Implement funnel exploration on GA4

[murdo-moj]

We agreed this is the wrong way round - start with the things useful to measure and then find a way to do that, rather than search GA for useful premade metrics.

[teeceeas]

As a Product Manager, I want to implement funnel exploration in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), so that I can analyze and visualize how users progress through key interactions on the data catalog, and identify areas where users drop off or successfully complete important actions such as searching for datasets, interacting with metadata, or accessing datasets.

Set Up Key Events in GA4

• Log into Google Analytics 4 and navigate to your property.
• If your desired events (e.g., "Dataset Searched", "Dataset Viewed") are not already tracked, use Google Tag Manager to set up these events:
  • Create Custom Events: Go to Configure > Events > Create Event.
  • Add custom events like "Dataset Search Completed" or "Dataset Viewed".
• You can also use automatic events in GA4 (e.g., page views, form submissions) if they match your needs.

Define Conversions

• In GA4, conversions are used to track important actions.
• Go to Configure > Conversions and mark events (like "Dataset Viewed") as conversions.
• For journeys, the conversion might represent a successful dataset discovery or interaction with relevant data.

Set Up a Funnel Report

• Go to Explore > Create New Exploration > Funnel Exploration.
• Set up the steps in the user journey. For example:
  1. Step 1: Search initiated (event: Dataset Search).
  2. Step 2: Dataset details viewed (event: Dataset Viewed).
  3. Step 3: Dataset downloaded or explored (event: Dataset Download Started).

• This funnel will visualise how many users move through each step of the journey.

  Configure Audience Segments

• Create audience segments to track different user groups:
  • Users who completed the journey.
  • Users who dropped off at different points in the journey.
• Go to Configure > Audiences > Create Audience and define your audience based on event conditions.

Create a Dashboard

• Go to Reports > Library > Create New Dashboard or use an existing template.
• Add the following widgets to your dashboard:
  • Funnel Visualisation: Shows the percentage of users moving through each step of the journey.
  • Conversion Rate: Displays the percentage of users who completed the journey.
  • Drop-off Points: Displays where users drop off in the journey.
  • User Segments: Break down users who completed or abandoned the journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_AhsKuNrWk