Top Next Event

The top next event is the event or page that most often happens immediately after a specified event, more than any other option.

The top next event is the compressed output of next-step analysis: instead of the whole distribution of destinations it reports only the first branch. That compression is both useful and deceptive. Useful because it quickly shows what a user usually does after an action, and deceptive because that first branch's share is often less than half the total, so “top” does not mean “majority.” If the top next event holds only 15 percent, behavior after that point is dispersed and there is no single story for it. The second trap is ignoring the exit; sometimes the true top “next event” is leaving the site, and if the exit is not in the list the picture looks rosier than reality. So the top next event should always be read beside its share and beside the exit share, not on its own.