In today’s competitive online environment, converting visitors into customers is the essential target for every e-commerce venture. This is where customer journey software comes into play, and ClickFunnels exists as one of the most recognized names in this field.
Founded by Russell Brunson in 2014, ClickFunnels has changed the way companies and business owners approach online sales, offering to enhance the customer journey from discovery to final purchase.
But is ClickFunnels a good value? Does it match its promises? Whether you’re a experienced business owner or launching your first venture, this in-depth review will provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision about ClickFunnels.
What Is ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnels is an all-in-one marketing platform developed to help businesses build optimized sales funnels without necessitating technical expertise or a team of developers. At its core, ClickFunnels allows users to create landing pages, generate email sequences, process payments, and supervise customer relationships-all within a unified platform.
The Fundamentals of Sales Funnels
Before diving deeper into ClickFunnels, it’s important to understand what a sales funnel is. A sales funnel represents the route customers go through from being introduced to your product or service to making a purchase.
It typically includes steps like awareness, curiosity, evaluation, and commitment.
Typical web pages are often developed without a structured journey for visitors to trace. This can produce high bounce rates and wasted potential customers. Sales funnels, by contrast, are intentionally built to steer visitors through a planned path, enhancing the likelihood of success at each step.
ClickFunnels’ Methodology
ClickFunnels has simplified the process of creating these funnels with its visual editor and ready-to-use templates. The platform’s methodology centers around not just constructing web pages but creating effective conversion paths that transform visitors into customers and customers into advocates.
Primary Elements of ClickFunnels
1. Funnel Creator
The foundation of ClickFunnels is its user-friendly funnel builder. Users can decide between a variety of funnel types, including:
- Opt-in funnels: Made to collect email addresses
- Sales funnels: For offering products or services
- Webinar funnels: To publicize and register users for webinars
- Membership funnels: For continuity products
The visual interface makes it simple to add parts like text, images, videos, forms, and buttons without creating a single line of code.
2. Prepared Templates
ClickFunnels offers over a hundred pre-designed templates for multiple industries and purposes. These templates, created by industry professionals, are engineered for conversions and can be adjusted to match your brand.
3. Variant Testing
Recognizing what appeals to your audience is key for optimizing conversions. ClickFunnels’ A/B testing option allows you to produce multiple versions of your pages and examine different elements to see which is more effective.
4. Email Sequences
ClickFunnels incorporates email marketing capabilities, allowing you to build automated email sequences activated by specific actions. This feature helps grow leads and push them further down the sales funnel.
5. Payment Processing
The platform effortlessly integrates with payment processors like various payment gateways, allowing you to accept payments right through your funnels without shifting customers to external sites.
6. Protected Content
For entrepreneurs selling courses or subscription content, ClickFunnels delivers the ability to create secure membership areas where users can access premium content.
7. Performance Tracking
ClickFunnels delivers in-depth analytics on funnel performance, including page views, conversions, and earnings. These statistics help users enhance their funnels for greater results.
8. Partner Program Tools
If you have an affiliate program, ClickFunnels makes it uncomplicated to oversee your affiliates, measure their performance, and manage commission payments.
ClickFunnels 2.0: The Upgrade
In 2022, ClickFunnels released its most important update: ClickFunnels 2.0. This new version marks a complete overhaul of the platform with upgraded features and capabilities.
Improvements in 2.0?
- Enhanced Website Builder: A more capable website builder that allows for total website creation, not just funnels
- Enhanced E-commerce Capabilities: Better product management, inventory tracking, and order fulfillment
- Blog Creation: The ability to produce and run a blog directly within ClickFunnels
- Sophisticated Customization: More options in design and functionality
- Better User Interface: A simpler dashboard and editor
- Loading Time Upgrades: Faster page loading times and better mobile responsiveness
- Advanced CRM Features: More advanced customer relationship management tools
The upgrade to 2.0 solves many of the shortcomings users experienced with the original version, making it a more complete marketing solution.
Cost Options
ClickFunnels includes different pricing tiers to support businesses of various sizes:
Starter Plan
The Basic plan (now called the “Standard” plan in ClickFunnels 2.0) costs $147 per month and includes:
- Up to 20 funnels
- Up to 100 pages
- 3 payment gateways
- 3 domains
- 1 admin user
- Email automation
- Basic analytics
Premium Plan
At $197 per month, the Pro plan offers:
- Unlimited funnels
- Unlimited pages
- 9 payment gateways
- 9 domains
- 3 admin users
- Advanced automation
- Enhanced analytics
Top-tier Plan
For $997 per month, the Funnel Hacker plan contains:
- All Pro features
- Unlimited funnels and pages
- 27 payment gateways
- 27 domains
- 15 admin users
- Priority support
- Advanced API access
- Advanced training
All plans typically feature a 14-day free trial, allowing users to test the platform before investing financially.
The Benefits of Using ClickFunnels
1. Comprehensive Solution
Perhaps the main advantage of ClickFunnels is that it combines multiple tools into one platform. Instead of juggling different services for landing pages, email marketing, payment processing, and membership sites, users can manage all these aspects in one place.
2. No Development Experience Required
The platform’s point-and-click interface removes the need for coding or design skills. This democratizes the funnel-building process, making it attainable to entrepreneurs without technical backgrounds.
3. Time Savings
With template templates and a streamlined workflow, ClickFunnels significantly reduces the time needed to deploy a marketing campaign. What might take weeks with custom development can be achieved in days or even hours.
4. Help Resources
ClickFunnels has fostered a vibrant community of users who exchange strategies, successes, and advice. The official ClickFunnels Facebook group has over 250,000 members, creating a helpful resource for marketers at all levels. Additionally, the platform offers complete documentation, tutorials, and responsive customer support.
5. Established Conversion Frameworks
The templates and funnel structures within ClickFunnels are founded on proven marketing principles and tested conversion strategies. This means users benefit from established best practices rather than creating from nothing.
6. Knowledge Base
Beyond the software itself, ClickFunnels offers a collection of educational resources. Russell Brunson’s books, such as “DotCom Secrets” and “Expert Secrets,” provide insightful marketing insights, while the ClickFunnels training programs offer methodical learning opportunities.
Downsides and Drawbacks
Despite its many merits, ClickFunnels isn’t without limitations:
1. Expense
Starting at $147 per month, ClickFunnels represents a significant investment, especially for small businesses or startups with limited budgets. Many competitors offer more cost-effective entry-level options.
2. Adoption Challenge
While designed to be accessible, mastering all of ClickFunnels’ features and understanding funnel strategy calls for time and dedication. New users might feel intimidated by the platform’s capabilities.
3. Modest Design Flexibility
Though the visual editor is strong, designers accustomed to more advanced tools might find it constraining. The balance between simplicity and flexibility sometimes emphasizes the former.
4. Page Loading Speed
Prior to 2.0, some users reported concerns with page loading speed, which can diminish SEO and user experience. While ClickFunnels 2.0 has improved performance, optimizing for speed demands attention.
5. Email Marketing Restrictions
While ClickFunnels contains email marketing features, they’re not as comprehensive as dedicated email marketing platforms. Power users might still need additional tools for elaborate email campaigns.
ClickFunnels Contenders: How They Compare
The sales funnel and landing page builder market has become increasingly crowded. Here’s how ClickFunnels stands up to its main competitors:
1. Kartra
Advantages relative to ClickFunnels:
- More complete marketing automation
- Built-in video hosting and advanced video marketing features
- More sophisticated email marketing capabilities
- Helpdesk and ticket system included
Weaknesses:
- Steeper learning curve
- Fewer templates specifically optimized for sales funnels
- Less active community
2. Leadpages
Strong points:
- More budget-friendly entry point ($37/month)
- Strong focus on lead generation
- Excellent mobile-responsive designs
- Solid WordPress integration
Disadvantages:
- Less extensive than ClickFunnels (primarily focuses on landing pages)
- Limited checkout and payment processing options
- No built-in email marketing
3. Unbounce
Positives:
- Advanced A/B testing capabilities
- Highly versatile design options
- Strong analytics and conversion intelligence
- More affordable starting point
Weaknesses:
- Primarily focused on landing pages rather than complete funnels
- No built-in payment processing
- Less simple for non-technical users
4. Systeme.io
Benefits:
- Significantly more budget-friendly (starting at $27/month, with a free plan available)
- All-in-one solution similar to ClickFunnels
- Simple, intuitive interface
Disadvantages:
- Fewer templates and design options
- Less extensive feature set
- Smaller community and fewer educational resources
5. Instapage
Strengths:
- Superior design flexibility and customization
- Advanced collaboration features
- Excellent analytics and heatmaps
- Strong AdWords and Facebook Ads integration
Drawbacks:
- Higher price point (starting at $149/month)
- Focus on landing pages rather than complete funnels
- No built-in payment processing
6. WordPress + Plugins (DIY Approach)
Strong points:
- Most economical option if you already have WordPress
- Ultimate flexibility and customization
- Complete ownership and control
- One-time purchases versus subscription model
Shortcomings:
- Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain
- Multiple plugins may cause compatibility issues
- No unified support system
- Time-intensive to implement and manage
Who Is Right For ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnels is particularly ideal for:
1. Digital Educators and Coaches
The platform excels at creating sales funnels for digital products like courses, coaching programs, and membership sites. The built-in membership functionality makes it straightforward to deliver content to paying customers.
2. Digital Sales Businesses
With ClickFunnels 2.0’s improved e-commerce features, online retailers can create effective product funnels that raise average order value through upsells, downsells, and order bumps.
3. Client Service Businesses
Experts, agencies, and service providers can use ClickFunnels to create leads, book appointments, and sell service packages without complex website development.
4. Referral Marketers
The platform’s optimization for conversions makes it perfect for affiliate marketers looking to improve their commissions from promotional campaigns.
5. Authors and Content Creators
ClickFunnels provides effective book funnel templates that help authors sell books while collecting reader information for long-term relationship building.
6. Design-Inexperienced Entrepreneurs
Those without coding or design skills will appreciate ClickFunnels’ user-friendly interface and pre-built templates.
Who Should Explore Other Options Elsewhere?
ClickFunnels may not be the right option for:
1. Startups with Limited Budgets
The monthly investment might be too high for businesses just starting out or with tight marketing budgets.
2. Editorial Websites
Businesses that rely heavily on blog content and SEO might find traditional CMS platforms like WordPress more suitable, though ClickFunnels 2.0 has made improvements in this area.
3. Professional Designers Seeking Complete Creative Control
Those who require flawless designs and extensive customization might prefer platforms with more design flexibility.
4. Enterprise-Level Businesses with Complex Requirements
Very large organizations with complex integration needs and custom requirements might need more customized solutions.
First Steps with ClickFunnels: Tips for Success
If you decide to try ClickFunnels, here are some tips to enhance your experience:
1. Start with the Right Funnel Type
Pick a funnel template that corresponds to your specific goal, whether it’s lead generation, product sales, or webinar registration.
2. Concentrate on One Funnel at a Time
Rather than trying to build multiple funnels simultaneously, focus on creating and optimizing one successful funnel before moving on to the next.
3. Utilize the Training Resources
Take advantage of the extensive training materials, including ClickFunnels’ onboarding sequence and the FunnelFlix training library.
4. Connect with the Community
The ClickFunnels Facebook group provides beneficial insights and support from fellow users who can help address issues or suggest optimization strategies.
5. Analyze and Optimize
Use the A/B testing features to regularly refine your funnels based on actual user behavior and conversion data.
6. Start with Ready-made Templates
Rather than building from scratch, customize existing high-converting templates to match your brand and offering.
The Bottom Line: Is ClickFunnels Worth It?
ClickFunnels represents a significant investment, but for many businesses, the benefit on that investment can be significant. The platform’s strength lies in its ability to uncomplicate the complex process of creating effective sales funnels while providing the tools needed to foster leads and convert customers.
The decision ultimately depends on your specific business needs, technical comfort level, and budget. If you’re serious about optimizing your online sales process and desire an all-in-one solution that doesn’t require technical expertise, ClickFunnels offers a compelling package-especially with the advanced capabilities of ClickFunnels 2.0.
For businesses that can support the monthly subscription and are invested in implementing effective sales funnels, ClickFunnels provides both the tools and the strategic framework to prosper in today’s competitive digital landscape. The platform keeps evolve, fixing previous limitations and enhancing its capabilities to serve a broader range of marketing needs.
Whether you’re selling digital products, tangible products, or expertise, ClickFunnels offers a efficient path from stranger to customer-and that, for many businesses, is well worth the investment.