Funnel Audit

Reconstruct the path a visitor takes from first touch to customer, and pinpoint exactly where it leaks.

What it does

Maps the visible funnel — entry points, landing experience, lead capture, nurture, and the conversion step — onto a stage model (Awareness → Interest → Consideration → Conversion → Retention, i.e. AARRR-style), then diagnoses the weakest stage and recommends fixes in priority order.

When to use this skill

• "Audit this funnel: <url>."
• "Map how <company> takes someone from visitor to customer."
• "Where are we losing people in our funnel?"
• Planning a conversion-rate or lead-gen improvement.

Inputs needed

• Required: the entry URL (homepage or the specific landing page).
• Helpful: the traffic source you care about (ads vs SEO vs email), the conversion goal (signup, demo, purchase, lead), and any analytics the user has (drop-off points, conversion rates).
• If there are multiple funnels (e.g. self-serve and sales-led), ask which one.

Method

1. Identify entry points — how people arrive: SEO content, paid landing pages, homepage, lead magnets. Note the dominant one.
2. Walk the path stage by stage and record what happens at each:
   • Awareness — the hook/first impression; message-match to the source.
   • Interest — does the page build relevance and desire (problem → solution)?
   • Consideration — proof, comparison, objection handling, pricing clarity.
   • Conversion — the primary action: form length, CTA clarity, friction, trust at the moment of commitment.
   • Retention/next step — what happens after (onboarding, email, upsell).
3. Find friction and leaks — at each stage, list what would cause drop-off (unclear next step, too many asks, weak proof, slow load, mismatch).
4. Locate the biggest leak — the single stage most likely losing the most people, and why.
5. Prescribe fixes — concrete, per-stage, prioritized by impact vs effort.

Output format

# Funnel Audit — <Company / page>

## TL;DR
- The funnel in one line, and the #1 leak.

## Funnel map
| Stage | What happens | Strength | Friction / leak |
|-------|--------------|----------|-----------------|
| Awareness | | | |
| Interest | | | |
| Consideration | | | |
| Conversion | | | |
| Retention | | | |

## Biggest leak
- Stage:
- Why people drop here:
- Estimated impact (qualitative):

## Message-match check
- Source → landing alignment:

## Prioritized fixes
| # | Stage | Fix | Why | Impact | Effort |
|---|-------|-----|-----|--------|--------|

Quality bar

• Anchor each leak to a specific, observable cause on the page.
• If the user provides real drop-off data, use it; otherwise reason qualitatively and label it as such — don't invent conversion percentages.
• Distinguish the funnel you can see (public) from steps you're inferring (e.g. the email nurture you can't observe).

Common mistakes to avoid

• Auditing one page in isolation instead of the journey across stages.
• Listing generic CRO tips not tied to this funnel's actual weak stage.
• Ignoring message-match between the traffic source and the landing page.