What is heatmap software ?
Heatmap software is a data visualisation tool that uses colour to show what actions a user is taking on a website.
If there is a design element on a page that many users engage with, it will show as red/hot. For elements that are less engaging, it will show on the analysis as blue/cold.
Heatmap software like Matomo helps businesses to improve user experience and increase conversions by tracking elements such as :
Using data visualisation software like a heatmap provides more in-depth data when combined with standard website metrics.
What is heatmap software used for ?
Heatmap software tracks website user behaviour to improve website performance and increase conversions.
Heatmaps can show you a detailed analysis of :
- Where visitors are clicking (or not clicking)
- Where visitors are hovering with their mouse
- How far users are scrolling or stopping
- Where the focus is above the fold
- What roadblocks or frictions customers are facing in the sales funnel
Analysing activity on your website and across channels from your customers point of view is critical in developing a customer-centric business model.
This is because heatmaps not only show you what customers are doing but why they are doing it.
Heatmap software is ideal for businesses updating and redesigning websites. It also helps to answer important growth questions such as “how can we improve our user experience ?” and “why is our sales funnel not converting better ?”.
The benefits of using data visualisation like heatmaps for your website
Heatmaps are critical for improving websites because they drastically improve customer experience.
Customer experience is one of the most important factors in modern business success. A Walker study found that customer experience is one of the biggest differentiators between brands, overtaking other factors such as price.
Where straightforward website metrics show customers left a page without action, data visualisation and session recordings show what happens in between them arriving and leaving. This gives web developers and marketers invaluable insights to improve website design and ultimately increase conversions.
How heatmap software improves your website and conversions
There are a few key ways that heatmap software boosts website performance and conversions. All of them focus on both creating a seamless buyer journey and using data to improve results over time.
How heatmap software improves conversions ;
- By improving UX and usability– 70% of online businesses fail due to bad usability. Heatmaps identify user frustrations and optimise accordingly
- By improving content structure – Heatmaps take the guesswork out of design layout and content structure by showing real visitor experiences on your website
- By comparing A/B landing pages – Using heatmaps on alternate landing pages can show you why conversions are working or not working based on user activity on the page
- By optimising across devices – See how your visitors are interacting with your content to learn how well optimised your website is for various devices and remove roadblocks
Heatmap analytics you need to improve website user experience
Click heatmap
Click heatmaps are useful for two key reasons.
Firstly, it shows where website users are clicking.
Heatmaps that show clicks give you a visual representation of whether copy and CTA links are clear from the customers’ point of view. It can also show whether a customer is clicking on a design feature that doesn’t link anywhere.
Secondly, it shows where website users are not clicking. This is just as important when developing funnels and improving user experiences.
For example, you may have a CTA button for a free trial or purchase. A click heatmap analysis would show if this isn’t clicked on mobile devices and informs developers that it needs to be more mobile-friendly.