Your traffic looks good. Your products are solid. So why are 70% of your visitors leaving without buying?
Because your website is full of invisible friction.
Every extra click, confusing element, or moment of uncertainty creates resistance. And resistance kills conversions.
Here's how to find and eliminate the conversion killers hiding in plain sight.
The Friction Audit Framework
🚩 Cognitive Friction (Mental effort required)
Too many choices on one page
Unclear product differences
Missing key information (sizing, materials, shipping)
Complex navigation or search
🚩 Emotional Friction (Trust and confidence barriers)
No customer reviews visible
Unclear return policy
Missing security badges
Anonymous brand (no founder story/team)
🚩 Technical Friction (Process obstacles)
Forced account creation
Long checkout forms
Limited payment options
Mobile display issues
An example conversion rate optimization process.
The 3-Minute Friction Test
Set a timer. Try to complete a purchase on your site (mobile and desktop):
Minute 1: Can you find and understand your best product? Minute 2: Can you add it to cart and start checkout? Minute 3: Can you complete the purchase?
Every hesitation, back-click, or confusion moment = friction.
High-Impact Friction Fixes
✅ Single-Column Checkout (reduces abandonment by 23%) ✅ Guest checkout option (increases conversions by 45%) ✅ Trust badges at payment (improves completion by 19%) ✅ Real-time form validation (reduces errors by 67%) ✅ Progress indicators (decreases abandonment by 15%)
An example checkout process for Heirloom Popcorn Snacks.
The Revenue Impact
One DTC brand reduced their friction points from 12 to 3:
Checkout completion: +34%
Mobile conversions: +52%
Overall revenue: +28%
The changes took 2 weeks. The results lasted all year.
Your homework: Count every click between landing and purchase. Anything over 4 clicks needs justification.
