cro-optimization

SKILL.md

CRO Optimization

Purpose

Analyze a landing page and deliver a comprehensive CRO audit with specific, actionable recommendations to maximize conversions.

Execution Logic

Check $ARGUMENTS first to determine execution mode:

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided:

Respond with:
"cro-optimization loaded, provide your landing page URL or paste your HTML/CSS code"

Then wait for the user to provide their landing page in the next message.

If $ARGUMENTS contains content:

Proceed immediately to Task Execution (skip the "loaded" message).

Task Execution

When landing page is available (either from initial $ARGUMENTS or follow-up message):

1. MANDATORY: Read Reference Files FIRST

BLOCKING REQUIREMENT — DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP

Before doing ANYTHING else, you MUST use the Read tool to read ALL three reference files:

Read: ./references/cro_principles.md
Read: ./references/landing_page_patterns.md
Read: ./references/element_audit_framework.md

What you will find:

cro_principles.md: 13 core CRO principles with detection criteria and fix patterns

landing_page_patterns.md: Real patterns from high-converting pages (ClickUp, Notion, Stripe, Apple, etc.) organized by category

element_audit_framework.md: Systematic framework for auditing HTML elements, CTAs, forms, and visual hierarchy

DO NOT PROCEED to Step 2 until you have read all files and have the principles, patterns, and audit framework loaded in context.

2. Check for Business Context

Check if FOUNDER_CONTEXT.md exists in the project root.

If it exists: Read it and use the business context to personalize recommendations (industry, target audience, product type, competitors).

If it doesn't exist: Proceed with analysis based on page content alone.

3. Fetch and Extract Landing Page

If user provided a URL:

Use WebFetch to retrieve the landing page content

Extract and catalog key elements (see Element Extraction below)

If user provided HTML/CSS directly:

Analyze the provided code directly

Note any missing context (live styling, images, etc.)

4. Element Extraction

Extract and catalog these elements from the page:

Typography:

H1 (should be exactly one)

H2s (section headers)

Body text samples

CTA button copy

Visual Structure:

Above-the-fold content

Section sequence

Image/visual placement

Color scheme and contrast

Conversion Elements:

Primary CTA (copy, placement, design)

Secondary CTAs

Forms (field count, labels)

Trust signals (logos, testimonials, badges)

Social proof (metrics, reviews, case studies)

Technical:

Mobile responsiveness indicators

Load speed concerns (large images, etc.)

5. Audit Against CRO Principles

For each of the 13 principles in cro_principles.md:

Check if the page violates the principle

Note specific violations with evidence

Determine severity (High/Medium/Low)

Draft specific recommendations

Prioritize by impact:

High: Above-fold clarity, CTA effectiveness, major trust gaps

Medium: Objection handling, visual hierarchy, scannability

Low: Minor copy tweaks, nice-to-have additions

6. Compare to High-Converting Patterns

Using landing_page_patterns.md:

Identify the most relevant category (B2B SaaS, E-commerce, etc.)

Compare page structure to proven patterns

Note missing elements that top performers include

Identify opportunities to adopt successful patterns

7. Generate Recommendations

For each issue found, provide:

What to change — specific element and action

Why it matters — principle violated and expected impact

How to implement — concrete example or rewrite

Priority — High/Medium/Low with reasoning

8. Format and Verify

Structure output according to Output Format section

Complete Quality Checklist self-verification

Ensure recommendations are specific and actionable (not generic advice)

Writing Rules

Hard constraints. No interpretation.

Core Rules

Every recommendation must be specific and actionable

Include before/after examples for copy changes

Reference the specific principle violated

Prioritize by conversion impact, not ease of implementation

Frame changes as testable hypotheses when possible

Never recommend changes without explaining the "why"

Analysis Rules

Audit systematically — don't skip principles

Note what's working well, not just problems

Consider the page's apparent target audience

Account for likely traffic sources

Distinguish between critical issues and optimizations

Recommendation Rules

Lead with highest-impact changes

Group related recommendations together

Provide specific copy rewrites, not just "make it clearer"

Include placement suggestions, not just content suggestions

Consider mobile experience separately

Output Format

# CRO Audit Report: [Page Name/URL]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: Overall assessment, biggest opportunities, expected impact]

---

## What's Working Well
[Bullet list of 3-5 elements that follow CRO best practices]

---

## Critical Issues (Fix First)

### Issue 1: [Specific Problem]
**Principle Violated:** [Principle name and number]
**Current State:** [What exists now]
**Problem:** [Why this hurts conversions]
**Recommendation:** [Specific fix]
**Example:**

BEFORE: [Current copy/element]
AFTER: [Recommended copy/element]

**Expected Impact:** [What improvement to expect]

### Issue 2: [Specific Problem]
[Same structure]

---

## High-Impact Optimizations

### Optimization 1: [Improvement Area]
**Current State:** [What exists]
**Opportunity:** [What could be better]
**Recommendation:** [Specific change]
**Example:**

BEFORE: [Current]
AFTER: [Recommended]

**Priority:** [High/Medium] — [Reasoning]

[Continue for each optimization]

---

## Section-by-Section Analysis

### Above the Fold
- **H1:** [Assessment and recommendation if needed]
- **Subheadline:** [Assessment and recommendation if needed]
- **CTA:** [Assessment and recommendation if needed]
- **Trust signals:** [Assessment and recommendation if needed]

### [Section Name]
[Analysis and recommendations]

[Continue for each major section]

---

## Quick Wins (Easy Implementations)
1. [Simple change with good impact]
2. [Simple change with good impact]
3. [Simple change with good impact]

---

## Testing Roadmap
1. **Test First:** [Highest impact hypothesis]
2. **Test Second:** [Next priority]
3. **Test Third:** [Following priority]

---

## Benchmark Comparison
**Compared to:** [Relevant high-converting examples from patterns file]
**Missing elements:** [What top performers have that this page lacks]
**Adoption opportunities:** [Specific patterns to consider implementing]

References

All three files MUST be read using the Read tool before analysis (see Step 1):

File
Purpose

./references/cro_principles.md
13 CRO principles with detection criteria, fix patterns, and violation symptoms

./references/landing_page_patterns.md
Real patterns from ClickUp, Notion, Stripe, Apple, Shopify, etc. organized by category

./references/element_audit_framework.md
Systematic framework for auditing H1s, CTAs, forms, social proof, visual hierarchy

Why all three matter: Principles tell you what's wrong. Patterns show you what good looks like. The audit framework ensures you check everything systematically. Together they produce specific, evidence-based recommendations instead of generic CRO advice.

Quality Checklist (Self-Verification)

Before finalizing output, verify ALL of the following:

Pre-Analysis Check

 I read ./references/cro_principles.md before analyzing

 I read ./references/landing_page_patterns.md before analyzing

 I read ./references/element_audit_framework.md before analyzing

 I have all 13 principles, category patterns, and audit criteria in context

Extraction Check

 I identified the H1 and assessed its clarity

 I catalogued all CTAs and their copy

 I noted social proof elements and placement

 I evaluated above-the-fold content

 I assessed the section sequence

Analysis Check

 Each principle was evaluated against the page

 Issues cite specific principles violated

 Recommendations include before/after examples

 Priority is assigned based on conversion impact

 I compared to relevant high-converting patterns

Output Check

 Executive summary captures key findings

 Critical issues are listed first

 Every recommendation is specific and actionable

 Testing roadmap provides clear next steps

 "What's working well" section is included

If ANY check fails → revise before presenting.

Defaults & Assumptions

Use these unless context indicates otherwise:

Page type: SaaS landing page (most common)

Traffic temperature: Mixed (cold to warm)

Primary goal: Signups or demo requests

Audience: Business decision-makers

Device split: 60% desktop, 40% mobile

Conversion definition: Primary CTA click

If the page type is clearly different (e-commerce, content site, etc.), adjust analysis accordingly.

Document any assumptions made in the Executive Summary.