Website Conversion Optimisation Checklist

A. First impression and clarity

• Make the page purpose immediately clear. A visitor should understand why the page exists within a few seconds.
• Name what is being offered. Avoid making people decode a clever headline before they know the product or service.
• Signal the intended audience. Relevant visitors should recognise that the offer is for people like them.
• Show the main benefit above the fold. Lead with the outcome, not background information. Test idea: Compare an outcome-led hero with the current version.
• Match the traffic-source promise. Reuse the language and offer visitors saw in the advert, email or search result.
• Remove unnecessary distractions. Each competing message makes the intended route harder to see.
• Replace vague wording. Put important price, eligibility, timing and next-step information in concrete language.
• Use a deliberate visual hierarchy. Size, spacing and contrast should guide attention from promise to evidence to action.

B. Value proposition and messaging

If the offer is unclear, explore why a website may not be converting, ways to get more leads from the same advertising budget, make your website work harder and improve website ROI and conversions.

• Lead with benefits before secondary features. Explain what changes for the customer before listing how the product works.
• Make claims specific. Replace generic words such as “better” with a clear, supportable benefit.
• Explain meaningful differentiation. State why a suitable customer might choose this approach over realistic alternatives.
• Use customer-focused language. Describe their situation and desired outcome instead of talking only about the business.
• Address important objections. Cover likely concerns about cost, effort, risk, compatibility and timing.
• Support claims with appropriate evidence. Use genuine demonstrations, specifications, policies or permissioned proof.
• Keep terminology consistent. Changing names for the same plan, feature or action creates doubt.
• Make headline and supporting copy work together. The subheading should clarify or substantiate the headline, not repeat it. Test idea: Test a specific headline-and-subheading pair against the existing message.

C. Calls to action

FreeCROTool’s visual A/B testing editor can test selected changes. You can also learn about editing website text without coding and A/B testing without developers.

• Make the primary CTA visible early. Suitable visitors should not have to search for the main action.
• Choose one obvious main action. Give secondary actions less visual weight.
• Use descriptive CTA text. “Get a quote” or “Start free” sets a clearer expectation than “Submit”.
• Check contrast, size and spacing. Buttons must be easy to see, distinguish and activate.
• Repeat the CTA on long pages. Offer the action after visitors have seen enough information, without making it relentless.
• Place relevant reassurance nearby. Mention genuine information such as cancellation terms, response time or no-card signup at the decision point.
• Make CTAs usable on mobile. Keep controls tap-friendly and clear of browser or sticky interface elements.
• Remove competing actions. Several equally prominent buttons can create indecision.
• Explain what happens next. Tell visitors whether they will pay, book, create an account or receive a reply.
• Make the destination match the promise. The next page should continue the same task, message and offer. Test idea: Compare a generic CTA with a specific action-and-outcome label.

D. Trust and reassurance

Make the people and policies behind the service easy to verify through About Neil Webley, the FAQ, terms and contact details.

• Show a clear business identity. Visitors should know who operates the site and what the organisation does.
• Make contact and about information accessible. Real routes to help and background reduce uncertainty.
• Link privacy and terms clearly. Put policy links where users naturally expect them.
• Explain genuine guarantees precisely. Include boundaries and conditions rather than making a sweeping promise.
• Provide payment reassurance where relevant. State accepted methods and what customers will be charged.
• Make delivery, cancellation and returns clear. Show the applicable policy before commitment, not after purchase.
• Use transparent pricing. Explain recurring fees, taxes and material conditions before checkout.
• Use accurate security messages. Explain relevant protections without implying guarantees the technology cannot provide.
• Use only meaningful, genuine badges. Decorative or unfamiliar trust marks can create suspicion rather than confidence.
• Put reassurance beside anxiety. Place privacy by the form, returns by the purchase action and cancellation details by signup.

E. Social proof

Only show authentic, permissioned proof. Do not invent names, outcomes, ratings or endorsements.

• Use genuine testimonials. Select comments that explain a relevant problem, experience or outcome.
• Give ratings context. Name the source, scale and date where appropriate.
• Show review volume accurately. A score without the number of reviews can mislead.
• Use customer logos with permission. Make sure the relationship is current and understandable.
• Link to useful case studies. Explain the starting point, work and limitations, not just the result.
• Prefer specific, supportable outcomes. Concrete detail is more useful than exaggerated praise.
• Attribute proof responsibly. Include a name, role or verifiable source only with consent.
• Match proof to the target customer. The example should reflect the visitor’s sector, goal or concern.
• Place proof near decisions. Relevant evidence often helps more beside a claim or CTA than in a distant carousel.
• Avoid anonymous or implausible claims. Weakly attributed superlatives can reduce credibility.

F. Content and readability

For a deeper process focused on one campaign or acquisition page, follow the landing page optimisation guide.

• Use scannable headings. Let readers predict the content of each section.
• Keep paragraphs focused. Shorter blocks make complex information easier to process.
• Use bullets for genuine lists. Do not turn every sentence into a bullet when connected prose is clearer.
• Prefer plain language. Familiar words reduce effort without making the message simplistic.
• Use a readable font size. Check real mobile devices as well as desktop previews.
• Maintain strong text contrast. Body copy and muted labels must remain legible against their background.
• Put important information early. Do not make readers work through company history to understand the offer.
• Explain benefits clearly. Connect each important capability to a customer outcome.
• Remove or explain jargon. Internal terminology can exclude otherwise suitable customers.
• Answer genuine objections in FAQs. Use questions customers actually ask rather than creating extra promotional copy.
• Match visitor intent. A comparison visitor needs different information from someone ready to buy.
• Remove unnecessary repetition. Repetition should reinforce a decision, not lengthen the page.

G. Forms and lead generation

For a more focused review, see conversion rate optimisation for lead generation.

• Ask only for necessary fields. Every question should support qualification, fulfilment or follow-up.
• Use persistent, clear labels. Do not rely on placeholder text that disappears as people type.
• Validate helpfully. Identify the field, explain the issue and preserve valid answers.
• Write useful error messages. Say how to fix the problem instead of showing a code or “invalid”.
• Use appropriate input types. Email, telephone and numeric fields should trigger suitable keyboards and validation.
• Provide proportionate privacy reassurance. Explain how submitted details will be used.
• Use a clear submission button. Name the action and avoid disabling it without an explanation.
• Confirm successful submission. Show that the request was received and what happens next.
• Make controls mobile-friendly. Provide sufficient size, spacing and sensible autocomplete.
• Avoid forced account creation when unnecessary. Let users complete the immediate task with proportionate commitment.
• Explain the follow-up. State expected response timing and channel where you can do so accurately.
• Test form length as a hypothesis. Shorter is not always better when useful qualification improves lead quality. Test idea: Compare a shorter form with one that sets better expectations.

H. Ecommerce, product and checkout pages

Related resources cover CRO for ecommerce, landing-page conversion, exit-intent messages and how to add an announcement bar. Onsite messages may help when they are timely and relevant; indiscriminate popups can interrupt users and obscure the task.

• Use clear, useful product imagery. Show important angles, scale and details without slowing the page unnecessarily.
• Write decision-supporting descriptions. Cover benefits, materials, compatibility and limitations.
• Make the price visible. Clearly identify discounts, subscriptions, taxes and unit pricing where applicable.
• Show delivery and returns information. Put essential cost and timing details before checkout.
• State stock or availability accurately. Do not manufacture urgency.
• Show authentic reviews. Provide context and make critical as well as positive feedback discoverable.
• Provide size or specification guidance. Help customers choose correctly and reduce avoidable returns.
• Keep the cart easy to find and edit. Users should see quantities, totals and removal controls.
• Offer guest checkout where practical. Do not make account creation an unexpected barrier.
• Show checkout progress. Explain remaining stages without implying a shorter process than exists.
• Avoid unexpected costs. Reveal delivery, taxes and service fees as early as possible.
• Support relevant payment methods. Prioritise methods customers trust and the business can operate safely.
• Provide a final order review. Let customers verify items, address, delivery and total before payment.
• Offer proportionate recovery. Saved carts or useful reminders may help hesitant visitors; respect consent and frequency.

I. Mobile usability

• Use a genuinely responsive layout. Content should reflow rather than merely shrink.
• Remove horizontal scrolling. Check tables, embeds and long unbroken strings.
• Keep text readable without zooming. Use comfortable line lengths and spacing.
• Make buttons tap-friendly. Small controls cause errors and frustration.
• Leave adequate spacing. Adjacent links and controls should not be easy to activate by mistake.
• Simplify navigation. Keep important destinations easy to reach and the menu easy to dismiss.
• Use suitable mobile keyboards. Set input types and autocomplete attributes appropriately.
• Do not hide essential content. Mobile visitors need the same decision-making information.
• Keep popups proportionate. They must not block the entire experience or be difficult to close.
• Test on real devices. Emulators do not reveal every keyboard, browser and touch issue.
• Check sticky elements. Bars, chats and CTAs must not cover content or controls.

J. Accessibility

Accessibility is a user-experience responsibility and can affect conversion, but this checklist is not a complete accessibility audit.

• Use semantic headings. Create a logical outline without choosing levels for visual size alone.
• Support keyboard access. Every interactive element should be reachable and operable without a pointer.
• Keep focus states visible. Users must be able to see where keyboard focus is.
• Associate form labels correctly. Programmatic labels help everyone understand the requested input.
• Write useful alternative text. Describe informative images and leave decorative images empty.
• Check colour contrast. Include text, icons, controls and their states.
• Do not rely on colour alone. Add text, shape or icons to communicate status and errors.
• Use descriptive link text. The destination should make sense outside its surrounding sentence.
• Make modals accessible. Manage focus, provide a labelled close control and return focus on dismissal.
• Respect reduced-motion preferences. Avoid movement that is unnecessary or difficult to stop.
• Identify errors clearly. Explain the problem in text and move or link attention to it appropriately.

K. Page speed and technical quality

No single performance score guarantees more conversions. Aim for a stable, usable experience and investigate problems in the context of real visitors.

• Optimise image dimensions and file sizes. Do not deliver a huge source image for a small display slot.
• Use modern image formats where appropriate. Keep a compatible fallback when the audience needs one.
• Lazy-load below-the-fold media. Do not delay the primary content to fetch unseen assets.
• Remove unnecessary scripts. Each third-party dependency can add delay, risk and maintenance.
• Keep the layout stable. Reserve space for images, embeds, adverts and late-loading interface elements.
• Render primary content quickly. Prioritise the material needed to understand and use the page.
• Fix broken links. Test important internal and external destinations regularly.
• Resolve JavaScript errors. Check the console and complete key journeys with scripts blocked or slow.
• Set the mobile viewport correctly. Pages should render at the device width without forced zoom settings.
• Use HTTPS throughout. Avoid insecure forms, media and mixed-content requests.
• Set a clear canonical URL. Point search engines to the preferred production version.
• Write a useful title and description. Accurately set expectations in search results without stuffing keywords.
• Avoid intrusive loading behaviour. Do not hide readable content behind unnecessary spinners or animation.

L. Measurement and experimentation

Continue with how FreeCROTool works, the visual editor, developer-free testing guide, Google Optimize alternative, conversion-rate uplift value tool, managed CRO service or pricing.

• Define one primary conversion. Choose the action that best represents success for this page or journey.
• Identify useful secondary conversions. Track meaningful progress without treating every interaction as success.
• Verify analytics implementation. Confirm events fire once, carry the right data and appear in reports.
• Use consent-aware measurement. Respect applicable choices and understand how missing data affects interpretation.
• Exclude internal traffic where appropriate. Staff and testing activity can distort low-volume data.
• Use consistent campaign tracking. Agree naming rules before links are distributed.
• Make the funnel visible. Measure important steps so you can locate drop-off rather than guess.
• Test one clear hypothesis. State the audience, change, expected outcome and reason.
• Define success before launch. Choose the decision metric and important guardrails in advance.
• QA the technical implementation. Check allocation, targeting, variation display and tracking across relevant devices.
• Run tests for a meaningful duration. Account for normal business cycles and sufficient data rather than stopping on a good day.
• Avoid premature conclusions. A moving result is not automatically a reliable result.
• Explore segments carefully. Treat unexpected subgroup patterns as prompts for further research unless they were planned and adequately supported.
• Record test learnings. Save the hypothesis, implementation, dates, result, limitations and next action.
• Prioritise by impact, evidence and effort. Give strong opportunities attention before cosmetic preferences.