Pillar PEO Advisors: CRO and Design Scoring Rubric

Score each item pass/fail on a rendered page at 1440px and 390px. A page ships when it passes every item in sections A, B, C, G, H and misses no more than two elsewhere. Brand stays as is: navy #02064B, green #2ECC70, League Spartan headings, Nunito Sans body, pillar logo.

1. Checklist (40 items)

A. Above the fold (first viewport, no scroll)

1. Headline is 10 words or fewer and states an outcome, not a category.
2. Subhead names who it's for (professional-services firms, 10 to 150 staff) and the mechanism (fixed-price audit, fractional HR). (Qualifies the reader.)
3. Primary CTA button is visible without scrolling at 1440px and 390px; subhead is 3 lines or fewer on mobile.
4. A risk reducer sits within 24px of the primary CTA: "Free. 20 minutes. No pitch deck." (Removes the fear of a sales call.)
5. Hero visual is a person, a deliverable, or an outcome: founder photo, a real audit report page, a client-style office scene. No abstract diagram, no stock handshake. (People and artifacts sell; concepts don't.)
6. At least one proof element is inside the first viewport: credential line, proof strip, or named quote. (Trust before the scroll.)
7. Header shows the phone number as a tap-to-call link on every page. (Service business; buyers still call.)

B. CTA system

1. One primary action label used everywhere on the site, unchanged. (Repetition removes decision cost.)
2. One button style for the primary action (green fill, navy or white text, 48px tall minimum); every secondary action is a text link with arrow, never a second filled button. (Two equal buttons split the click.)
3. Primary CTA appears in the hero and again at least every two screen heights. (Buyers decide at different depths.)
4. Sticky bottom bar on mobile with the primary CTA and phone; appears once the hero scrolls off.
5. Every CTA block carries a micro-line under it: time cost, price, or what happens next. (Sets expectation, cuts no-shows.)
6. The final section on every page is a CTA block with the founder's face, not a footer alone. (Last chance is personal.)

C. Proof and trust

1. A proof strip with 3 to 5 quantified, true items sits directly under the hero. (Numbers beat adjectives.)
2. Any testimonial shows name, role, firm, and photo; a proof block sits within one screen of every CTA block. (Proof next to the ask.)
3. Founder section has a real photo, certifications (SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent), years in HR, and industries served. (Founder-led means the founder is the brand.)
4. Process guarantees are stated in specifics: fixed price, delivery in 15 business days, written report, findings call included. (Substitutes for reviews until reviews exist.)
5. Provider-paid PEO brokerage disclosure is on the page in plain words: "You pay us nothing; the PEO does." (Transparency is proof.)
6. No fabricated proof of any kind: no invented quotes, no "trusted by 200 firms," no stock logos, no "testimonials coming soon." (One lie sinks the site.)

D. Page structure and message flow

1. Section order follows problem, offer, proof, process, price, objections, CTA; a stranger can say what the firm sells after two sections. (Message flow, not feature dump.)
2. Every section has one job and one heading, and the headings alone tell the story with body copy hidden. (Most visitors read only headings.)
3. Offer ladder is visible on the homepage in one section: scope call, audit, projects and retainers, PEO brokerage. (Buyers see the path.)

E. Service page specifics (HR Audit)

1. Price tiers ($2,500 / $4,000 / $6,000) appear above the fold or within one scroll, with headcount bands. (Fixed price is the differentiator; hiding it wastes it.)
2. Deliverable is shown, not described: a report cover, sample findings page, or scorecard mockup with realistic redacted content. (Buyers want to see what they get.)
3. "What we check" list covers what a managing partner expects: compliance, worker classification, handbook, payroll and benefits, I-9s, leave, state filings. (Specificity signals competence.)
4. Timeline section states days to kickoff, days to report, and what the client must supply.
5. FAQ answers the four real objections: "We already have a PEO," "Is this a pitch for a retainer," "What if you find nothing," "Do you work outside North Carolina." (Handles the last no.)

F. Local page specifics (Charlotte)

1. H1 and hero name Charlotte and the firm types; the page is not the homepage with a city swapped in. (Local intent, real relevance.)
2. Local specifics appear: NC-specific compliance items (NC Wage and Hour Act, NC E-Verify threshold at 25 employees), Charlotte office address with map, local phone, in-person meeting option. (Proves the firm is here.)

G. Forms and booking

1. Booking form has 4 fields or fewer: name, email, firm, headcount range. Phone optional. (Each field costs conversions.)
2. Scope call books straight into an embedded scheduler, or the form promises a reply window ("within one business day"), and the confirmation state names who they'll meet with a photo. (Fast next step, closed loop.)

H. Mobile

1. No horizontal scroll, tap targets 44px minimum, sticky CTA never covers form fields or the footer phone.
2. Hero image under 150KB; Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5s on a mid-range phone. (Speed is conversion.)

I. Design craft

1. Section padding 80 to 120px on desktop, 56 to 72px on mobile, consistent across the page. (Rhythm reads as polish.)
2. Body text 16 to 18px, line height 1.5 to 1.6, measure 60 to 75 characters.
3. Type hierarchy uses at most four sizes per page: H1, H2, body, caption. League Spartan for headings only; Nunito Sans for everything else. (Discipline reads as modern.)
4. Green #2ECC70 is used for primary CTAs and small accents only, under 5% of visible area; navy carries the brand; backgrounds are white plus one warm-light neutral. (Green everywhere cheapens it.)
5. Every screen contains a photo of a person or a real deliverable; icon grids appear at most once per page; photography is one world: natural light, offices, no blue-tinted stock, no clip-art. (Warmth over concept.)

J. Accessibility

1. Text contrast 4.5:1 minimum; green text on white fails, so green is fill-only with navy or white text on it. (WCAG AA.)
2. Every image has alt text, every form field a visible label, every link and button a visible focus state; one H1, H2s in sequence, link text says where it goes. (Keyboard and screen-reader users.)

2. Section order

Homepage

1. Header: logo, 5 nav items max, phone, primary CTA. Orientation and instant contact.
2. Hero: outcome headline, who-and-how subhead, primary CTA plus risk reducer, founder or deliverable photo. Convert the ready buyer.
3. Proof strip: 3 to 5 quantified items. Earn the scroll.
4. Who we serve: six firm types as cards with one pain each. Let the reader find themselves.
5. The offer ladder: four steps from free call to PEO brokerage. Show the path and the fixed price.
6. Founder: photo, credentials, why this firm exists. Put a face on it.
7. How it works: three steps with timing. Lower effort perception.
8. Proof block: testimonial slot or process guarantees. Proof next to the next ask.
9. HR Audit spotlight: price, deliverable image, link to service page. Push the paid entry point.
10. FAQ: five objections. Handle the no.
11. Final CTA with founder photo and phone. Last conversion chance.
12. Footer: address, phone, email, service links, city pages.

HR Audit service page

1. Header as above.
2. Hero: "A fixed-price HR audit for [firm type], delivered in 15 business days"; CTA; risk reducer; report image.
3. Price tiers by headcount, one card each, same CTA on all three. Answer the first question.
4. What you get: deliverable shown with an annotated findings page. Make it tangible.
5. What we check: category list. Prove depth.
6. Timeline: kickoff to report. Remove uncertainty.
7. Founder credibility strip. Who's doing the work.
8. Proof block: testimonial slot or guarantees. Trust before commitment.
9. What happens after: projects, retainer, or nothing. Kill the "it's a pitch" fear.
10. FAQ, final CTA, footer.

Charlotte city page

1. Header.
2. Hero: "HR advisory for Charlotte [firm types]"; CTA; office photo or founder in a Charlotte setting.
3. Proof strip with local items (years in Charlotte, NC-specific).
4. Who we help in Charlotte: firm types with local reference points (Uptown law, SouthPark RIAs, Ballantyne medical).
5. NC compliance issues we see most: 4 to 6 specifics. Local expertise.
6. Offer ladder, short version.
7. Founder and office: address, map, in-person option.
8. Proof block.
9. FAQ with local questions, final CTA, footer.

3. Copy rules

Headline formulas

• Outcome for audience: "HR that keeps your firm compliant and your partners out of it."
• Offer plus price plus time: "A fixed-price HR audit. $2,500 to $6,000. Report in 10 business days."
• Local plus audience: "Charlotte's HR advisor for law, CPA, and medical practices."
• Pain reversal: "Stop guessing whether your handbook would survive an audit."

Keep under 10 words where possible; never lead with the firm name.

CTA labels

• Primary, everywhere: Book a free 20-min call
• Secondary text links: "See the HR Audit," "See pricing," "Call (704) 787-1261"
• Never: "Learn more," "Get started," "Contact us," "Submit."

Risk reducers (pick one per CTA)

• "Free. 20 minutes. No pitch deck."
• "Fixed price. No hourly billing."
• "You'll know within the call whether we're a fit."
• "PEO brokerage is paid by the provider, not you."
• "Written report, or you don't pay." (Only if the founder will honor it.)

Words to avoid

Solutions, partner (as a verb), holistic, seamless, robust, leverage, empower, streamline, best-in-class, world-class, cutting-edge, comprehensive, strategic, synergy, transform, unlock, journey, ecosystem, "people-first," "we're passionate about," "trusted by," any number without a source.

Empty proof slots

No testimonials or reviews exist yet. Do not fake them or leave holes. Until quotes arrive, fill each proof slot with one of these, styled identically to the future testimonial card so the swap is invisible later:

• Founder credentials card: photo, certifications, years, firm types served.
• Process guarantee card: fixed price, delivery window, written report, findings call.
• Specifics card: the exact checklist categories, the NC statutes covered, the headcount bands.
• Proof strip stays quantified with true numbers only: years in HR, states worked in, audit categories checked, business days to report. If a number isn't true today, drop it; don't round up.

Score any page with a "Testimonials coming soon" block, a placeholder logo row, or a Lorem-ipsum quote as failing item 19.