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A Beginner's Guide to Website Heatmaps: What They Are and What They Do

Creating a website for your small business is one of many steps for successful online engagement. With so many other businesses online, you’ll need an edge, or risk losing out. While cleaning up your website works wonders, this is not enough.

Without the right data and website setup, you risk losing your visitors. Luckily, there are tools online to help you optimize your site to get the most views. A website heatmap tool is an inexpensive way to help you find the best way to structure your site.

Read on about website heatmaps and how businesses can use these to their advantage. Use a website heatmap and watch your business grow.

What are Heatmaps?

With around 1.5 billion websites today, website developers need a tool to get visitor feedback. Website heatmaps function as a tool that gives analysis on visitor activity within the site. This happens through colored data visualization within a site.

A heatmap gathers data from visitor activity to process which parts of the website they interact with the most. That data is then displayed according to the frequency of interaction using colors. Brighter colors represent more interaction while cool colors represent less interaction.

The heatmap, as a result, helps to identify which elements of a site need improvement. Cold parts in the site might indicate that users don’t find some content relevant. Hot parts indicate engagement or the need for a clearer site structure.

Heatmaps are in demand right now and are a booming business. Get a heatmap tool and analysis online from Decibel.com for the best results.

For small businesses in general, a website heatmap tool may prove invaluable. You need a way to differentiate yourself online, and a better site does that. But that’s the tip of the iceberg; read more about how to use a website heatmap below.

The Different Types of Heatmaps

A heatmap is a general term for three types of heatmaps. Knowing the difference between these allows you to use the correct tool for your site. Currently, you can choose between scroll maps, click maps, and mouse movement maps.

Scroll maps depict areas that receive the most screen time during scrolling. This is helpful to figure out which parts of your content are most engaging with your visitors. This might also indicate that your content length needs improvement and editing.

Click maps are some of the more common heatmaps. They show which areas get the most clicks on your site. This is great for checking which areas of your website receive engagement.

Move maps on the other hand concentrate on where people hover their mouse while visiting your site. This is helpful as it gives an insight into your visitors’ thought process. Red areas indicate a very important part that is useful in tracking what products and posts receive attention.

Content Access

Your website content is the most important part of your site. It’s the reason people visit your site in the first place and is a huge factor regarding returning visitors. This means that your content deserves the most optimal spot on your site.

This is where a heatmap shines, literally. As it tracks where your visitors are likely engaged, it also tells you the spots that are optimal for your content. Placing important attracting content in those areas ensures engagement and a huge chance of visibility.

This is particularly important when you must explain your product to customers. They get a clearer idea of what you are offering for sale and if it is worth it. Appearance in optimal spots increases the chances of persuading visitors to buy your product.

Site Structure

If your site is a mess, you’ll find out with the use of a website heatmap. Visitors avoid messy sites at all costs and having one will significantly impact your business. A heatmap shows you the visiting patterns of your customers to show if they have a good time online.

If they have trouble navigating your website, a heatmap will tell you depending on your site structure. An overreliance in your search tool indicated in red shows that your navigation is confusing. Multiple visits to a menu page mean that the data visitors are looking for is particularly hard to find.

This also helps in configuring your website design in terms of its elements. A heatmap shows which areas receive interaction. That means that those areas must lead to interactable elements to streamline visits.

Keep in mind that if visitors get frustrated, they are likely to see your business in a bad light. That means fewer sales and fewer customers. That leads us to our next point on customer feedback.

Feedback

Customer feedback is important for a small business in a variety of ways. They allow you to interact with your customers and to gather data. This data translates into decision making for company growth.

Receiving feedback and acting on that feedback requires clear data. A heatmap gives you that data to address problems and errors in your site. A complaining visitor is not always clear on details which your tools can figure out.

You can find dead links, confusing content, and more depending on your visitor’s complaints. More complaints register higher on a heatmap which makes it easier to fix.

Marketing

If your business requires product purchases to stay afloat, you can use a heatmap to get more sales. Insert links in red areas that lead to your store page and to items visitors want. This maximizes website traffic by translating visits into sales for your company.

If your site relies on ad revenue, consider using the data you get for positioning. This allows you to place ads in visible areas where they make more of an impact.

Using these tools allows you to gain the capital to expand and grow your business. Use that money to invest in more data tools to get a better site online.

Use a Website Heatmap Tool Today!

Your site deserves all the views it can get. With a website heatmap tool, you make that possibility one step closer. Growing a business expands exponentially online so start now.

If you’re looking for more ways to expand your business, feel free to keep browsing. Find more online tools to create your businesses’ best presence online!