B2B SaaS user journeys are rarely straightforward. Unlike the faster, more direct paths common in B2C, SaaS buyers take longer to decide — working through extended evaluations, multiple stakeholders and often trials or demos before committing. That’s why it’s essential to understand where conversions happen and where users drop off.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Funnel Exploration provides that clarity. It maps the steps users take, highlights where they get stuck and helps you move past vanity metrics to focus on behaviors that actually drive revenue.
Defining the user journey
The first step is deciding which journey to track. In SaaS, this could be:
- A free trial signup.
- A demo request.
- A lead qualified by product engagement.
Breaking the journey into smaller steps makes it easier to understand. A typical path might:
- Begin with a homepage visit.
- Move to the pricing page.
- Continue to the signup form.
- Complete the signup.
- And finally reach a meaningful in-product action.
Not every visit leads to conversion. Some users are just researching and will leave after browsing a few pages. These visits still matter because they show interest and intent, even if the user doesn’t immediately move through the funnel.
Dig deeper: What’s new and what’s next in GA4
GA4 funnels highlight where research visits taper off, making it easier to distinguish normal exploration from drop-offs caused by friction. Every key action should be set up as an event in GA4.
- Page views can rely on enhanced measurement or custom events based on URLs or paths.
- Actions like form submissions, account signups and in-product behaviors should also be tracked with clear, consistent naming.
Inside GA4 Explore, building a funnel is as simple as dragging these events into a sequence. Label each step — such as “pricing page viewed” or “signup completed” — so the funnel mirrors the real customer journey. This visual setup lets teams quickly see where users move forward and where they stop.
Understanding drop-offs
Once your funnel is in place, drop-off points become clear. If many users reach your pricing page but few begin signing up, that signals friction.
GA4 makes it easy to dig deeper, showing whether the issue is tied to a specific campaign, device type, or region. You can even segment users who dropped out at specific steps and target them with remarketing to bring them back.
Not every drop-off is a failure, though. Different users have different goals, and it’s common for someone to return several times before converting. In B2B SaaS, a visitor might:
- Research on their first visit.
- Explore pricing the next time.
- Only sign up after multiple interactions.
GA4 lets you look beyond a single session to see how many visits it usually takes to complete the journey. This broader view helps separate healthy research behavior from true friction that needs solving.
Dig deeper: How to understand sessions in GA4
Turning insights into action
The real value of funnel analysis comes from acting on the findings.
- Rewriting the copy can reduce confusion if ad messaging doesn’t match the landing page.
- Adding FAQs or live chat can help if the pricing page creates hesitation.
- If users drop off during signup because the form is too long, simplify it or offer social login.
- And if new users aren’t hitting their first key milestone, onboarding walkthroughs, email nudges or interactive guides can bridge the gap.
Connecting funnels to revenue
Optimizing for signups is only part of the picture. SaaS businesses grow when signups become paying customers. Connecting GA4 to your CRM or product analytics tools extends the funnel beyond signup, letting you track onboarding progress, product engagement and conversion.
This clarifies how top-of-funnel improvements affect downstream results, such as shorter sales cycles and higher revenue. You can even visualize extended funnels in GA4 Explore — starting with a marketing touchpoint and ending with a CRM-logged conversion.
Comparing by traffic source shows which channels drive not just signups but high-value customers, shifting the focus from surface metrics to outcomes that matter.
Making funnel analysis a habit
Funnel analysis shouldn’t be a one-off task. To get real value, make it a regular practice.
- Track how long users take between steps.
- Compare first and last touchpoints to uncover true drivers of engagement.
- Update your analysis often to measure the impact of changes.
Embedding funnel analysis into team workflows helps sustain momentum. Many SaaS teams include funnel reviews in monthly or quarterly check-ins. This rhythm ensures insights are applied, not forgotten, and makes it easier to see whether changes produce real improvements.
Dig deeper: How to use GA4 events to track and measure your KPIs
Set benchmarks for each funnel stage to establish performance standards — such as the percentage of users moving from pricing to signup or from signup to first action. These act as early warning signals when performance dips.
Sharing funnel insights across departments is equally powerful. Product managers, marketers and sales leaders benefit from seeing where users get stuck and what drives better results. When everyone has access to the same data, collaboration improves and the entire customer journey gets the attention it deserves.
Your next step with GA4
GA4 Funnel Exploration isn’t just another reporting tool. It gives you a deeper look at how SaaS users really behave. You can improve trial engagement, onboarding and long-term conversions by defining meaningful steps, spotting where people stall and making smart adjustments. And when you connect these insights to revenue, the impact becomes even clearer.
Remember, funnels aren’t static. They shift as your product, pricing and audience evolve. When you treat funnel analysis as an ongoing practice, you gain sharper insight into user intent and stay ready to respond as behaviors change.
That understanding can mean the difference between growth and decline in crowded SaaS markets. Funnels expose the barriers between interest and action, and removing them helps more users move from curiosity to commitment — from signup to paying customer. That’s why GA4 Funnel Exploration is at your growth strategy’s core.
Dig deeper: How to use GA4 annotations to add context and clarity to your analytics
Fuel up with free marketing insights.
Contributing authors are invited to create content for MarTech and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the martech community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. MarTech is owned by Semrush. Contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of Semrush. The opinions they express are their own.