CRO Audit Template: 12 Checkpoints That Move Revenue
I spent March 2025 inside a checkout that converted at 1.9%. The owner had run 11 button-color tests. Zero lift.
We stopped testing colors. I opened a checklist I now use on every funnel. It has 12 checkpoints. Each one asks one question and gives one measurement.
1. Where does the user hesitate?
I record 5 sessions and mark the second where the cursor stops. In Porto the shipping form scored 4/5 — labels were vague, validation only after submit. Fix: inline hints + clear error before submit.
2. Can you remove a field?
Count required fields above the fold. We removed company-name for B2C and collapsed address to one autocomplete. One less field.
3. Do trust signals match price?
List every badge near the pay button. At €80 AOV "30-day free returns" near the button lifted 0.4pp. At €2k B2B the same badge does nothing — you need case + SOC2.
4. Does the payment mix match competitors?
If they offer PayPal, Apple Pay, Klarna and you don't — you add friction. Adding PayPal gave +0.3pp in Porto. Check your top 3 competitors first.
5. Is mobile thumb-ready?
I test on iPhone, Android, Pixel. Targets >=48px, fields reflow, promo code link not hidden. Fixing a hidden "Enter promo code" recovered 0.2pp.
6. What almost stopped them?
One-question exit: "What almost stopped you?" (price / shipping time / payment / bug). In Porto 38% said "shipping too long" — we added express upsell and recovered 0.5pp.
7. Is the funnel fully tracked?
Tag every step with UTM and verify in GA4. The shop missed "add-to-cart" — fixing revealed 70% drop invisible before.
8. Is the hypothesis written?
Problem -> hypothesis -> success metric -> minimum effect -> duration. Without this you get hypothesis drift. Porto ran 4 months without one sentence per test.
9. Do you have power to detect the lift?
Before a test I calculate sample size from baseline, minimum effect, confidence. 150 conversions for 2 weeks cannot detect 0.5pp — you need 500+ for 80% power.
10. What is revenue per visitor?
Don't optimize conversion alone. Build LTV: AOV x repeat rate x referral. One Porto test lowered conversion -0.3pp but raised AOV +15% — net +1.1% revenue.
11. What happens after purchase?
Map confirmation, shipping notice, delivery, review request. We added a "how to get most from your tent" card — repeat purchase +8% in 6 months.
12. For B2B: is the handoff to sales clean?
Longer cycle, more stakeholders. Measure qualified lead, not checkout. See cro-consulting-for-b2b for the 12-week audit shape.
How we used it: baseline 9k visits, 1.9% checkout. After fixes 1-6, checkout 3.4% in 4 weeks. No button test gave that.
Want the sheet? Message me and I send the Google Doc with scoring. One CTA: funnel audit.