Funnel Exploration

Analytics

Also: Funnel Analysis · Funnel Visualisation · GA4 Funnel Report

Funnel completion rate = Users completing final step ÷ Users entering first step × 100

What it doesShows where users drop off across defined steps

Found inGA4 Explore section

Watch forStep definition determines everything

Pair withSegment comparisons to find the gap

Quick definition

Funnel Exploration is a report type inside Google Analytics 4 (GA4) that shows how users move through a defined sequence of steps, and where they drop off. Each step is an event or page view you define. The report shows completion and abandonment rates at every stage.

How it varies across Australia

Across Australian businesses using GA4, funnel exploration is one of the least-used reports in the Explore section despite being one of the most diagnostic. The drop-off at checkout step one is typically the widest single gap in ecommerce funnels. In lead-gen funnels, the gap between landing page visit and form submission tends to dwarf all other steps.

See conversion shape across Australian industries →

What it actually means

Funnel Exploration is the GA4 name for what used to be called a funnel visualisation in Universal Analytics. You define a sequence of steps, the report shows you how many users made it from one to the next, and the percentage that fell off at each one.

The power is in the segment comparison. Running the same funnel for paid traffic versus organic, or for mobile versus desktop, reveals whether a drop-off is structural (your checkout is just confusing) or sourced (mobile users from a specific campaign are bouncing at step two because the ad and the landing page don't match).

GA4 Funnel Exploration supports two modes. Open funnels count users who enter at any step. Closed funnels require entry at step one. The distinction matters. Open funnels look more optimistic because users who skip early steps appear to convert at higher rates. Closed funnels show the realistic completion rate for the full intended journey.

Funnel Exploration lives inside the Explore section of GA4, not in the standard reports. It requires you to define the steps yourself, which means it returns nothing useful until your conversion events and page-view tracking are configured correctly. Garbage events produce garbage funnels.

The funnel shows you where you are losing people. It doesn't tell you why. That part takes more work.

How to calculate it

Step completion rate = Users completing step N ÷ Users entering step N × 100

Worked example. Step 1 (Product page): 4,200 users. Step 2 (Add to cart): 840 users. Step 3 (Checkout started): 420 users. Step 4 (Purchase): 168 users. Step 1 to Step 2 completion: 840 ÷ 4,200 × 100 = 20%. Step 2 to Step 3: 420 ÷ 840 × 100 = 50%. Step 3 to Step 4: 168 ÷ 420 × 100 = 40%. Overall completion: 168 ÷ 4,200 × 100 = 4%.

The Australian context

Australian ecommerce funnels tend to show a disproportionate drop-off at the shipping cost reveal step, which typically appears late in checkout. Australian consumers are particularly sensitive to this friction because domestic shipping costs are structurally higher than in the US or UK. Any funnel audit for an Australian ecommerce site should treat the shipping reveal as a priority step to examine, not an afterthought.

Where people get this wrong

Using open funnel mode when closed funnel is the honest choice.Open funnels include users who skip steps, which inflates completion rates and obscures whether the intended journey is actually working.

Building the funnel before verifying the underlying events.If your add-to-cart event fires twice on some devices, or your purchase event misfires on certain browsers, the funnel inherits those errors and every completion rate is wrong.

Reading the funnel without segment comparison.The overall completion rate tells you where the biggest gap is. The segment comparison tells you which audience, device or traffic source is driving it. The first number identifies the problem, the second points to the fix.

Common questions

Where do I find Funnel Exploration in GA4?

In the left navigation, go to Explore. Click the blank canvas or template gallery and choose Funnel Exploration. From there you define your steps using events or page views. It is not available in the standard Reports section.

What is the difference between open and closed funnels in GA4?

A closed funnel requires users to enter at step one. An open funnel counts users who enter at any step. Closed funnels give you the honest completion rate for the full journey. Open funnels look more optimistic because they include users who skipped earlier steps.

How many steps should a funnel have?

Between three and six steps covers most use cases. Fewer than three gives you a rate with nothing in between to act on. More than six usually means you have split one logical stage into too many sub-events and the report becomes hard to read.

Can I compare audience segments inside Funnel Exploration?

Yes, and this is where the report becomes genuinely useful. Add a segment comparison to run the same funnel for two different audiences side by side. Common comparisons are paid versus organic, mobile versus desktop, or new versus returning users.

Keep exploring

About New Rebellion

New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.

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