What Are Heatmaps?
Heatmaps are visual representations of how users interact with your website. They use color gradients to show where users click, move their cursors, and how far they scroll—helping you identify patterns and optimization opportunities at a glance.
Why Use Heatmaps?
- Discover what users actually click vs. what you expect
- Find elements that get ignored or cause confusion
- Understand how far users scroll before leaving
- Validate design decisions with real data
Types of Heatmaps
Click Heatmaps
Click heatmaps show where users click on your page. Hot spots (red/orange) indicate high click areas, while cool spots (blue/green) show low interaction zones.
- Identify popular elements: See which CTAs and links get the most clicks
- Find dead clicks: Discover elements users click that aren't actually clickable
- Rage clicks: Multiple rapid clicks indicate user frustration
Scroll Heatmaps
Scroll heatmaps show how far down users scroll on your pages. The color gradient indicates the percentage of visitors who reached each section.
- Above the fold: Content visible without scrolling typically gets 100% views
- Content placement: Ensure important content is placed where users actually see it
- Page length: Determine if your pages are too long or just right
Movement Heatmaps
Movement heatmaps track mouse cursor movement. Research shows cursor position often correlates with eye gaze, giving you insight into what users are reading or considering.
Viewing Your Heatmaps
- Navigate to Heatmaps in the sidebar
- You'll see a list of your most-viewed pages
- Click any page to view its heatmap
- Use the toggle to switch between Click, Scroll, and Movement views
- Filter by device type, date range, or user segments
Tip: Heatmaps need at least 100-200 sessions for accurate data. Pages with fewer visits will show a "gathering data" message.
Interpreting Heatmap Data
Good signs
Users clicking your main CTAs, scrolling to key content, engaging with navigation
Warning signs
Clicks on non-clickable elements, rage clicks, users not scrolling past important content
Heatmaps + Experiments
The real power comes from combining heatmaps with A/B testing:
- Discover: Use heatmaps to find a problem (e.g., users not seeing your CTA)
- Hypothesize: Form a theory about why and how to fix it
- Test: Create an A/B test with your proposed solution
- Validate: Check heatmaps for the winning variant to confirm the change worked