Create and manage funnels

Funnels can be created for any flow of actions throughout your site. Prior to version 5.1.0, funnels had to be associated with a goal, however this is no longer a prerequisite. If you are using an older version, follow the section below to create a funnel linked to a goal.

Please note that only Matomo users with at least admin-level access will be able to create or configure funnels.

Create a funnel without a goal (version 5.1.0 and above)

1. Click Manage Funnels under the Funnels section of the side menu.
2. Click to Add a New Funnel
3. Name the funnel.
   
4. You can then follow the steps to Configure your funnel settings below.

Create a funnel linked to a goal

When creating a funnel linked to a goal, start by configuring the goal and then create the associated funnel. The steps for this process are as follows:

1. Click the Manage Goals item within the Goals sidebar menu.
   
2. Once there, you will see a list of goals that you have configured along with a column that shows whether funnel tracking is enabled for each goal or not. If you have no goals yet, you will need to configure one first. Click Add a new goal to configure a funnel tied to a goal.
   
3. Once you have configured the goal click the checkbox to Enable Funnel.
   
4. You can then follow the steps to Configure your funnel settings below.

Configure your funnel settings

1. In the Funnel configuration section, you will need to add each of the steps that make up your funnel. Some examples of common funnel steps are; subscription pages and events, product searches and views, and shopping cart actions.
   
2. Configure each step of your funnel as appropriate. There are four components to each step definition:
   1. Name – This should be something descriptive like Contact Page
   2. Comparison – Funnel comparison conditions are the same as for goals and uses the same selectors as goals. It requires a descriptive Name, a comparison in a similar fashion to your primary goal, and a matching pattern.
   3. Pattern – The pattern entered here will depend on your comparison selection. For example, if you choose a path or URL option, it will be part of the web address URL for this funnel step. Whereas, if you choose an Event condition, then it should match the event data fired at this funnel step.
   4. Required – Checking this will mean the funnel won’t be considered complete if a visitor doesn’t pass through this step. For example, you may have a single thank you page, but many different funnels take visitors to it. In that case, you would want to make sure each funnel has a required step before reaching that thank you page to differentiate between your funnel completions.
3. (Optional) Next to each step, there is a help icon button that you can click to reveal additional guidance.
   
   Clicking this loads a popup that will also show you examples from your recent analytics data matching your configured pattern and you can confirm whether your targeting is accurate. Matches are listed as Known values matching this pattern.
   
   Note: One thing to keep in mind is if your step targets something not tracked in Matomo yet, like a new page, it might not show up in this tool even if the configuration is valid.
4. Click the Add Step button and repeat instructions 5 and 6 above for as many steps as you have in your funnel.
   
5. Once you have entered all of the steps for your funnel, you can use the optional Validate steps section to test if certain URLs match steps of your funnel.
   When the data you entered matches a step, its background will be highlighted in green, while non-matching steps are highlighted in red. Typically, only one step should match a certain URL or value, as otherwise a visitor would enter multiple steps on one page.
   
6. You can now enable the funnel by clicking the Add Goal or Add Funnel button.
   Note: If you are using an older version of Matomo, you will also need to click the Activate Funnel first.
   

Once you have activated a funnel, Matomo will immediately start generating reports for your funnel and a menu item will appear in the reporting UI. If at a later point you are not interested in this funnel anymore, you can simply come back to the Funnels section and delete the funnel.

Edit an existing funnel

When editing an existing funnel, one thing to note is that when you save any updates to a funnel, whether linked to a goal or not, existing reports related to that funnel may no longer be available and reports will need to be regenerated. If keeping your existing funnel analytics data is important, you may simply want to create a new Goal or Funnel. Learn more about creating multiple funnels for a single goal.

The way to begin editing your funnel will vary depending on whether it was linked with a goal or not. If you are using a recent version of Matomo, you can access all of your funnels through the Manage Funnels page under the Funnels menu item. However, if you are using an older version or are specifically looking for funnels linked with a goal, you can access your funnels through the Manage Goals page under the Goals menu.

1. When you can see your funnel item, click the edit icon in the edit column.
   
2. Find and click on the Unlock button and make changes in the usual manor.
   

Access Funnels linked to Goals through the administration area

While logged in as an administrator, you can also access the funnels linked to Goals from the administration area.

1. Click on the cog icon to access the Administration settings.
2. Click on the Websites (or Measurables) menu item, indicated by the icon .
   Note: This section is called Measurables if you use Roll Up reporting.
3. Click on Goals to access the standard Goals page where you can update as usual.

Test your funnel configuration

Whether creating a new funnel or editing an existing one, we recommend manually testing your funnel. You can do this by going to your website or app and clicking through the path you have configured, and then checking that the funnel report includes your own visit in each step you have entered.