Strategy and goals
Funnel stages
The steps a buyer passes through on the way to a purchase, often described as awareness, consideration and conversion.
What it is
Ads at the top of the funnel introduce a problem or a brand; ads lower down answer objections and ask for the action. B2B funnels add stages after the lead, such as qualified lead and opportunity.
Why it matters
For lead generation and e-commerceEach stage needs a different message and a different measure. Judging awareness ads by immediate sales, or sales ads by reach, moves budget the wrong way.
In practice
Teams map campaigns and metrics to stages and watch the conversion rate from each stage to the next.
A common mistake
Treating the funnel as a straight line. Real buyers move back and forth, and many stages are not visible in ad platforms at all.