Click Heatmaps

Glass's click heatmaps, sometimes called click maps, are an innovative, visual way of understanding user behavior on your site, by showing you exactly where users engage and click, and helping you identify weak spots for improvement.

Glass automatically records click heatmaps for every page of your site, both for mobile and desktop.

Accessing Heatmaps#

From the Dashboard Tables

When viewing page data in tables that support heatmaps, you'll see a "Heatmap" button when hovering over URLs in the table.

Using Heatmaps#

Key Features

1. Device Type Selection

• Desktop Shows click patterns for users on larger screens (default width: 1440px)
• Mobile Shows click patterns for users on mobile devices (width: 375px)

2. Time Range Selection

• 7 days
• 30 days
• 90 days

3. Session and Click Data

• Sessions

  The total number of user sessions included in the heatmap data

• Clicks

  The total number of clicks recorded across all sessions

4. Color Intensity

• Blue areas: Fewer clicks
• Yellow/orange areas: Moderate click activity
• Red areas: Highest concentration of clicks

Interpreting Heatmap Data#

What to Look For

1. Click Clusters

   Areas with high click density (red/orange) indicate elements that attract the most user attention.

2. Ignored Areas

   Blue or empty areas suggest content that users may be overlooking.

3. Device Differences

   Compare desktop and mobile heatmaps to identify usability issues specific to certain devices.

4. Time-Based Changes

   Use different time ranges to see how user behavior evolves over time, especially after website updates.

Common Insights from Heatmaps

• Navigation Effectiveness

  See which menu items or navigation elements users click most frequently.

• Call-to-Action Performance

  Determine if your CTAs are attracting sufficient attention.

• Content Engagement

  Identify which content sections users interact with most.

• Dead Clicks

  Spot areas where users click but nothing happens, indicating potential usability issues.

Best Practices#

1. Compare Multiple Time Periods

   Look for changes in user behavior over time.

2. Cross-Reference with Other Metrics

   Use heatmap data alongside conversion rates, bounce rates, and other analytics.

3. Test Hypotheses

   If you notice users aren't clicking on important elements, consider design changes and use heatmaps to validate improvements.

4. Segment Your Analysis

   Look at heatmaps for different user segments (new vs. returning, by traffic source, etc.) when possible.

Troubleshooting#

1. Check Time Range

   Ensure you've selected a time range with sufficient data.

2. Verify URL

   Confirm the URL is correctly formatted and accessible.

3. Browser Compatibility

   Try accessing the heatmap in a different browser if you encounter display issues.

4. Data Volume

   For pages with very few visits, heatmap data may be limited or unavailable.

Summary#

Heatmaps provide valuable visual insights into how users interact with your website. By regularly analyzing heatmap data, you can identify opportunities to improve user experience, optimize conversion paths, and make data-driven design decisions.

Use this powerful feature to go beyond traditional analytics and truly understand the "why" behind your website's performance metrics.