There are many tried and true data analytics tools that can help you get an upper hand on the competition, but if you’re not using heatmap data in conjunction with the conventional analytics tool available, you’re missing out on an opportunity to get ahead. There are many insights you can gain from heatmap data that you just can’t get anywhere else. Here are just a few of those insights and how you can use them to supercharge your website.
1. Track User Interactions
Website heatmaps, like those available from Decibel.com and other data analytics companies, are data visualization tools that allow you to track how your customers interact with your website in three different ways:
Tracks clicks Track scrolling behavior Track cursor movement
These data points can give you a much better picture of how visitors use all of the elements on your website than just the average time per page visit.
2. Cursor Time
Research has shown that desktop users’ cursor movement shows a highly correlated representation of where users are looking on the screen. When designers spend time to ensure the best possible critical element placement on your site, it makes sense to test whether that placement is, in fact, drawing user attention as intended. A glance at this type of data can answer those questions and more.
3. Reactive Design
UX design takes on a whole new level of meaning when paired with heatmap analytics. When designers have the whole picture of that user experience, they can refine the design with purpose. Whether it’s adjusting the placement of a CTA button or enlarging a nav menu to better draw that cursor’s attention, web optimization is easy with this level of UX data.
4. Change User Behavior
Experts suggest that using A/B testing can quickly increase conversion rates. This best-practice becomes even more powerful when paired with heatmap data. Web designers can go beyond conversion rate testing here, as well. A/B testing can be used to improve everything from color schemes and feature images to theme selection and copy.
5. Heatmap Data is Visual
When you at this type of data This sort of display is easy to look at and synthesize quickly (and in a different way). Studies have shown that our brains process this type of visual stimulus far more quickly than other inputs. When you make your data easier to digest, you make the process of putting that data to work quicker and more intuitive. There is little room for subjectivity or improper analysis when one CTA button is lit up red with activity while another is cold-blue.
6. Qualitative Plus Quantitative Data
Each data type has its place in web design and in business. Brands have held focus groups for a hundred years to better understand the user experience from their own mouths. That data paired with the numbers gives a complete picture of how to best serve the market. You can think of heatmaps as a web experience focus group. Let cursor movement and scroll patterns give you the qualitative data you need to get the full picture of your user experience. Paired with conversion rate, repeat visit, and bounce rates, this data can inform the best design decisions for your site.
7. Call-To-Action Buttons
One design element that is particularly partial to heatmap data is the call to action button. Whether you are considering size, shape, color, or placement, heatmap data can help inform the best practice for these elements. If one CTA button is red hot on your heatmap and another is cold, your designer can manipulate various aspects to maximize every one of these on-page elements. Again, this type of data should be used to inform your brand’s style guide. As you find buttons and copy that drive clicks, make that the standard site-wide to maximize return potential. Clickthrough data can give you some of this same information, but with a heatmap, you can do this cheaper, with less upfront work, and with faster turnaround times.
8. Content and Page Length
Do your users scroll all the way to the bottom of a page? How far past the fold do they get? These are the types of questions you can answer when utilizing the scroll tracking data heatmaps can offer. With this data, you can make style guide changes for content writers that will ensure better engagement and higher CTA response rates. More than that, data suggests that you can influence repeat visits with content length.
9. Traffic Segmentation
Large brands have long known the value of prospect and customer list segmentation. Heatmaps allow for another level of this practice. By segmenting your web traffic and heatmap data by any number of demographic indicators, you can dig deep into what works and for whom. Some companies have varied designs through multiple URL paths for their traffic segments. Paired with targeted marketing efforts, brands have been able to increase conversions quickly across segments.
10. Find the Ignored Sections
When you see sections within a page largely ignored by cursor and click data, it becomes easier to identify pain and choke points for your users. Once found, they can be dealt with. That can be more difficult when looking at traditional analytics data sources. Often, addressing these pain points can significantly increase flow through the checkout funnel and increase website revenue.
The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Whether you’re disappointed with the results you are getting from typical analytics engines or you are simply always looking for any advantage, heatmap data might be right for you and your website. If you found this useful, explore our site to read more about the latest technology and business trends.
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