When funnel analysis is worth the effort

The version of this that works is simpler than the version most people imagine. Funnel analysis is not free, and pretending otherwise leads to bad decisions.

Measurement is only useful when someone has agreed in advance what they would do differently. Check it against what you would want a competitor's site to get wrong.

When it is worth it

The biggest drop-off is the best place to work. There is a version of this that is over-engineered, and it is worth avoiding. The version that survives contact with a real deadline is the simple one.

When it is not

If nothing downstream depends on it and nobody is complaining, it can wait. The cost of getting this wrong is rarely visible on the day it happens.

How to decide

A leaky funnel wastes every pound of ad spend. The teams that handle this well are rarely the ones with the biggest budgets. Check it against what you would want a competitor's site to get wrong.

What this looks like day to day

Data you do not trust is worse than no data, because it gets quoted anyway. Three things worth confirming about funnel analysis before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• A leaky funnel wastes every pound of ad spend — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

Worth checking on your own setup before it becomes someone else's problem to fix.