> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Top User Path, PostHog > Top User Path for PostHog stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Non-Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Analytics](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > **Top User Path** is a funnels table tracked from PostHog data. It surfaces the most common route users actually take through your store, the real sequence of pages and events, drawn from PostHog's path analysis. Unlike a funnel you define in advance, paths show you the journeys users choose for themselves, which often reveals detours, dead ends, and unexpected loops that no predefined funnel would catch. | | | | --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | The most frequently travelled sequences of pages and events, ranked by user count. | | **Sample type** | Backend API data from PostHog path insights, refreshed on the standard data refresh. | | **Why it matters** | Paths show how users really navigate, not how you assume they do. Discovering the dominant route is the first step to optimising or simplifying it. | | **Reading the value** | Read each row as a route and its volume. Look for routes that loop, backtrack, or end short of conversion. | | **Currency** | count | | **Time window** | `30D` | | **Alert trigger** | `-` | | **Sentiment key** | `ph_paths_top_route` | | **Roles** | owner, marketing | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your PostHog data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example *A representative reading of **Top User Path** for a typical merchant on PostHog.* Suppose the top route over 30 days is home to collection to product to cart, taken by 18,000 users. The second most common route is home to search to product, which signals that many shoppers prefer search over your navigation. If after a menu redesign on 14 Apr 26 a new top path appears that loops back to home before converting, that backtracking hints at confusion. Cross-reference Top Pages and Biggest Funnel Step Drop-off to see where the route loses momentum. For deeper investigation, use Vortex Mind to trace upstream causes; for natural-language exploration, ask Ask Viq. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- | | [`pos_top_pages`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/posthog/top-pages) | Engagement sibling: highest-traffic pages. | | [`ph_funnel_conversion`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/posthog/primary-funnel-conversion) | Funnels sibling: the defined funnel rate. | | [`ph_funnel_dropoff`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/posthog/biggest-funnel-step-drop-off) | Funnels sibling: where the journey leaks. | | [`pos_top_sources`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/posthog/top-traffic-sources) | Engagement sibling: where paths begin. | | [`pos_pageviews_per_session`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/posthog/pageviews-per-session) | Engagement sibling: route depth per session. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in PostHog's own dashboard:** In PostHog, open a Paths insight. The path visualisation shows the most travelled routes between pages and events. The dominant routes there should match the rows in this table. PostHog lets you set start and end points and a step limit, all of which shape which paths appear. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | ------------------------- | | **Step limit.** Paths capped at a step count truncate longer journeys. | Variable | Match the step limit. | | **Start and end points.** Anchoring paths to a start or end changes the ranking. | Variable | Confirm the anchors. | | **Path cleaning.** PostHog can merge similar URLs; uncleaned paths fragment. | Variable | Align URL-cleaning rules. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** complement with sibling cards in the same category for the full diagnostic picture. For divergence investigations, use Vortex Mind. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: How often does Top User Path update?** The card refreshes on the standard data refresh (typically every 30-60 minutes for live integrations). For real-time signals, force a manual refresh from the dashboard. **Q: How is a path different from a funnel?** A funnel is a sequence you define in advance and measure conversion against. A path is discovered from real behaviour, showing whatever routes users actually take, including ones you never anticipated. **Q: Why do similar pages appear as separate steps?** Query strings and dynamic URLs can fragment the same logical page into many paths. PostHog's URL cleaning merges them; without it, paths look noisier than reality. **Q: Can I customise the alert threshold?** Yes, sensitivity thresholds are configurable per profile in the Sensitivity tab. Adjust to match your business baseline rather than relying on the generic default. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Top User Path* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across PostHog and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.