CRO audit for Shopify — the 42-point framework we run
Every CRO audit for Shopify should produce three things: a scored assessment across every conversion-relevant page, a ranked issue list, and a projected revenue impact if you fix the top items. Anything less is a checklist, not an audit.
Below is the 42-point CRO audit framework we run on every Shopify store — split across four page types with an evidence-based rubric behind each check. Then the tool that runs it for you in 2 minutes.
Table of Contents
- How the 42 checks are distributed
- Product page (31 checks)
- Homepage (14 checks)
- Category / Collection page (12 checks)
- Cart + Checkout (12 checks)
- What the audit output should be
- Run the CRO audit in 2 minutes with Converta
Key Takeaways
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many checks? | 42 total: Product 31, Homepage 14, Category 12, Cart+Checkout 12. Some overlap across page types. |
| What does a good CRO audit output? | Scored assessment per page, ranked issue list, CVR projection, revenue opportunity, per-persona journey breakdowns. |
| How long does it take? | 2 minutes with Converta; 90 minutes manually; multiple weeks with an agency. |
| What's the biggest miss most CRO audits make? | Not simulating shoppers with different personas. A single-persona audit misses friction that matters for your other 60% of traffic. |
How the 42 checks are distributed
Our framework runs different checklists on different page types because the friction points differ:
- Product page: 31 checks (highest count — it's where conversion actually happens)
- Homepage: 14 checks (trust, hero clarity, category discovery)
- Category / Collection: 12 checks (filter usability, sort defaults, product surfacing)
- Cart + Checkout: 12 checks (payment friction, trust, delivery clarity)
Below is what each set covers. Real CRO audits check each of these points and score them pass / fail / partial.
Product page (31 checks)
Split across seven categories:
Copy + information (8):
- Product title is benefit-oriented, not just brand-oriented
- Above-the-fold subhead explains what changes for the buyer
- Full product description with 3+ paragraphs
- Written in second-person voice, not "we believe" corporate speak
- Meta title present, includes primary keyword
- Meta description written (not auto-generated from body)
- Sizing / fit guide present for apparel + relevant categories
- Materials / spec block clearly listed
Buy box + CTA (6): 9. Add-to-cart button visible above the fold on mobile 10. ATC button contrasts with page background (not blending) 11. Variant selection (size, color) required + selected states clear 12. Quantity selector present but not intrusive 13. Price + comparison price when on sale 14. Stock indicator ("Only 3 left") when honest
Trust + social proof (5): 15. Star rating + review count visible near product title 16. Real review text visible on-page (not just "★★★★★") 17. Guarantee stated near ATC (not just in footer) 18. Return/refund policy visible above fold via link or badge 19. Press logos or badges if honest
Media (4): 20. 5+ product images in gallery 21. First image is lifestyle or in-context, not white-background studio 22. Product video present (if applicable to category) 23. Zoom / hover interaction works on desktop
Structured data + SEO (3): 24. Schema.org Product markup on page 25. OG image + og:title + og:description set 26. Canonical URL set to self (not defaulted to homepage)
Cross-sell + retention (3): 27. Related products block below the fold 28. Recently viewed products (returning-visitor lift) 29. Wishlist / save-for-later option
Speed (2): 30. Hero image loads within 2.5s (LCP under 2.5s) 31. No layout shift after initial load (CLS under 0.1)
Homepage (14 checks)
- Benefit-forward H1 (not brand name)
- Sub-hero specifies who the store is for
- Trust bar (guarantee, free shipping, review count) above the fold
- Real product photo above the fold on mobile
- Primary CTA button visible without scrolling
- Category navigation clear (top nav or hero categories)
- Featured products or best-sellers block
- Social proof section (reviews, press, or brand story)
- Newsletter capture without being intrusive
- Sticky nav for products browse
- LCP under 2.5s on mobile
- CLS under 0.1
- Meta title + description written for homepage keyword
- Schema.org Organization markup on homepage
Category / Collection page (12 checks)
- Filter panel (price, size, color, category) present
- Sort by relevance / popularity / price working
- Product grid at least 3 columns on desktop
- Hover state on product cards (secondary image or quick-view)
- Product cards show: image, name, price, star rating
- Comparison price shown when on sale
- Filter selections persist on refresh
- Above-the-fold collection intro (100+ words, unique content)
- Meta title + description written for collection keyword
- Load-more or pagination without breaking scroll
- Empty-state message when filters return no results
- Recently viewed carousel at bottom
Cart + Checkout (12 checks)
- Cart drawer / cart page shows full item details clearly
- Free shipping progress bar ("$12 to free shipping")
- Discount code field NOT visible if no promo running
- Guest checkout enabled by default
- Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay all enabled
- Trust icons above pay button (guarantee, returns, security)
- Concrete delivery date (not "3-5 business days")
- Shipping cost shown BEFORE checkout starts
- No forced account creation
- Order summary always visible on mobile (not collapsed)
- Number of form fields minimized (no address line 2 unless needed)
- Real urgency where honest (no fake countdowns)
What the audit output should be
A CRO audit that's worth running produces:
Per-page score — a 0-100 CVR-readiness score for each page type, weighted by CVR-relevance.
Ranked issue list — issues sorted by combined severity + effort + estimated revenue impact. Not alphabetical, not by page, not by category. By what to ship first.
Per-issue detail — severity (Critical/High/Medium), effort (Low/Medium/High), category (Buy box, Trust, Speed, etc.), a "why this matters" note, and a step-by-step "how to implement" guide.
CVR + revenue projection — current CVR baseline vs. projected CVR if the top N issues are fixed, converted into monthly revenue opportunity.
Per-persona journey breakdown — friction differs across visitor types. A skeptic-visitor journey looks different from a returning-buyer journey. Both matter.
Anything less than these five outputs is a checklist.
Run the CRO audit in 2 minutes with Converta
Converta runs the exact 42-point framework above. Install free on Shopify. Then:
Run Audit — Converta simulates 15 shoppers (3 personas × 5 journeys) across your Homepage, Collection, Product, and Checkout pages. Scores each page against the 42-check rubric. Produces per-page scores, per-persona journey breakdowns, and an overall "Passed X of Y CRO checks" tally.
Issue list — every finding is tagged with severity, category, effort, description, recommended fix, and step-by-step "how to implement" guidance. Sortable + filterable so you can jump straight to Critical + Low-effort quick wins.
CVR + revenue projection — Converta shows current baseline CVR and projected uplift if you ship the top-priority items. Converts to monthly revenue opportunity.
AI Fixes — for the copy-based issues (product descriptions, SEO titles, SEO descriptions, page body), Converta drafts an improved version and shows before/after diffs. One-click Apply pushes to Shopify via the Admin API. No manual copy-paste.
Guided fixes — for the visual/structural issues (trust badges, speed, layout), Converta gives you step-by-step implementation instructions with a "Mark as done" checklist.
Impact — every applied fix is timestamped on your 90-day CVR chart. You can literally see whether your conversion rate moves after each rollout, plus tiles for fixes applied, 14-day CVR, and vs prior 14 days.
Past Audits history — re-run monthly to catch drift.
Free plan covers the audit and a limited number of AI Fix applies. Paid tiers unlock unlimited audits, larger fix batches, and competitor benchmarking.
Talk to Branva
If you want us to walk through the Converta audit results on your specific store live and prioritize the top 3 revenue-impact fixes with you, book a working session. Free 30 min.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 42-check framework different from a generic checklist?
Generic checklists check whether an element exists (yes/no). Our framework scores each check on quality and CVR-relevance, weighted by the page type it appears on. And each check has a "how to fix" attached — so a fail is actionable, not just a red X.
Do I need to fix all 42 issues to see conversion lift?
No — the ranked output tells you which 3-8 issues actually account for most of the CVR gap. Fixing those first is usually 80% of the recoverable lift. The bottom 30 items are backlog.
Can I run this on a store that's not on Shopify?
Converta is Shopify-only. The framework itself is platform-agnostic — you can run the 42-check list manually on WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or a custom stack in about 90 minutes.
How often should I re-run the CRO audit?
Monthly for active stores. Quarterly minimum. Especially after: a theme change, adding 10+ new products, a major app install/uninstall, or a seasonal traffic surge.