default that's **Everyone** (\[Chapter 11, section 11.1]), but you can select any saved segment to analyze the funnel for a specific audience — *"the checkout funnel, for mobile users in Germany."*
> **Processing** — when a funnel is created or its definition changes, FullSession may need to compute it. You might briefly see a **processing** state (in queue / processing) before the results are ready.
> **Funnels are linear.** Steps run in a single ordered sequence — there's no branching or alternative paths. Model distinct paths as separate funnels.
***
### 12.2 Reading the Results
Once computed, a funnel shows headline metrics plus a step-by-step breakdown. The view is organized into tabs — **Funnel Overview**, **Funnel Steps**, and (where enabled) **Funnel Trends**.
#### Headline metrics
| Metric | Meaning |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Conversion rate** | The share of visitors who completed the whole funnel |
| **Time to convert** | The **median** time from the first step to completion (shown as days/hours/minutes/seconds) |
| **Users completed the funnel** | How many visitors finished all steps |
#### Step-by-step breakdown
The chart shows the count reaching each step and the drop between steps, so the biggest leak is obvious at a glance. FullSession also highlights the **largest single drop-off** to point you at the step most worth fixing.
#### Sessions vs. unique users
Funnels can count **sessions** or **unique users** at each step — switch depending on whether you care about per-visit behavior or per-person reach.
#### Breakdown dimension
Add a **Breakdown** to split the funnel by a dimension and see how conversion differs across groups:
**Browser · Operating System · Country · Device · Region · UTM Source · UTM Medium · UTM Campaign · Referrer · Browser Version**
#### Funnel Trends
Where the trends feature is enabled, the **Funnel Trends** tab plots funnel performance **over time**, so you can see whether conversion is improving or degrading across days, weeks, or months.
#### Filtering
Funnel analysis respects the **date range** (the global time filter), the selected **segment**, and your **breakdown** and **step-scope** choices (you can focus on "all steps" or a single transition like *Step 2 → Step 3*).
> **No conversion window.** There's **no setting** that requires visitors to complete the funnel within a fixed time. FullSession reports the *median* time to convert, but it doesn't constrain conversions to a window.
***
### 12.3 Effort Analysis
Beyond raw conversion, FullSession measures the **effort** visitors expend between steps — a strong signal of friction even where people eventually convert.
For each transition between steps, effort analysis reports (as medians):
| Metric | Meaning |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Conversion** | The share of visitors who advanced to the next step |
| **Interactions** | How many interactions visitors made between the two steps |
| **Time Engaged** | How long visitors spent between the two steps |
| **Revisit Rate** | The share who left before advancing |
High interactions or time engaged between two steps — even with decent conversion — usually means that part of the flow is harder than it should be. Effort analysis surfaces that hidden friction.
***
### 12.4 Drop-off Analysis & Watching Sessions
The most actionable part of a funnel is understanding *why* people drop off — and watching it happen.
#### Conversion analysis
For a given transition, FullSession surfaces the **issues correlated with drop-off** — for example **dead clicks**, **rage clicks**, **network errors**, or specific **custom events** — each with:
| Column | Meaning |
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Event / issue** | What happened (e.g. a rage click, a network error) |
| **Location** | Where it occurred (e.g. a CSS selector) |
| **Lost conversions** | Conversions estimated lost to this issue |
| **% of lost conversions** | Its share of the drop-off |
| **Impact** | Its overall impact on the funnel |
| **Affected sessions / users** | How many were affected |
This turns "people drop off at checkout" into "people who hit this failing request at checkout were far less likely to convert."
#### Watch the sessions behind a drop-off
Click into an issue (or a step) to open the **sessions** behind it, split into:
* **Dropped off** — visitors who did *not* complete the funnel.
* **Converted** — visitors who did.
Watching a handful of dropped-off sessions usually reveals the concrete cause — a confusing form, an unresponsive button, a slow request — which you can confirm against the **player's** console and event panels (\[Chapter 6 — The Session Player]).
***
### 12.5 Top Issues and Conversion Analysis
Funnels include several higher-level reports to help you interpret a funnel without reading every session.
#### Top Issues
The **Top Issues** report ranks the problems most affecting the funnel's conversion — each with its affected sessions/users, estimated **lost conversions**, **impact**, the **step** it relates to, and a likely **cause**.
#### AI failed-conversion analysis
Funnels also offer an **AI analysis of failed conversions**: FullSession examines sessions of visitors who dropped off and produces a written explanation of **why** they likely didn't convert — a fast, plain-language read on a step's problems.
> **Funnels vs. Lift AI.** The AI explanation here is part of **Funnels** — it interprets drop-off for a step on demand. The deeper, ongoing AI capability — **AI goals**, scheduled **AI runs**, and tracked **AI issues** linked to a funnel over time — is the separate **Lift AI** feature, covered in \[Chapter 14 — Lift AI].
***
### 12.6 Comparing Across Time & Segments
Unlike standalone segments, funnels support **comparison** — putting two or more views of the funnel side by side. This is how you measure whether something changed or whether two audiences behave differently.
#### Time-period comparison
Compare the funnel against a **previous period**: previous **day, week, month, quarter, or year**. Ideal for answering *"did our checkout conversion improve after the redesign?"*
#### Segment comparison
Compare the funnel across **up to three other segments** at once — for example *Free vs. Pro vs. Enterprise* users moving through onboarding. This reveals where different audiences diverge in the same flow.
> **Comparison is time- and segment-based.** You can compare against earlier periods and against other segments; there's no separate cohort-comparison mechanism beyond these.
***
### 12.7 Managing & Exporting Funnels
Funnels live in their own list, separate from segments.
#### Managing funnels
| Action | Notes |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create** | Requires the **create funnels** permission |
| **Edit** | Update steps, breakdown, comparison, and saved selections (**Save funnel selections**) |
| **Favorite (star)** | Pin frequently used funnels to the top |
| **Delete** | Remove a funnel (requires the **delete** permission) |
Like segments, funnels are owned by their creator. Conversion analysis is gated by its own permission.
#### Exporting
Funnels can be **exported**: FullSession produces the funnel's data — the **overall** numbers plus the lists of **converted** and **dropped-off** sessions — as **CSV files in a downloadable archive**. This is useful for sharing results or cross-referencing converters and non-converters in another tool.
#### As a dashboard card
A funnel can also appear as a **funnel card** on a dashboard (\[Chapter 9, section 9.5]), so its conversion rate and step progress sit alongside your other metrics.
#### What funnels don't have
To set expectations: there's **no funnel duplication**, **no templates/library**, **no branching** (steps are linear), **no version history**, and **no built-in goals/targets** (targets live in **Lift AI**, \[Chapter 14]).
> **The big picture** — define an ordered funnel from **page / click / input / custom-event** steps, scope it to a **segment**, and read **conversion rate, median time-to-convert, and completions** with a step-by-step breakdown (sessions or unique users, optionally split by a **breakdown dimension** or over time in **Trends**). **Effort analysis** exposes hidden friction, **drop-off/conversion analysis** ranks the issues and opens the **sessions** behind them, **Top Issues/Events** and an **AI explanation** interpret the leaks, and **time/segment comparison** plus **CSV export** round it out. There's no conversion window, duplication, branching, or templates.
***
> **Next up:** \[Chapter 13 — Feedback & Surveys] covers the in-page feedback widget and survey responses — and how feedback connects back to the sessions and funnels in this and earlier chapters.
