Funnel
Updated 2026-11-02
Definition
A funnel is a series of steps people take toward a goal, along with how many reach each step. It shows where people drop off.
A typical software funnel might run from the homepage to pricing to signup to payment. Fewer people reach each step, which is what gives the funnel its shape.
Example
This example uses made-up numbers for one month.
| Step | Visitors | Share of first step | Share of previous step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | 10,000 | 100% | 100% |
| Pricing | 2,500 | 25% | 25% |
| Signup page | 750 | 7.5% | 30% |
| Signup event | 300 | 3% | 40% |
The biggest drop is the 75% who never reach pricing. In absolute terms, that's 7,500 people. The signup page loses 60% of those who reach it, or 450 people. A fix to the signup form is often easier, but a fix earlier in the funnel touches more people. Check both before you pick.
Reading it well
Order matters. A funnel counts people who did the steps in sequence, usually within a time limit. People who enter at a later step, say by landing directly on pricing, won't count at all. So add a broader view of how people arrive. Look at the funnel per channel too, since a high drop-off may belong to one traffic source.
How Headstream measures it
Headstream funnels have 2 to 6 steps. Each step is a page path, a path ending in * to match everything under it, or a custom event name. A visitor counts when they complete the steps in order within seven days. Each row shows the share of the first step and of the previous step.
Bots are left out. Run a funnel from Reports, the API or the MCP server, and save it to a dashboard to track it. See reports and dashboards.