How to Conduct a Conversion Rate Optimisation Audit in 5 Easy Steps

Want to turn more visitors into customers? E-commerce websites typically expect their conversion rates to fall between 1% and 4%. On a global scale, the average conversion rate for eCommerce sites is around 2.58%. Here’s where a CRO audit comes into play.

A Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) audit is the key to understanding what’s holding your website back. It helps uncover the barriers preventing action and gives you the steps needed to fix them. You can improve user experience, enhance design, and increase conversions in five easy steps. Ready to learn how? Let’s dive into the simple process of conducting a CRO audit and make your website work harder for you.

CRO Audits: An Overview

A Conversion Rate Optimisation audit is a powerful way to understand why visitors aren’t converting and what changes can help improve their experience. It goes beyond just looking at website traffic and focuses on how users interact with your site, identifying barriers that may be stopping them from taking action. The goal is to make data-driven improvements. 

A CRO audit analyses factors like design, content, and user experience to find what’s working and what isn’t. If visitors leave before completing an action, there’s usually a reason, such as poor navigation, lack of trust signals, or an unclear value proposition. Addressing these issues can lead to higher engagement and more sales. 

CRO is not just about increasing numbers; it’s about understanding visitors and creating an experience that meets their needs. A website that prioritises user experience will naturally see higher conversions. 

When to Conduct a CRO Audit?

A CRO audit should be performed at key business milestones. Setting benchmarks helps measure success and identify areas for improvement. Some good points to conduct a CRO audit include:

• After reaching a set number of purchases (e.g., 250 direct sales).
• Once you hit a milestone in customer signups (e.g., 50 paying users).
• After spending a significant amount on ads (e.g., $5,000 in ad spend).
• At regular intervals (every 3-6 months) to ensure continuous optimisation.

Many businesses aim for a 2.63% and 4.31% conversion rate, which varies based on industry and audience. If a website’s conversion rate is below 3%, a CRO audit can help pinpoint areas for improvement.

The Ultimate CRO Audit Checklist

Here’s a checklist to guide the process and ensure every element of your website is optimised for conversions:

1. User Experience & Navigation

• Ensure fast page load times; slow sites lead to higher bounce rates.
• Keep navigation simple so users find what they need quickly
• Fix broken links and technical errors.
• Make the site mobile-friendly.

2. Landing Page Optimisation

• Use social proof like testimonials and reviews to build trust.
• Clearly state your value proposition.
• Reduce distractions for a clean, focused design.
• Make CTAs clear and compelling.
• Use high-quality visuals to engage visitors.

3. Pricing Page Optimisation

• Highlight the best pricing option.
• Be transparent about costs and avoid hidden fees.
• Offer discounts for annual payments.
• Use comparisons to help users choose the right plan.

4. Free Trial & Onboarding Optimisation

• Personalise the user experience with welcome surveys.
• Use NPS surveys to gather feedback and address concerns.
• Implement gamification to keep users engaged.
• Let users experience premium features to encourage upgrades.

5. Growth & Upselling Strategies

• Use in-app messaging for upselling.
• Show upgrade benefits at the right time.
• Analyse user behaviour with heatmaps, session recordings, and conversion funnels.

How a CRO Audit Can Benefit Your Business?

A CRO audit helps improve your website’s performance and enhances user experience. Here’s how it helps:

• Finds and Fixes Problems: A CRO audit identifies issues like confusing layouts, distractions, or unclear buttons, making it easier for visitors to take action.
• Create a Good First Impression: A CRO audit improves your homepage and landing page design to keep visitors on your site longer.
• Align Content with Visitor Needs: It helps clarify content like headlines, product details, and FAQs to answer visitors’ questions.
• Makes Checkout or Signup Easier: A CRO audit simplifies forms and removes unnecessary steps to speed up signups and checkouts.
• Improves Mobile Experience: It ensures your site works well on mobile devices, making navigation and actions easy on small screens.
• Adds a Personal Touch: A CRO testing personalises offers, product suggestions, and messages based on visitor interests to boost engagement.
• Boosts Marketing Effectiveness: It helps convert more visitors into customers, maximising the impact of your marketing efforts.
• Encourages Repeat Purchases: A CRO audit finds ways to encourage past buyers to return, like showing special deals or offering rewards.

The 5-Step Process for a Successful CRO Audit

Here’s a simple 5-step guide to help you improve your website’s conversions:

Set Clear Goals

Before starting, decide what you want to achieve. Do you want to improve a specific webpage, like your product page? Or do you want to make the whole site easier to use? Knowing what you want to fix or improve will guide your work and ensure you focus on the right areas.

Use the Right Tools to Track Behavior

To understand how visitors use your site, you must track their actions. There are a few tools that can help with this:

• Heatmaps show where people are clicking or looking most on your page. This helps you see what interests them.
• Session replays let you watch real users interact with your site. This gives you a closer look at how they navigate and where they may struggle.
• Voice of Customer (VoC) tools collect customer feedback, helping you understand their needs.
• A/B testing helps you try different page versions to see which works best. All of these tools give you the insights needed to improve your site.

Check Your Site for Technical Issues

If your site has problems like slow loading times, broken links, or errors, users may leave before they complete an action. You need to fix these issues to provide a smooth experience for your visitors. Here are a few options that may help:

• Google’s PageSpeed Insights helps you find slow loading times.
• BrowserStack lets you test how your site looks on different devices.
• Screaming Frog is a tool that crawls your website and finds any broken links or technical issues. Fixing these problems will help visitors stay on your site longer and improve their experience.

Look at Important Pages

Identify key pages in your business, such as your product, pricing, or checkout pages. These are where most conversions (sales, sign-ups, etc.) happen.

• Track events like form submissions, demo requests, or sign-ups.
• Use conversion funnels to see how users move through these pages and spot where they may get stuck.
  Focusing on these key pages can improve your site’s overall performance and increase conversions.

Find Where Users Leave

Sometimes visitors start an action, like buying something, but don’t finish it. It’s essential to figure out where people drop off so you can fix those areas.

• Use tools like Google Analytics or session recordings to see where users leave your site.
• Look for steps where they get stuck or frustrated, like on the checkout page. By fixing these problem areas, you can reduce drop-offs and improve conversions.

How Shiprocket Engage 360 Can Boost Your CRO Strategy

Engage 360 is a great tool for connecting with customers and boosting sales. It lets you reach them through WhatsApp, email, and SMS, which makes it easier to keep them engaged and encourage them to buy. Plus, the automation feature saves your time while helping your business grow.

With Engage 360, you can target the right customers at the right time. For example, if someone adds an item to their cart but doesn’t complete the purchase, Engage 360 can send a reminder. After they buy, it can also send follow-up messages to keep them returning for more.