Blog Post

A well-built marketing funnel can attract, nurture, and convert your ideal customers—but only if you know what’s working (and what isn’t). Too often, businesses pour time and money into content and campaigns without a clear idea of how their funnel is performing.

If you’re relying on vague stats like “impressions” or “likes,” you’re missing the point.

The real question is: Are your funnel stages doing their job?

In this post, I’ll break down the key metrics I track at each stage of the funnel—TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU—so you can stop guessing and start optimizing with purpose.

Not all engagement is created equal.

Traffic that doesn’t convert? Not helpful. Email opens with no clicks? Not a win. Demo sign-ups that never show? Just noise.

When you measure by funnel stage, you’re not just tracking activity—you’re tracking progress. That’s the difference between “content that’s popular” and “content that performs.”

Let’s walk through what to measure, when to measure it, and how to use those insights to improve your funnel from top to bottom.

At the top of the funnel, your job is to:

• Attract the right audience
  
• Spark interest
  
• Earn attention
  

You’re not aiming for sales here—you’re aiming for visibility with purpose.

• Website Traffic: Volume of visits to awareness content (blogs, landing pages, etc.)
  
• Organic Keyword Rankings: Are you ranking for relevant searches?
  
• Bounce Rate: Are people sticking around or leaving immediately?
  
• Time on Page: How engaged is your audience with your TOFU content?
  
• Click-Through Rate (CTR) on CTAs: Are visitors taking the next step?
  

If TOFU content is getting traffic but not clicks or engagement, I’m likely attracting the wrong audience—or the content isn’t useful enough to move them forward.

Explore more on TOFU strategy in this guide.

The middle of the funnel is where leads become qualified. They’ve shown interest. Now, they’re learning, comparing, and evaluating.

This is where we measure depth, not just clicks.

• Lead Magnet Downloads: Who’s exchanging info for value?
  
• Email Open and Click Rates: Are your nurture sequences working?
  
• Webinar Registrations and Attendance: Are they engaging with deeper content?
  
• Case Study or Comparison Page Views: Are leads evaluating your offer?
  
• Lead Scoring (if you use a CRM): Are they progressing in behavior?
  

If open rates are high but click rates are low, your subject line’s working—but the content isn’t. If downloads are up but no one’s booking calls, the hand-off to BOFU needs work.

Want to build stronger MOFU follow-ups? Here’s how I do it: MOFU tactics guide.

Bottom of the funnel is where intent turns into action. If your funnel is solid, this is where it pays off.

This stage is all about conversion clarity. You should know exactly what’s working—and what’s not.

• Conversion Rate (CR): Percentage of leads who take the final action (demo request, purchase, etc.)
  
• Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs): How many leads are ready for a sales call?
  
• Demo Show-Up Rate: Are people who book actually attending?
  
• Close Rate: How many leads become paying customers?
  
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): What’s it costing you to win new business?
  

Low close rate? Maybe the demo didn’t match expectations. High CAC? You may be overspending on TOFU without efficient BOFU conversion assets.

Check out how I optimize this stage in my BOFU playbook.

Beyond the stage-specific metrics, here are a few I track across the entire funnel to measure efficiency and performance as a whole:

• Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate: How many leads become paying customers?
  
• Time to Conversion: How long does it take from first touch to close?
  
• Drop-Off Rate by Stage: Where are people exiting your funnel?
  
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Especially useful if you’re running paid TOFU campaigns
  

These are the numbers that tell the big-picture story. If the time to conversion is long, your MOFU content may need tightening. If drop-offs spike at BOFU, your offer may not be compelling or clear.

Tracking is only useful if you do something with the data. Here’s how I use these metrics to refine the funnel:

1. Review each stage independently
   Don’t lump metrics together. A blog post’s job isn’t to close—it’s to pull the right people in.
   
2. Identify the bottlenecks
   Where are you losing leads? Where is conversion soft? That’s where to fix first.
   
3. Adjust based on behavior, not assumptions
   If TOFU traffic is high but MOFU engagement is low, the issue isn’t your product—it’s your message or positioning.
   
4. Test and retest
   Headlines, email subject lines, button text, form length—it all matters.
   

Need help setting up this review framework? I outline the funnel flow in this full-funnel journey guide.

Likes and impressions are nice—but they don’t pay the bills.

Fix it: Focus on metrics tied to actual progress—clicks, conversions, and time-to-close.

Treating all content like it has the same goal (or using one blanket metric) skews your results.

Fix it: Match the metric to the stage. TOFU ≠ BOFU. Engagement ≠ revenue.

You got the lead, they downloaded the guide, and then… nothing? If you’re not tracking the journey from start to finish, you’re leaving insights (and money) on the table.

Fix it: Use CRM or marketing automation tools to track the full funnel path.

Your funnel can’t run on assumptions. It runs on insight.

When you measure each stage of your funnel with intention, you stop guessing. You see what’s working. You fix what’s broken. And you build a lead-to-customer journey that feels clear—for you and your audience.

Whether you’re attracting new visitors or closing high-value deals, the right metrics help you focus on what actually moves the needle.

Need help reviewing your funnel performance? Let’s look at your numbers and build a funnel that converts—not just collects data.