# Funnel Teardown: vercel.com

> An evidence-based read of vercel.com's live conversion funnel, captured 2026-09-17.
> Every claim is measured from the page; each detected tactic carries the exact
> on-page string it fired on. Deterministic extraction — no LLM opinion. Read this
> to understand WHY this funnel converts (or leaks) — the persuasion principles it
> uses and the ones it's missing. It is a report to learn from, not a template to clone.

**Funnel type:** saas
**Detection coverage:** 5 of 11 applicable conversion tactics detected
**Path captured:** Homepage / Lander → Pricing → Signup

## Coverage by group
| Group | Detected |
|-------|---------:|
| objection | 0 / 2 |
| proof | 2 / 4 |
| offer | 2 / 2 |
| checkout | 1 / 2 |
| urgency | 0 / 1 |

## What's working: tactics in play, with proof
Each is a persuasion mechanism the funnel actually deploys; the quoted string is the on-page evidence.
- **Free trial / freemium** — A free trial, free tier, or "no credit card" entry offer.  
  _Proof:_ `p2: $0/mo`
- **Trusted-by logo wall** — Customer/company logos or a "trusted by / used by" claim.  
  _Proof:_ `home: logo wall (5 distinct marks)`, `p3: logos: VercelLogotype, Ebay, Stripe, Adobe`
- **Usage / adoption proof** — A count of developers / teams / companies / stars using the product.  
  _Proof:_ `home: 20,000 companies`
- **Pricing tiers** — Named plan tiers with per-month / per-seat pricing.  
  _Proof:_ `p2: $0/mo, $20/mo, free, $50/mo`
- **Demo / docs entry** — A "book a demo" or documentation / API entry point.  
  _Proof:_ `home: Get a Demo`, `p2: Get a Demo`

## What's missing: gaps for a saas funnel
Conversion tactics that apply to this funnel type but weren't found — the openings a competitor could exploit:
- **Us-vs-them comparison** — not detected. A comparison table framing the brand against alternatives.
- **FAQ / objection handling** — not detected. An accordion / FAQ block answering objections.
- **Proof above the fold** — not detected. Social proof rendered within the first viewport on at least one step.
- **Lead-capture form** — not detected. An on-page form collecting contact details (email / name / phone) outside a checkout.
- **Scarcity / urgency copy** — not detected. Scarcity or time-pressure copy ("only N left", "selling fast", "limited time") creating urgency without a live countdown timer.
- **Press / "as seen in"** — not detected. Media logos or an "as seen in / featured in" claim borrowing publication credibility.

## Proof language observed
The exact phrasing this funnel uses to build credibility — study the *mechanism* (specific numbers, named counts, guarantees), not the wording:
- _(none extracted)_


## UX quality: Leaky · 3 flags
Measured UX-quality signals (WCAG contrast, mobile, typography, accessibility) — SEPARATE from the detection coverage above. Only flagged issues shown:
- **Body text size** — Smallest sampled text is 11px, below the 13px floor this check uses. → Keep body copy ≥15-16px; reserve sub-13px for fine print only.
- **Line height** — Body line-height is 1.23×, tight enough to hurt readability. → Set body line-height to ~1.4-1.6×.
- **Named controls** — 181 buttons/links have no accessible name (icon-only, no aria-label). → Add aria-label to icon-only buttons and links.
- **Render-blocking resources** — 45 stylesheets/scripts in <head> block first paint. → Defer non-critical JS (defer/async) and inline only critical CSS.
- **Oversized images** — 8 images are shipped at more than 2x the width shown. (“vercel-logotype-light.0k7echqflwha4.svg” is 261px wide, displayed at 110px) → Serve responsive sizes (srcset/sizes) matching the rendered width.

## Measured design signals (facts, not a style to copy)
- Palette, area-weighted from live CSS:

| Hex | Usage | Likely role |
|-----|------:|-------------|
| `#fafafa` | 51.9% | background |
| `#ffffff` | 36% | background |
| `#171717` | 12.1% | support |
| `#0070f3` | 0% | accent/brand |

- Type: display `GeistSans`, body `GeistSans` · size scale (px): 11, 12, 14, 16, 24, 56, 64 · radius (px): 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

## Funnel facts
- Depth reached: 3 steps
- Proof points: 0 across 0 steps
- Free-gift line items (max on a step): 0
- Discount/anchor pricing: no · Countdown: no · Subscription: no
- Price continuity lander→checkout: not detected

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_Full machine data: `tokens.json`, and the JSON bundle at api.uxxray.com. The value here is the analysis of a real competitor's funnel — what it does, what it doesn't, and the evidence for each._