5 CRO Benchmark Examples to Diagnose Ads with Clicks but No Sales

Learn how CRO Benchmark helps diagnose why your ads get clicks but no sales. Discover actionable examples and boost your conversion rates today!

Ovidiu Ionita

January 15, 2026

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Are Your Ads Getting Clicks, But No Sales? 5 CRO Benchmark Examples to Diagnose the Problem

Sound familiar? You're paying for ads, seeing those clicks roll in, but the conversions just aren't happening. You're left wondering where your marketing budget is going. This isn't just an ad spend problem; it's a conversion problem. Often, the issue isn't the ads themselves; it's what happens after the click. Your landing page, user experience, and overall website performance can be the culprits.

Approximately 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before purchase Baymard Institute.

This guide will explore real-world examples using the CRO Benchmark tool to pinpoint the issues and offer actionable solutions to turn those clicks into customers. CRO Benchmark analyzes over 250 criteria to help you find conversion leaks and fix them.

The key is not just driving traffic, but optimizing the entire user journey.

Why CRO Benchmark Examples Matter

Understanding how your website performs is vital. Generic advice isn't enough; you need concrete examples. CRO Benchmark helps you see the actual issues on your site. The tool provides a detailed analysis of your website's strengths and weaknesses, offering a clear CRO Index Score and prioritized recommendations. This allows for data-driven decisions rather than guesswork. The examples below will help you understand how to use these insights.

Example #1: The Landing Page That Doesn't Convert

The Problem: A SaaS company is running ads to a landing page with a clear value proposition and a free trial offer. Despite decent click-through rates (CTR), the conversion rate (trial sign-ups) is abysmally low.

CRO Benchmark Analysis: The tool quickly identifies several issues:

Poor Mobile Experience: The landing page isn't optimized for mobile devices, a significant issue since a large portion of traffic comes from mobile users.
Lack of Trust Signals: No social proof, customer testimonials, or security badges are visible, causing a lack of trust.
Unclear Call to Action: The primary call to action (CTA) button isn't prominent enough, and the value proposition isn't immediately clear.

CRO Benchmark Findings: The tool will provide a detailed breakdown of the mobile experience, scoring elements such as responsiveness, readability, and ease of navigation. It will also analyze the presence and visibility of trust signals. For the CTA, it will suggest improvements to its design, color, and placement.

The Solution: After reviewing the analysis, the SaaS company implements the following changes:

Mobile Optimization: The landing page is redesigned to be fully responsive, ensuring a seamless experience on all devices.
Added Trust Signals: Customer testimonials and security badges are prominently displayed.
Improved CTA: The CTA button is redesigned to be more visually appealing and placed in a more prominent location, with a clearer value proposition.

The Result: Hypothetically, the conversion rate could increase by 45% within two weeks, based on similar case studies using CRO Benchmark.

Example #2: Ads Getting Clicks but No Sales Due to Checkout Issues

The Problem: An eCommerce store selling fashion accessories is running successful ads, generating a high number of clicks. However, sales are low, and the cart abandonment rate is high.

CRO Benchmark Analysis: The tool reveals several issues related to the checkout process:

Complex Checkout Process: Too many steps and fields in the checkout process, leading to user fatigue.
Lack of Payment Options: Limited payment options, preventing customers from using their preferred methods.
Poor Mobile Checkout: The checkout process isn't optimized for mobile, creating a frustrating experience for mobile users.

CRO Benchmark Findings: The tool will analyze the checkout flow and provide a score based on its complexity, the number of required fields, and the overall user experience. It will also assess the availability of payment options and the mobile responsiveness of the checkout page.

The Solution: Based on the CRO Benchmark insights, the eCommerce store makes the following changes:

Simplified Checkout: The checkout process is streamlined to reduce the number of steps and fields.
Expanded Payment Options: Additional payment gateways are integrated.
Mobile Optimization: The checkout page is optimized for mobile devices, ensuring a smooth experience.

The Result: Let's be honest—improving the checkout process can have a huge impact. Hypothetically, the cart abandonment rate could decrease by 20%, and sales could increase significantly, based on similar case studies using CRO Benchmark.

Example #3: Website Navigation Hampering Conversions

The Problem: A home goods store sees low conversion rates despite having a good product selection and attractive ads. A significant portion of visitors abandon the site after a few clicks.

CRO Benchmark Analysis: The audit reveals issues with website navigation:

Confusing Category Structure: Products are difficult to find due to a poorly organized category structure.
Ineffective Search Functionality: The site search doesn't return relevant results, frustrating users.
Lack of Clear Calls to Action: Important pages lack clear CTAs.

CRO Benchmark Findings: The tool will assess the website's information architecture, evaluating the clarity and intuitiveness of the navigation menus. It will analyze the performance of the search function, identifying any issues with keyword matching or result relevance. The tool will also analyze the placement and design of CTAs.

The Solution: Following the CRO Benchmark recommendations, the home goods store implements these changes:

Improved Category Structure: The category structure is reorganized to be more intuitive, making it easier for users to find the products they are looking for.
Enhanced Search: The site search is improved to provide more accurate and relevant results.
Strategic CTAs: Clear CTAs are added to key pages.

The Result: This isn't always easy, but it can be worth it. Hypothetically, conversion rates could improve by 30%, and bounce rate could decrease, based on similar case studies using CRO Benchmark.

Example #4: A/B Testing Failures and the Need for a Better Approach

The Problem: A software company is running A/B tests on its landing pages, but the results are inconsistent, and they're not seeing significant improvements in conversion rates. They are unsure how to run A/B testing.

CRO Benchmark Analysis: The audit identifies problems with the A/B testing process itself:

Poor Testing Methodology: The company isn't using a structured approach to A/B testing and has a lack of experience.
Insufficient Data: Tests are run for too short a period or with too small a sample size, leading to unreliable results.
Lack of Analysis: The company isn't analyzing the test results effectively, failing to understand why some variations perform better than others.

CRO Benchmark Findings: The tool will provide a detailed evaluation of the A/B testing strategy, highlighting areas for improvement. It will assess the duration and sample size of the tests, the statistical significance of the results, and the overall effectiveness of the testing methodology.

The Solution: Based on the CRO Benchmark's guidance, the software company takes the following steps:

Structured A/B Testing: They implement a more structured approach to A/B testing, including clear hypotheses, well-defined metrics, and a robust testing methodology.
Sufficient Data: Tests are run for a longer period and with a larger sample size to ensure statistical significance.
In-Depth Analysis: They begin to analyze the test results more thoroughly, looking for insights into user behavior and identifying the reasons behind performance differences.

The Result: Ultimately, the company could see a significant increase in conversion rates. Hypothetically, a 25% improvement across key landing pages is achievable, based on similar case studies using CRO Benchmark.

Example #5: Ads Getting Clicks but No Sales - The Ad-to-Landing Page Mismatch

The Problem: A clothing retailer is running ads promoting a specific sale, but sales are not increasing, even though the ads get clicks.

CRO Benchmark Analysis: The audit reveals a mismatch between the ad copy and the landing page content.

Inconsistent Messaging: The landing page doesn't accurately reflect the ad's promotion or the products featured.
Poor User Experience: The landing page is slow to load or difficult to navigate.
Lack of Clear Call to Action: The desired action (e.g., "Shop Now") isn't prominent.

CRO Benchmark Findings: The tool will assess the alignment between the ad copy and the landing page content. It will evaluate the speed and responsiveness of the landing page, providing insights into its performance. It will also analyze the design and placement of the CTA.

The Solution: Following the recommendations from CRO Benchmark, the clothing retailer:

Aligns Messaging: The landing page content is updated to reflect the ad's promotion and featured products.
Improves User Experience: The landing page is optimized for speed and navigability.
Adds a Clear CTA: A clear and prominent CTA is added.

The Result: Hypothetically, the conversion rate could increase by 35%, based on similar case studies using CRO Benchmark.

Common Patterns Revealed by CRO Benchmark

These examples show that the most common conversion killers are:

Poor Mobile Experience: Websites not optimized for mobile devices lose a large portion of potential customers.
Lack of Trust Signals: Without trust signals like testimonials and security badges, users are less likely to convert.
Complex Checkout Processes: Complicated checkout processes lead to cart abandonment.
Poor Website Navigation: Confusing navigation frustrates users and makes it difficult to find products.
Mismatch Between Ads and Landing Pages: Inconsistent messaging and poor user experience will kill your conversion rates.

"The most successful businesses are those that are constantly testing and optimizing." - A Reddit user, r/analytics

How to Apply This: Actionable Takeaways

Here's how to use the above examples to diagnose your own conversion issues:

Conduct a Website Audit: Use a tool like CRO Benchmark to get a comprehensive view of your website's performance.
Prioritize Fixes: Focus on the areas identified as having the biggest impact on conversion rates.
A/B Test Everything: Test changes to landing pages, checkout processes, and CTAs to see what works best. As one Reddit user asked, "How do you run a/b testing?" r/analytics.
Focus on Mobile: Ensure your website is fully responsive and optimized for mobile users.
Build Trust: Display trust signals to build confidence with your users.
Simplify the User Experience: Make it easy for users to find what they're looking for and complete their purchases.

"I don't have hands-on experience and I really want to learn how companies actually do A/B testing."

Analyze Data Continuously: Keep analyzing your data to identify areas for improvement and ensure that your website is always performing at its best.

By taking these steps and using the insights from CRO Benchmark, you can transform clicks into customers and significantly boost your conversion rates. Remember, conversion optimization is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix.

CRO Benchmark provides the data and insights to help you make informed decisions, prioritize your efforts, and achieve measurable results. With the AI-driven audit, you can analyze 250+ criteria to evaluate your conversion performance.

By systematically addressing the issues, you can increase your conversion rates and improve your bottom line.