Use this checklist to identify conversion friction, rank issues by impact and effort, and turn evidence into testable hypotheses.
Run a CRO audit when conversion rates decline, traffic increases without corresponding results, or you plan significant changes to your website. It is also useful before starting conversion rate optimization tests because it identifies evidence-backed problems rather than relying on opinions about design or copy.
Start with reliable conversion tracking, traffic by device and source, funnel completion rates, and enough behavioral data to identify recurring patterns. Verify that Events fire correctly before drawing conclusions. Inaccurate or missing tracking can make a conversion audit prioritize problems that do not exist.
Review technical performance, mobile usability, tracking, landing-page relevance, offer clarity, calls to action, forms, checkout steps and trust information. Check whether users can understand the offer quickly, complete key tasks without errors and see costs, delivery terms or other decision-critical details before converting.
Heatmaps show where users click, how far they scroll and whether important content receives attention. Session Replays provide context by showing the sequence that led to hesitation or abandonment. Look for repeated patterns such as Rage Clicks, ignored calls to action, form errors and users moving back and forth between steps.
Score each finding by how many users it affects, how close it occurs to conversion, its likely business impact and the effort required to address it. A broken checkout control affecting many sessions should usually come before a cosmetic homepage change. Separate urgent defects, quick improvements and larger experiments.
Write each hypothesis as a clear cause-and-effect statement: if you make a specific change for a defined audience, a named metric should improve because a documented friction point is removed. Choose an A/B test, staged rollout or controlled before-and-after comparison, then define the primary metric before implementation.
A full audit provides a useful baseline, but conversion friction changes when traffic sources, devices, content or checkout systems change. Continuous monitoring with Smart Funnels and Watchtower can flag new issues between formal reviews. When using Session Replays or other behavioral tools, configure data collection and retention to meet GDPR requirements.