You won’t find these problems in GA4

The Invisible Friction That’s Sabotaging Your Funnel

The checkout didn’t crash.

The add-to-cart button works fine.

Your site loads in under 2 seconds.

So why is conversion down?

Analytics reports are missing the big picture.

Shoppers rarely leave because of one big thing.

They leave because of 10 little ones.

Tiny friction points.

Invisible hesitation.

Moments that feel off, even if they don’t break anything.

They’re not bugs.

They’re blind spots.

Common “invisible” blockers we’ve found:

• Returns buried in the FAQ.

  Shoppers look for this before they buy. When they can’t find it, their trust decreases.

• Credibility signals in the footer.

  If your guarantee is 9 scrolls down and your reviews are in a tab… you don’t have social proof. You have hidden proof. Trust erodes further.

• Ambiguous button text.

  “Continue” to what? “Learn More” about what? Unclear microcopy kills clickthrough. You’ve missed another opportunity to build trust.

• Shipping costs revealed too late.

  Springing a surprise $8 fee at checkout is a conversion killer. The trust bank account is empty.

• Slow-loading media.

  Even 1-second lags between product image gallery clicks can be the final blow for low-intent users.

None of these show up in GA4.

They rarely show up in surveys.

But they show up in behavior, when you know where to look.

How to find your invisible friction

Here’s where to look and what to do:

✅ Watch 10 session recordings per week.

Look for patterns: scroll-stalls, hovers with no clicks, rage-clicks, hesitation loops, form exits.

✅ Run a Revenue Friction Roadmap.

Use structured heuristics to identify where the user is losing confidence, clarity, or momentum. Not guesswork.

✅ Layer voice-of-customer research.

Run open-ended exit surveys. Ask why they didn’t buy, not just what they didn’t like.

✅ Run speed tests by page, not site-wide.

Your PDP might pass Core Web Vitals but still feel slow to scroll or swipe on mobile.

✅ Use a clarity audit checklist.

Are value props above the fold? Are key objections addressed pre-cart? Are you repeating the guarantee near checkout?

Action You Can Take This Week:

• Pick one high-traffic PDP

• Watch 10 sessions of engaged shoppers who bounced

  • Filter for visitors who visited three or more pages, but did not purchase

• Write down or tag every moment of hesitation

• List 3 potential improvements to test

You don’t need a full redesign.

You need a clearer path.

Lesson:

You’re not losing conversions because people don’t want what you sell.

You’re losing them because something small made them second-guess.

And second-guessing kills momentum.

Looking forward,

Brian

P.S. Want help uncovering your funnel’s hidden friction? Let’s talk.