Cro methodology

--- name: cro-methodology description: 'Audit websites and landing pages for conversion issues and design evidence-based A/B tests. Use when the user mentions "landing page isn't converting," "conversion rate," "A/B test," "why visitors leave," "objection handling," "bounce rate," "split testing," or "conversion funnel." Also trigger when diagnosing why signups are low, designing experiment hypotheses, or auditing checkout flows for friction points. Covers funnel mapping, persuasion assets, and objection/counter-objection frameworks. For overall marketing strategy, see one-page-marketing. For usability issues, see ux-heuristics.' license: MIT metadata: author: wondelai version: "1.3.0" --- # CRO Methodology A scientific, customer-centric approach to conversion rate optimization based on the CRE Methodology(TM). Extraordinary improvements come from understanding WHY visitors don’t convert, not from copying competitors or applying generic tips. ## Core Principle Don’t guess:discover. Every visitor who doesn’t convert has a reason. Discover those reasons through research, then systematically eliminate them with evidence and proof. This evidence-based approach consistently outperforms “best practices,” intuition, copying competitors, and expert opinion. ## Scoring Goal: 10/10. Rate any landing page, funnel, or conversion flow on a scale of 0:10 against the principles below. Report the current score and the specific improvements needed to reach 10/10. ## The CRO Frameworks ### 1. The CRO Process Core concept: A systematic 9-step process that moves from defining success metrics through research and experimentation to scaling wins across the business. Why it works: Random optimization skips research. The process forces you to understand visitors before changing anything, so every change is based on evidence, not opinion. Key insights: - Define success metrics aligned with business KPIs before making any changes to a page - Map the entire funnel to identify “blocked arteries” (high-traffic, underperforming paths) and “missing links” (missing funnel stages) - Research visitors in three dimensions: who they are, what blocks them (UX problems), and what stops them (objections) - Gather market intelligence from competitors, reviews, and other industries - Prioritize ideas using ICE scoring; design bold experiments, not “meek tweaks” - Run experiments with statistical rigor (minimum 95% confidence, full business cycles), then scale successful results across the business Product applications: | Context | CRO Process Step | Example | |---------|-----------------|---------| | Landing page audit | Define goals, map the funnel, research visitors | 70% bounce rate because the value proposition is unclear | | Checkout optimization | Map the funnel to identify bottlenecks | Shipping cost shock causes 40% cart abandonment | | Email sequence | Scale wins | Winning copy for handling objections reused in drip emails | Copy patterns: - "What's preventing you from [action] today?" (exit survey to identify objections) - "Here’s what [X] customers found..." (counter-objection using social proof) - Hypothesis template: "If we [change X], then [metric Y] will improve because [reason based on research]" Ethical boundary: Never manipulate test results or cherry-pick data; report all tests, including failures. See: testing-methodology.md for ICE scoring, A/B vs. multivariate guidance, and statistical rigor. ### 2. Customer Research & Objections Core concept: Visitors fail to convert for specific, identifiable reasons. Exit surveys, chat logs, support tickets, sales calls, and reviews reveal the “voice of the customer” and their real objections. Why it works: Teams’ guesses about why visitors leave are almost always wrong. Research uncovers objections no one anticipated, and the customer’s own language is more persuasive than anything a copywriter could invent. Key insights: - Primary sources (exit surveys, live chat, support tickets, sales calls) provide direct visitor feedback; secondary sources (reviews, social media, competitors) reveal industry-wide objections - The “Big 5” universal objections: Trust, Price, Fit, Timing, Effort - Quantitative research (analy