The data suggests that many people are getting to your site, but they are dropping off along the way and not reaching the bottom funnel or conversion goals.
Where do they drop off?
Where do users get frustrated?
What are they most engaged with?
Heat maps help you gain insight into all of these questions.
Heat maps help you identify patterns in user behaviour across your site so you can make the necessary changes, such as repositioning CTAs or optimising the brand's communication strategy on the site, to improve the user experience that drives the conversions you want.
This week, let us dive into the world of Heatmaps.
Heat maps used for web analytics help you understand user behaviour on your website. They help you uncover different aspects of user behaviour such as
Clicks
This helps you to assess all the places on the page where users click.
Scrolling
This map shows you how far down the page they are scrolling.
Hovering
This map shows you where users are spending most of their time.
Repeated clicks
The areas where users repeatedly click to express frustration.
Dead clicks
Areas clicked on without any effect.
Quick Backs
This is when a user navigates to a page and quickly returns to an old page.
Session tracking can help you understand how users interact with your site and what patterns emerge as they navigate through your site.
Some platforms also allow you to run A/B/multivariate tests to see how a combination of different elements on the site affects your conversion rates, leading to optimal layouts.
Analyse the engagement metrics and make the necessary pivots to optimise the site and improve the user experience.
Here are some heatmap tools that can help you uncover valuable insights from your data:
Clarity: Clarity is a tool from Microsoft that might be a good place to start. It is easy to install and has some features such as click behaviour that can help you get started. It has anger click detection, quick backs and dead click analysis. It is also free.
Hotjar: This also has a free version that has several comprehensive features, such as creating a funnel that shows page navigation behaviour and surveys, in addition to click behaviour analysis.
Crazy Egg: Crazy Egg's tools shed light on user interaction for on-page elements, and they also have an A/B testing feature that helps with simple testing.
VWO: This tool not only helps you assess engagement metrics but also helps you run A/B, split URL or multivariate tests that can help you use multiple combinations to assess which layout is best for your site to enable better conversions. It also offers personalisation and detailed funnel analysis.
For more information on click behaviour and additional features, please see the previous post.
Here's how heat maps work!
Let's say brand A is struggling with a customer drop-off around the checkout touchpoint in the customer journey causing a high number of abandoned carts.
Key findings from the heatmap tool:
When they used a heatmap tool, after analysing the click behaviour, they realised that while the user was clicking heavily around the product (images, descriptions, etc.), they were not interacting with the shipping and returns section.
They also realised the CTA was not placed well enough to be an obvious next touchpoint in the customer journey. They had to search for it, especially on their mobile phones.
The session recordings suggested that users were switching between the checkout and cart pages, suggesting that they needed clarification about the shipping and returns criteria.
Optimisation Strategy:
CTA: Brand A changed the placement of the CTA button, placing it more prominently at the top and in bolder colours.
Checkout process: They reduced the number of steps in the checkout process to reduce customer abandonment. They also highlighted the other payment options with better placement.
Shipping & Returns: To reduce customer hesitation, they moved the shipping and returns information closer to the checkout page, making the user feel comfortable moving forward in the process.
Mobile Optimisation: They optimised the checkout page for mobile phones to ensure a smooth checkout by adding an easy-to-read CTA button and placing shipping information in a way that reduces scrolling.
Result:
By focusing on the user experience and using data-driven insights from a heatmap tool, Brand A significantly improved its checkout flow, resulting in a more streamlined shopping experience and an increase in conversions.
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