Marketing Media Audit: Checkout Optimization Checklist

Client: [Client Name] Date: [Date] Objective: Identify friction points causing high cart abandonment and potential revenue loss.

I. User Experience (The “Flow”)

Focus: How easy is it for a user to give us their money?

• Guest Checkout Availability:
  • [ ] Is “Guest Checkout” the default or clearly visible option?
  • [ ] Issue: Forced account creation usually causes a 30%+ drop-off.
• Form Field Optimization:
  • [ ] Are we asking only for essential information (Name, Email, Address, Payment)?
  • [ ] Do we use “Address Auto-Complete” (e.g., Google Maps API) to speed up typing?
  • [ ] Issue: Every extra field increases friction.
• Navigation Distractions:
  • [ ] Is the main navigation menu (header/footer) removed during checkout?
  • [ ] Issue: Provide an “enclosed checkout.” Don’t give them links to click away from the purchase.
• Cart Editing:
  • [ ] Can users easily update quantities or delete items within the checkout view without going back to the store?

II. Trust & Transparency (The “Confidence”)

Focus: Does the user feel safe entering credit card info?

• Cost Transparency (No Surprises):
  • [ ] are shipping costs calculated before the payment info step?
  • [ ] Are taxes clearly estimated early in the process?
• Trust Signals:
  • [ ] Are security badges (SSL, McAfee, Norton) visible near credit card fields?
  • [ ] Are accepted payment icons (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, PayPal) clearly displayed?
• Policy Visibility:
  • [ ] Are “Returns,” “Shipping,” and “Privacy” policies linked (via pop-up/modal) so users don’t have to leave the page to read them?

III. Technical Performance (The “Engine”)

Focus: Is the site breaking or too slow?

• Page Load Speed:
  • [ ] Does the checkout page load in under 3 seconds? (Test on 3G/4G mobile networks).
• Mobile Responsiveness:
  • [ ] are buttons (like “Place Order”) large enough to tap with a thumb on a smartphone?
  • [ ] Do the keyboard inputs switch automatically (e.g., numeric keypad pops up for Zip Code and Credit Card fields)?
• Error Handling:
  • [ ] If a user makes a mistake, is the error message specific (e.g., “Invalid Zip Code”) rather than generic (e.g., “Error processing”)?
  • [ ] Does the page preserve the data already entered if the page reloads due to an error?

IV. Marketing & Recovery (The “Safety Net”)

Focus: Are we capturing data to save the sale?

• Email Capture Position:
  • [ ] Is the Email Address field at the very top of the checkout process?
  • [ ] Reason: If they type their email and then leave, we can trigger the Abandoned Cart automation. If it’s at the end, we lose them.
• Tracking Pixels:
  • [ ] Is the Google Ads “Add to Cart” and “Initiate Checkout” event firing correctly?
  • [ ] Is the Meta (Facebook) Pixel firing correctly for retargeting?

---

Agency Recommendations & Next Steps

(Agency Note: Fill this section out based on what you find in the audit above)

Top Priority Fix:

[Example: We need to enable Guest Checkout immediately to stop the 30% leak at step 1.]

Proposed Action Plan:

1. Technical: [Insert Fix, e.g., Remove header navigation on checkout page]
2. Marketing: [Insert Fix, e.g., Launch Dynamic Remarketing Ads for cart abandoners]
3. AEO/Content: [Insert Fix, e.g., Update FAQ schema to answer “Return Policy” questions in search]