Visitor Conversion Research

CRO Research Methods & Tools

by wondelai · MIT license · ★ 2,235 on GitHub · updated Sep 10

Don't guess why visitors don't convert. Use these methods to discover the truth.

# CRO Research Methods & Tools

Don't guess why visitors don't convert. Use these methods to discover the truth.

## Research Framework

### Quantitative (What is happening)
- Analytics data
- Heatmaps
- Click tracking
- Funnel analysis
- A/B test results

### Qualitative (Why it's happening)
- User surveys
- Customer interviews
- Usability testing
- Session recordings

Overview

Don't guess why visitors don't convert. Use these methods to discover the truth.

Manual install (npx, ZIP)

Claude Codenpx skills add wondelai/skills --skill cro-research-methods-tools -g -a claude-code

Claude.ai / desktopZip the folder and upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Codex, Cursor, other agentsPoint them at SKILL.md. The other files are plain text.

Connects with Agent Alley MCP · agentalley.io/mcp

Files included

RESEARCH.md5.2 KB

Read RESEARCH.md here

wondelai/main1 file

RESEARCH.md5.2 KB

RESEARCH.md

Show the full text221 lines

CRO Research Methods & Tools

Don't guess why visitors don't convert. Use these methods to discover the truth.

Research Framework

Quantitative (What is happening)

Analytics data
Heatmaps
Click tracking
Funnel analysis
A/B test results

Qualitative (Why it's happening)

User surveys
Customer interviews
Usability testing
Session recordings
Support analysis

Both are essential. Quantitative shows WHERE problems are. Qualitative shows WHY they exist.

Analytics Analysis

Key Reports

Funnel Visualization

Where do visitors drop off?
Which steps have highest abandonment?
Do patterns differ by traffic source?

Landing Page Performance

Bounce rate by page
Time on page
Exit rate vs. bounce rate

Traffic Source Analysis

Conversion rate by source
Behavior differences by channel
Quality vs. quantity of traffic

Device/Browser Analysis

Mobile vs. desktop conversion
Browser-specific issues
Page speed by device

Red Flag Metrics

Bounce rate > 70% on key pages
Exit rate spikes at specific steps
Mobile conversion << desktop (check UX)
High traffic, low conversion pages
Long time on checkout pages (confusion)

User Surveys

On-Site Surveys (Hotjar, Qualaroo)

Exit intent surveys:

"What stopped you from [action] today?"
"What's the one thing we could change to make you [action]?"

Post-purchase surveys:

"What almost stopped you from buying?"
"What convinced you to choose us?"
"How would you describe [product] to a friend?"

Browsing surveys (trigger after X seconds):

"What brought you here today?"
"Is there anything you can't find?"

Email Surveys

New customers (within 7 days):

"What was your biggest hesitation before buying?"
"What finally convinced you?"
"What's one thing we could improve?"

Non-converters (abandoned cart):

"We noticed you didn't complete your order. What stopped you?"
Keep it to ONE question for higher response rates

Survey Best Practices

Ask ONE question (max 2-3)
Open-ended > multiple choice for discovery
Time triggers thoughtfully
Don't annoy—limit frequency
Incentivize for longer surveys

Usability Testing

DIY Testing (5-10 users is enough)

Tasks to test:

Find [specific product/information]
Complete [primary action]
Understand [value proposition]
Compare [options/plans]

What to observe:

Where do users hesitate?
What do they say aloud?
What do they click expecting something different?
What frustrates them?

5-Second Test

Show page for 5 seconds, then ask:

"What is this page about?"
"What action should you take?"
"What company is this?"

Tests clarity of value proposition and hierarchy.

First-Click Testing

Give users a task, record where they click first:

Is it the right element?
Do different user types behave differently?

Session Recordings (Hotjar, FullStory)

What to Look For

Rage clicks: Rapid clicking = frustration Dead clicks: Clicking non-clickable elements U-turns: Going back immediately Form abandonment: Which fields cause drop-off Scroll depth: How far do visitors read?

Prioritization

Focus on recordings from:

High-value pages
High drop-off points
Specific user segments (buyers vs. non-buyers)

Heatmaps

Click Heatmaps

What gets clicked (and what doesn't)?
Are CTAs getting attention?
Are non-clickable elements being clicked?

Scroll Heatmaps

How far do visitors scroll?
What percentage see key content?
Where do visitors stop reading?

Move Heatmaps

Where does attention focus?
What gets ignored?

Heatmap Insights → Actions

Finding	Action
CTA not clicked	Test position, color, copy
Important content below fold	Move up or add anchor
Non-clickable element clicked	Make it clickable or remove
Users stop scrolling early	Improve above-fold content

Competitive Analysis

What to Analyze

Value propositions
Pricing/positioning
Social proof used
Objections addressed
Risk reversal offers
Onboarding flows
Email sequences (sign up!)

Competitive O/CO Mining

Read competitor reviews (positive and negative)
Note objections customers raise
Note what competitors claim as strengths
Identify gaps in their approach

Customer Interview Guide

Who to Interview

Recent buyers (why they bought)
Recent non-buyers (why they didn't)
Long-term customers (what keeps them)
Churned customers (why they left)

Key Questions

Pre-purchase:

"What triggered you to look for a solution?"
"What alternatives did you consider?"
"What almost stopped you from buying?"
"What convinced you to choose us?"

Post-purchase:

"What result have you achieved?"
"What's been harder than expected?"
"What would you tell a friend about us?"

Interview Tips

Let them talk (don't lead)
Ask "why" repeatedly (5 Whys)
Get specific examples
Record for quotes (with permission)
Look for patterns across interviews

Research Prioritization

Start with analytics (quick, free)
Add on-site survey (1 question)
Review existing support/chat logs
Watch 10-20 session recordings
Run 5 usability tests
Deep-dive interviews (ongoing)

1	# CRO Research Methods & Tools
2
3	Don't guess why visitors don't convert. Use these methods to discover the truth.
4
5	## Research Framework
6
7	### Quantitative (What is happening)
8	- Analytics data
9	- Heatmaps
10	- Click tracking
11	- Funnel analysis
12	- A/B test results
13
14	### Qualitative (Why it's happening)
15	- User surveys
16	- Customer interviews
17	- Usability testing
18	- Session recordings
19	- Support analysis
20
21	Both are essential. Quantitative shows WHERE problems are. Qualitative shows WHY they exist.
22
23	## Analytics Analysis
24
25	### Key Reports
26
27	Funnel Visualization
28	- Where do visitors drop off?
29	- Which steps have highest abandonment?
30	- Do patterns differ by traffic source?
31
32	Landing Page Performance
33	- Bounce rate by page
34	- Time on page
35	- Exit rate vs. bounce rate
36
37	Traffic Source Analysis
38	- Conversion rate by source
39	- Behavior differences by channel
40	- Quality vs. quantity of traffic
41
42	Device/Browser Analysis
43	- Mobile vs. desktop conversion
44	- Browser-specific issues
45	- Page speed by device
46
47	### Red Flag Metrics
48
49	- Bounce rate > 70% on key pages
50	- Exit rate spikes at specific steps
51	- Mobile conversion << desktop (check UX)
52	- High traffic, low conversion pages
53	- Long time on checkout pages (confusion)
54
55	## User Surveys
56
57	### On-Site Surveys (Hotjar, Qualaroo)
58
59	Exit intent surveys:
60	- "What stopped you from [action] today?"
61	- "What's the one thing we could change to make you [action]?"
62
63	Post-purchase surveys:
64	- "What almost stopped you from buying?"
65	- "What convinced you to choose us?"
66	- "How would you describe [product] to a friend?"
67
68	Browsing surveys (trigger after X seconds):
69	- "What brought you here today?"
70	- "Is there anything you can't find?"
71
72	### Email Surveys
73
74	New customers (within 7 days):
75	- "What was your biggest hesitation before buying?"
76	- "What finally convinced you?"
77	- "What's one thing we could improve?"
78
79	Non-converters (abandoned cart):
80	- "We noticed you didn't complete your order. What stopped you?"
81	- Keep it to ONE question for higher response rates
82
83	### Survey Best Practices
84
85	1. Ask ONE question (max 2-3)
86	2. Open-ended > multiple choice for discovery
87	3. Time triggers thoughtfully
88	4. Don't annoy—limit frequency
89	5. Incentivize for longer surveys
90
91	## Usability Testing
92
93	### DIY Testing (5-10 users is enough)
94
95	Tasks to test:
96	1. Find [specific product/information]
97	2. Complete [primary action]
98	3. Understand [value proposition]
99	4. Compare [options/plans]
100
101	What to observe:
102	- Where do users hesitate?
103	- What do they say aloud?
104	- What do they click expecting something different?
105	- What frustrates them?
106
107	### 5-Second Test
108
109	Show page for 5 seconds, then ask:
110	- "What is this page about?"
111	- "What action should you take?"
112	- "What company is this?"
113
114	Tests clarity of value proposition and hierarchy.
115
116	### First-Click Testing
117
118	Give users a task, record where they click first:
119	- Is it the right element?
120	- Do different user types behave differently?
121
122	## Session Recordings (Hotjar, FullStory)
123
124	### What to Look For
125
126	Rage clicks: Rapid clicking = frustration
127	Dead clicks: Clicking non-clickable elements
128	U-turns: Going back immediately
129	Form abandonment: Which fields cause drop-off
130	Scroll depth: How far do visitors read?
131
132	### Prioritization
133
134	Focus on recordings from:
135	- High-value pages
136	- High drop-off points
137	- Specific user segments (buyers vs. non-buyers)
138
139	## Heatmaps
140
141	### Click Heatmaps
142	- What gets clicked (and what doesn't)?
143	- Are CTAs getting attention?
144	- Are non-clickable elements being clicked?
145
146	### Scroll Heatmaps
147	- How far do visitors scroll?
148	- What percentage see key content?
149	- Where do visitors stop reading?
150
151	### Move Heatmaps
152	- Where does attention focus?
153	- What gets ignored?
154
155	### Heatmap Insights → Actions
156
157	\| Finding \| Action \|
158	\|---------\|--------\|
159	\| CTA not clicked \| Test position, color, copy \|
160	\| Important content below fold \| Move up or add anchor \|
161	\| Non-clickable element clicked \| Make it clickable or remove \|
162	\| Users stop scrolling early \| Improve above-fold content \|
163
164	## Competitive Analysis
165
166	### What to Analyze
167
168	- Value propositions
169	- Pricing/positioning
170	- Social proof used
171	- Objections addressed
172	- Risk reversal offers
173	- Onboarding flows
174	- Email sequences (sign up!)
175
176	### Competitive O/CO Mining
177
178	1. Read competitor reviews (positive and negative)
179	2. Note objections customers raise
180	3. Note what competitors claim as strengths
181	4. Identify gaps in their approach
182
183	## Customer Interview Guide
184
185	### Who to Interview
186
187	- Recent buyers (why they bought)
188	- Recent non-buyers (why they didn't)
189	- Long-term customers (what keeps them)
190	- Churned customers (why they left)
191
192	### Key Questions
193
194	Pre-purchase:
195	- "What triggered you to look for a solution?"
196	- "What alternatives did you consider?"
197	- "What almost stopped you from buying?"
198	- "What convinced you to choose us?"
199
200	Post-purchase:
201	- "What result have you achieved?"
202	- "What's been harder than expected?"
203	- "What would you tell a friend about us?"
204
205	### Interview Tips
206
207	1. Let them talk (don't lead)
208	2. Ask "why" repeatedly (5 Whys)
209	3. Get specific examples
210	4. Record for quotes (with permission)
211	5. Look for patterns across interviews
212
213	## Research Prioritization
214
215	1. Start with analytics (quick, free)
216	2. Add on-site survey (1 question)
217	3. Review existing support/chat logs
218	4. Watch 10-20 session recordings
219	5. Run 5 usability tests
220	6. Deep-dive interviews (ongoing)
221