Conversion Path Length Report Explained in Google Analytics Attribution

Attribution Modelling

Through conversion path length report you can determine the number of touchpoints it takes for users to convert on your website.

A touchpoint is an exposure to a marketing channel.

The following are examples of touchpoints: visits, paid clicks (also known as ‘paid media’ clicks), non-paid clicks, impressions, etc.

Conversion path length = touchpoints to conversion

So if ‘touchpoints to conversion’ is 1 then it means the conversion path is made up of just one touchpoint.

If ‘touchpoints to conversion’ is 2 then it means the conversion path is made up of two touchpoints.

Similarly, if ‘touchpoints to conversion’ is 4 then it means the conversion path is made up of four touchpoints.

The length of the conversion path depends upon the amount of buying consideration involved.

Purchases that require the least amount of buying consideration (like buying a toothpaste) tend to have short conversion paths (paths with just a couple of touchpoints). Purchases that require a lot of buying consideration (like buying a property) tend to have long conversion paths (paths with a lot of touchpoints).

As the name suggests through the ‘conversion path length’ report, you can determine the length of your conversion paths for one or more selected conversion types.

The ‘conversion path length’ report is similar to the ‘Path Length’ report you see in GA multi-channel funnels.

Get the E-Book (52 Pages)

Get the E-Book (50 Pages)

In order to access the Conversion Path Length report follow the steps below:

Step-1: Navigate to https://analytics.google.com/analytics/attribution/

Step-2: Click on the ‘Conversions Path Length’ link on the left-hand side:

The top row of the ‘Conversion Path Length’ report provides an overview of the number of touchpoints (clicks) it takes for users to complete selected conversion type(s) on your website.

The top row shows not only the average path length for selected conversion type(s) but also the total number of conversions, total revenue, and two blue bar charts.

The two blue bar charts represent the percentage of total conversions and the percentage of total revenue.

All rows others than the top row, show total conversions, total revenue and the two blue bar charts for each path length of the selected conversion type(s).

The conversion path length report is sorted by path length (i.e. ‘touchpoints to conversion’) and you can not change the sort order.

Note (1): By default, the conversion path length report shows data for all conversion types. In order to see the conversion path length report for a particular conversion type, select the conversion type from the drop-down menu:

Note (2): The conversion path length report displays a maximum path length of 100 touchpoints (clicks).

Note (3): The conversion path length report considers only clicks as touchpoints. It does not take ‘ad impressions’ into account.

Conversion Path Length Settings

You can change the settings of your conversion path length report by clicking on the ‘Edit report’ button on the top right-hand side:

Once you clicked on the ‘Edit report’ button, you would see the ‘Report Settings’ panel:

All touchpoints: Use this setting if you want the conversion path length report to include both paid and non-paid ad clicks in the conversion path when doing path length calculation.

Paid media clicks only: Use this setting if you want the conversion path length report to include only paid ad clicks in the conversion path when doing path length calculation.

You can also change the type of ‘touchpoints to conversions’ by clicking on the ‘Touchpoints to conversion = “ button:

"How to use Digital Analytics to generate floods of new Sales and Customers without spending years figuring everything out on your own."

Here’s what we’re going to cover in this training…

#1 Why digital analytics is the key to online business success.

#2 The number 1 reason why most marketers are not able to scale their advertising and maximize sales.

#3 Why Google and Facebook ads don’t work for most businesses & how to make them work.

#4 Why you won’t get any competitive advantage in the marketplace just by knowing Google Analytics.

#5 The number 1 reason why conversion optimization is not working for your business.

#6 How to advertise on any marketing platform for FREE with an unlimited budget.

#7 How to learn and master digital analytics and conversion optimization in record time.

My best selling books on Digital Analytics and Conversion Optimization

Maths and Stats for Web Analytics and Conversion Optimization

Master the Essentials of Email Marketing Analytics

Attribution Modelling in Google Analytics and Beyond

Attribution Modelling in Google Ads and Facebook

Maths and Stats for Web Analytics and Conversion Optimization
This expert guide will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of maths and statistics in order to accurately interpret data and take actions, which can quickly improve the bottom-line of your online business.

Master the Essentials of Email Marketing Analytics
This book focuses solely on the ‘analytics’ that power your email marketing optimization program and will help you dramatically reduce your cost per acquisition and increase marketing ROI by tracking the performance of the various KPIs and metrics used for email marketing.

Attribution Modelling in Google Analytics and Beyond
Attribution modelling is the process of determining the most effective marketing channels for investment. This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling. It will teach you how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to allocate marketing budget and understand buying behaviour.

Attribution Modelling in Google Ads and Facebook
This book has been written to help you implement attribution modelling in Google Ads (Google AdWords) and Facebook. It will teach you, how to leverage the knowledge of attribution modelling in order to understand the customer purchasing journey and determine the most effective marketing channels for investment.

About the Author

Himanshu Sharma

Founder, OptimizeSmart.com
Over 15 years of experience in digital analytics and marketing
Author of four best-selling books on digital analytics and conversion optimization
Nominated for Digital Analytics Association Awards for Excellence
Runs one of the most popular blogs in the world on digital analytics
Consultant to countless small and big businesses over the decade