/cro - Conversion Rate Optimization

Audit pages and flows for conversion friction - identifying drop-off points, persuasion gaps, and technical blockers - then produce prioritized recommendations with testable A/B hypotheses.

Target: $ARGUMENTS

When to Use

Before launching a landing page or signup flow
When conversion rates are below industry benchmarks
After redesigning a checkout or onboarding flow
When bounce rate is high on key pages
Before running paid traffic to a page
When @marketing Growth mode needs structured CRO analysis
NOT for: SEO issues (use /seo-audit)
NOT for: general design quality (use /design-review)
NOT for: copy creation (use /copywriting)

Workflow

Step 1: Page & Flow Analysis

Read the target page/component:

# Find the page/component code
find $TARGET -type f \( -name "*.tsx" -o -name "*.vue" -o -name "*.svelte" -o -name "*.astro" \) | head -20

Identify the conversion goal:
- Signup (form submission)
- Purchase (checkout completion)
- Download (file/app download)
- Contact (form/chat initiation)
- Engagement (feature activation)
Map the user flow:

## User Flow
[Entry point] → [Step 1] → [Step 2] → ... → [Conversion]

Example:
Landing page → Pricing section → Signup form → Email verification → Dashboard

Identify drop-off points - Where in the flow might users leave?

Step 2: Friction Audit

Check for conversion killers:

Friction Type	What to Look For	Impact
Form friction	Too many fields, required fields, no autofill	HIGH
Cognitive load	Too many choices, unclear hierarchy, wall of text	HIGH
Trust deficit	No social proof, no security badges, unclear pricing	HIGH
Speed friction	Slow loading, heavy JS, unoptimized images	HIGH
Navigation friction	Can't find CTA, buried below fold, confusing layout	MEDIUM
Mobile friction	Small touch targets, horizontal scroll, unreadable text	MEDIUM
Copy friction	Unclear value prop, jargon, no urgency	MEDIUM
Technical friction	Broken forms, validation errors, payment failures	CRITICAL

# Count form fields (friction indicator)
grep -rn "<input\|<select\|<textarea" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | wc -l

# Check for form validation UX
grep -rn "onBlur\|onChange.*validation\|zod\|yup\|formik\|react-hook-form\|vee-validate" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check for loading/performance issues
grep -rn "useEffect\|onMounted\|onMount" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" --include="*.svelte" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check image optimization
grep -rn "<img\|<Image" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | grep -v "next/image\|nuxt-img\|loading=" | head -10

Step 3: Persuasion Checklist (Cialdini's Principles)

Evaluate each persuasion principle:

Principle	Implementation	Status
Reciprocity	Free value before asking (free trial, guide, tool)	[Present/Missing]
Scarcity	Limited time/quantity indicators (genuine, not fake)	[Present/Missing]
Authority	Expert endorsements, certifications, press logos	[Present/Missing]
Social Proof	Testimonials, user count, ratings, case studies	[Present/Missing]
Liking	Relatable brand voice, user stories, team photos	[Present/Missing]
Commitment	Micro-conversions (email first, then full signup)	[Present/Missing]
Unity	Shared identity ("Join 10,000 developers like you")	[Present/Missing]

# Check for social proof elements
grep -rn "testimonial\|review\|rating\|customer\|users\|trusted" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" --include="*.astro" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check for trust signals
grep -rn "secure\|ssl\|encrypted\|guarantee\|money-back\|badge" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -10

Step 4: Copy & CTA Audit

Check	Best Practice
Headline clarity	Value proposition clear in <3 seconds
Above-the-fold	CTA visible without scrolling
CTA text	Action verb + benefit (not "Submit" or "Click here")
CTA contrast	Visually distinct from surrounding content
Value before form	User understands benefit before filling fields
Objection handling	FAQ, guarantees, or trust signals near CTA
Urgency	Genuine deadline or limited availability (if applicable)

# Check CTA button text
grep -rn "type=\"submit\"\|<button\|<Button" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check for "Submit" or generic CTA text (anti-pattern)
grep -rn ">Submit<\|>Click here<\|>Send<\|>Go<" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -5

Step 5: Technical CRO

Performance directly impacts conversion (every 100ms delay = -1% conversion):

Check	Impact on Conversion
Page load time	+1s load time = -7% conversion (Google)
Mobile responsiveness	53% abandon if >3s load on mobile
Form error recovery	Inline validation saves 22% form abandonment
Payment options	Each additional payment method = +5-10% checkout conversion
Loading states	Skeleton screens reduce perceived wait time by 30%

# Check for skeleton/loading states
grep -rn "skeleton\|Skeleton\|loading\|isLoading\|isPending" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check for error boundary/handling in forms
grep -rn "error\|Error\|catch\|onError\|isError" $TARGET --include="*.tsx" --include="*.vue" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Bundle size indicators
find $TARGET -name "*.tsx" -o -name "*.ts" | xargs wc -l 2>/dev/null | sort -rn | head -10

Step 6: Prioritized Recommendations

For each finding, produce:

### Recommendation [N]: [Title]

**Finding:** [What's wrong]
**Impact:** HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW
**Effort:** S (< 2h) | M (2-4h) | L (4-8h)
**Priority:** [Impact/Effort ratio]

**A/B Hypothesis:**
> If we [change], then [metric] will [improve] because [reason].

**Implementation:**
- File: [file:line]
- Change: [specific change]

Prioritize by: HIGH impact + LOW effort first (quick wins).

Verification Protocol

Before claiming the CRO audit is complete:

Conversion goal was explicitly identified
User flow was mapped from entry to conversion
All 7 friction categories were checked
All 7 Cialdini principles were evaluated
At least 3 recommendations have A/B hypotheses
Recommendations are prioritized by impact/effort ratio
Technical CRO checks were performed (performance, form UX)
Each recommendation has a specific file:line reference

Anti-Rationalization

Excuse	Reality
"Our conversion rate is fine"	Fine compared to what? Industry benchmarks? Last month? Without data, you're guessing.
"We need more traffic, not better conversion"	Doubling conversion is cheaper than doubling traffic. Optimize what you have first.
"Users will figure it out"	Users won't. They'll leave. Average attention span is 8 seconds. Remove friction or lose them.
"We can't change the design"	CRO isn't redesign. Changing CTA text from "Submit" to "Start Free Trial" is a 5-minute code change.
"A/B testing is too complex"	You don't need a testing platform to start. Ship Variant B, measure, compare. Manual A/B is still A/B.
"Our product is too technical for CRO"	Technical products still need clear value propositions. Complexity in product ≠ complexity in messaging.
"We already did CRO"	CRO is continuous. User behavior changes, competitors evolve, pages degrade. Audit quarterly.

Rules

Read-only - Never modify files during a CRO audit
Data-informed - Base recommendations on research and benchmarks, not opinions
Hypothesis-driven - Every recommendation needs a testable A/B hypothesis
Quick wins first - Prioritize high-impact, low-effort changes
One CTA per view - Never recommend multiple competing CTAs
Genuine urgency only - Never recommend fake scarcity or countdown timers
Code-grounded - Every finding must reference specific files and components
Conversion goal explicit - Never audit without defining what "conversion" means

Output

──── /cro ────
Target: $ARGUMENTS
Conversion Goal: [signup | purchase | download | contact]
User Flow: [entry] → ... → [conversion]

Friction Score: [N]/100 (lower = more friction)
Persuasion Score: [N]/7 principles present

Findings:
  CRITICAL: N
  HIGH: N
  MEDIUM: N
  LOW: N

Top Recommendations:
1. [HIGH/S] [recommendation] → Hypothesis: [if/then]
2. [HIGH/M] [recommendation] → Hypothesis: [if/then]
3. [MEDIUM/S] [recommendation] → Hypothesis: [if/then]

Quick Wins: N (HIGH impact, LOW effort)
Total Recommendations: N

──── CRO audit complete ────

cro