/cm-cro-methodology

name: cm-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", or "objection handling". 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: "1.1.1"

CRO Methodology

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.** The methodology rejects "best practices" and "magic buttons" in favor of evidence-based optimization. Most websites underperform not because of bad design, but because no one has systematically researched why visitors leave without converting.

**The foundation:** Every visitor who doesn't convert has a reason. Your job is to discover those reasons through research, then systematically eliminate them with evidence and proof. This customer-centric approach consistently outperforms intuition, competitor copying, and "expert" opinions.

Scoring

**Goal: 10/10.** When reviewing or creating landing pages, funnels, or conversion flows, rate them 0-10 based on adherence to the principles below. A 10/10 means full alignment with all guidelines; lower scores indicate gaps to address. Always provide the current score and specific improvements needed to reach 10/10.

The CRO Frameworks

1. The CRO Process

**Core concept:** A systematic 9-step process for optimizing conversion rates, moving from defining success metrics through research, experimentation, and scaling wins across the business.

**Why it works:** Random optimization efforts fail because they skip the critical research steps. The CRE process forces you to understand visitors before changing anything, ensuring changes are based on evidence rather than opinion.

**Key insights:**

• Define success metrics aligned with business KPIs before touching any page
• Map the entire conversion funnel to find "blocked arteries" (high-traffic underperforming paths) and "missing links" (absent funnel stages)
• Understand visitors in three dimensions: who they are (types and intentions), what blocks them (UX problems), and what stops them (objections)
• Gather market intelligence from competitors, reviews, and other industries
• Prioritize ideas using ICE scoring (Impact, Confidence, Ease) before testing
• Create bold experimental designs based on research, not "meek tweaks"
• Run experiments with proper statistical rigor (95% confidence minimum, full business cycles)
• Scale wins across landing pages, ad copy, email sequences, and offline materials

**Product applications:**

| Context | CRO Process Step | Example | |---------|-----------------|---------| | **Landing page audit** | Steps 1-3: Define goals, map funnel, research visitors | Identify that 70% of traffic bounces because value prop is unclear | | **Checkout optimization** | Step 2: Map funnel for blocked arteries | Discover shipping cost shock causes 40% cart abandonment | | **New feature launch** | Steps 6-8: Strategize, design, experiment | A/B test two positioning approaches before full rollout | | **Email sequence** | Step 9: Scale wins | Apply winning objection-handling copy from landing page to drip emails | | **Competitor response** | Step 4: Market intelligence | Transfer proven strategies from adjacent industries |

**Copy patterns:**

• "What's preventing you from [action] today?" (exit survey question to discover objections)
• "Here's what [X] customers found..." (counter-objection with social proof)
• Document hypothesis: "If we [change X], then [metric Y] will improve because [reason from research]"
• Always calculate required sample size BEFORE starting any test

**Ethical boundary:** Never manipulate test results or cherry-pick data. Report all tests, including failures, and wait for genuine statistical significance.

See: [testing-methodology.md](references/testing-methodology.md) for detailed ICE scoring, A/B vs. multivariate guidance, and statistical rigor.

2. Customer Research & Objections

**Core concept:** Visitors don't convert for specific, discoverable reasons. Research methods -- exit surveys, chat logs, support tickets, sales calls, reviews -- reveal the "voice of the customer" and their real objections.

**Why it works:** Companies guess why visitors leave, but guesses are almost always wrong. Direct research consistently uncovers objections that teams never anticipated, and the language customers use is more persuasive than any copywriter's invention.

**Key insights:**

• Primary sources (exit surveys, live chat logs, support tickets, sales call recordings) give you direct visitor language
• Secondary sources (reviews, social media, competitor analysis) reveal industry-wide objections
• Objections fall into two categories: explicit ("too expensive") and implicit ("I'm not sure I'll follow through")
• The "Big 5" universal objections are Trust, Price, Fit, Timing, and Effort
• Post-purchase surveys ("What almost stopped you from buying?") reveal the objections that matter most
• Non-converter surveys should ask ONE question for maximum response rate
• Quantitative research (analytics, heatmaps) shows WHERE problems are; qualitative research (surveys, interviews) shows WHY

**Product applications:**

| Context | Research Method | Example | |---------|---------------|---------| | **Exit intent** | On-site survey (Hotjar, Qualaroo) | "What's preventing you from signing up today?" | | **Post-purchase** | Email survey within 7 days | "What almost stopped you from buying?" | | **Objection mining** | Support ticket analysis | Search for "but",