# Conversion Funnel Analysis > Maps and analyzes conversion funnels with drop-off identification, optimization priorities, and benchmarking. Use when diagnosing where prospects are lost in your sales process. - Skill: `reaperinvest/conversion-funnel-analysis` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/conversion-funnel-analysis` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/conversion-funnel-analysis/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/conversion-funnel-analysis --- # Conversion Funnel Analysis ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Map your customer journey from awareness to purchase - Identify where the biggest drop-offs occur in your funnel - Prioritize optimization efforts for maximum conversion impact - Benchmark your funnel performance against industry standards **DO NOT** use this skill for A/B test design, ad campaign optimization, or CRM pipeline management. This is for analyzing and diagnosing funnel performance. --- ## Core Principle FIX THE BIGGEST LEAK FIRST — A 10% IMPROVEMENT AT THE WORST DROP-OFF POINT BEATS A 50% IMPROVEMENT AT A STEP THAT ALREADY CONVERTS WELL. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Funnel type** | "What funnel? (website, e-commerce checkout, SaaS signup, sales pipeline)" | Website lead funnel | | **Funnel stages** | "List every step from first visit to final conversion." | Must be provided | | **Current data** | "Do you have numbers for each stage? (visitors, leads, trials, purchases)" | Must be provided or estimated | | **Time period** | "What time period does the data cover?" | Last 30 days | | **Goal** | "What conversion rate are you targeting for the full funnel?" | Industry benchmark | | **Known issues** | "Any stages you already suspect are underperforming?" | Unknown | **GATE: Confirm brief and data before proceeding.** --- ## Phase 2: Map ### Funnel Visualization Build a stage-by-stage funnel with: - **Volume** at each stage (absolute numbers) - **Conversion rate** between each stage - **Drop-off rate** at each stage (inverse of conversion) - **Cumulative conversion** from top to bottom ### Benchmark Comparison Provide relevant benchmarks per stage: | Funnel Type | Stage | Typical Conversion | |-------------|-------|-------------------| | Website lead gen | Visit → Lead | 2-5% | | SaaS | Signup → Trial active | 40-60% | | SaaS | Trial → Paid | 15-25% | | E-commerce | Visit → Add to cart | 8-12% | | E-commerce | Cart → Purchase | 40-65% | **GATE: Present the funnel map and confirm accuracy before analyzing.** --- ## Phase 3: Analyze ### Deliverables **1. Funnel Performance Report** - Stage-by-stage conversion and drop-off rates - Comparison to benchmarks: above, at, or below industry - The "biggest leak" — the stage with the highest absolute opportunity **2. Drop-Off Diagnosis** For each underperforming stage, diagnose likely causes: - **Visit → Lead:** Weak CTA, unclear value proposition, slow load time - **Lead → Qualified:** Poor targeting, mismatched expectations, no nurture - **Qualified → Close:** Pricing friction, lack of urgency, competitor strength - Provide 3-5 hypotheses per underperforming stage **3. Optimization Priority Matrix** | Stage | Drop-Off Rate | Potential Uplift | Effort | Priority | |-------|--------------|-----------------|--------|----------| | Cart → Checkout | 65% | High | Low | 1 | | Visit → Signup | 97% | Medium | Medium | 2 | **4. Action Plan** - Top 3 fixes ranked by impact-to-effort ratio - Specific recommendations for each fix - Measurement plan: how to verify the fix worked --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### Monitoring Dashboard Spec Recommend a simple funnel dashboard with: - Weekly stage-by-stage conversion rates - Trend lines to spot degradation early - Alert thresholds for each stage ### Review Cadence - Weekly: quick funnel health check - Monthly: full analysis with segment overlays - Quarterly: funnel redesign review — are the stages still correct? --- ## Example 1: SaaS Free Trial Funnel **Stages:** Website Visit → Signup → Trial Active → Feature Activated → Paid **Key finding:** 70% drop-off between Signup and Trial Active — onboarding is broken **Top fix:** Reduce signup-to-value time with guided onboarding flow ## Example 2: E-commerce Purchase Funnel **Stages:** Visit → Product View → Add to Cart → Checkout → Purchase **Key finding:** 55% cart abandonment — above benchmark of 35% **Top fix:** Add trust badges, simplify checkout, implement cart abandonment email --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Optimizing the top when the bottom leaks** — doubling traffic to a broken checkout page doubles frustration, not revenue. Fix the bottom first. - **Ignoring absolute numbers** — a 50% conversion rate on 10 visitors is 5 customers. Sometimes the problem is volume, not rate. - **Single-metric obsession** — overall conversion rate masks stage-specific problems. Always break down by stage. - **Benchmarking without context** — a 1% website conversion rate might be excellent for luxury goods and terrible for a free tool. Use relevant benchmarks. - **Analyzing without segmenting** — mobile vs. desktop, new vs. returning, and channel-specific funnels often tell very different stories. --- ## Recovery - **No funnel data available:** Help define the stages and set up basic tracking. Provide a 30-day data collection plan before analysis. - **Funnel stages unclear:** Map the customer journey from their perspective, not the internal process. Ask "What does the customer DO at each step?" - **Everything looks bad:** Prioritize ruthlessly. Pick the one stage with the highest absolute impact and start there. - **User wants to redesign the whole funnel:** Optimize the existing funnel first. Redesign only after quick wins are exhausted.