Website reports tell you how many people visit a page. A heatmap can help show where measured visitors click and how far they scroll. Its value is identifying an improvement to test, rather than treating every red area as proof of success.
This guide explains what to observe, how to prepare a limited collection and how to check a change. It is intended for website owners who want to make enquiries or purchases easier, including people starting with iMasterWeb.
1. Start with a specific question
Select an important page and journey: opening service details, requesting a quote or adding an item to a cart. Write down the concern, such as “Can visitors find the quote button on a phone?”
First check that the button works, the form delivers messages and the page displays correctly. A manual test may resolve a problem without adding tracking. Avoid recording the whole website without a purpose.
2. Separate clicks, scrolling and eye movement
| Observation | What it shows | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Click map | Distribution of recorded interactions | That clicks lead to purchases |
| Scroll map | Page depth reached in measured visits | That the content was read |
| Mouse movement | Collected pointer movements | Where the eyes were looking |
| Session replay | Reconstruction of a collected journey | A person’s intentions or emotions |
A session replay is not necessarily a video of the visitor’s screen. Rendering depends on the data collected. Repeated clicks may suggest delay or ambiguity, but can also reflect normal use: check context before declaring frustration.
3. Define scope and data protection
Decide which pages are measured, how long collection is useful, who can access the data and how long it is retained. Exclude private areas and information you do not need. Check whether page URLs themselves contain personal information.
Test masking on forms, free-text fields and personalised content. Do not assume defaults cover every situation. If using Contentsquare, consult its data masking documentation.
For a website subject to French rules, do not assume heatmap tracking qualifies for the consent exemption available to some audience measurement setups. Have the configuration and tracking triggers assessed with your consent arrangements. CNIL audience measurement guidance.
Where consent is required, test refusal, acceptance and withdrawal. A visible banner does not itself prove that tracking behaves correctly.
4. Choose without multiplying tracking scripts
Check whether your website already has a suitable tool. Compare page coverage, filters, sampling, masking, retention, access and actual cost. There is no universal session count that makes every conclusion reliable.
- Crazy Egg is one of the services referenced here; check its getting started guide for current functions and installation.
- Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare. Use the current plans and conditions rather than an outdated Hotjar tutorial.
- Heatmap.com is another reference to examine for your needs; do not confuse the service with a generic category of open-source tools.
Other names already referenced in this guide remain options to investigate: Mouseflow, FullStory, Inspectlet and Qualaroo. Confirm the functions and terms you need; this is not a ranking or a promise that every function is included in your plan.
5. Prepare WordPress installation
- Confirm the website and pages to measure with the responsible person.
- Select one documented installation method: integration, plugin or tag manager as appropriate.
- Prepare masking and consent rules before public collection.
- Test using a controlled visit and check that the same code is not installed twice.
- Verify website operation, then start collection within the agreed scope.
Do not copy an example project identifier. If iMasterWeb handles integration, provide the domain, project, scope and intended rules. Available work depends on your installation and service agreement.
6. Read a first Contentsquare heatmap
If you already use this service, open Heatmaps or Zoning Analysis, depending on your plan. Create an analysis for the page or page group, choose a suitable screenshot and save the analysis. Data must have been captured for the relevant scope. Official procedure.
Examine phone and desktop separately over a known period. Check that the image represents the page version being studied. An expanded menu, banner, design experiment or recent change may alter element positions.
Review the visits or sessions covered and the unit used for clicks. Several clicks may come from one person; a hot colour is not a universal percentage of interested customers.
7. Turn observations into hypotheses
| Observation | Hypothesis | Check and possible action |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks on an unlinked image | It looks interactive | Test the journey and clarify its role |
| Few measured visits reach the form | The next step appears too late | Review structure and offer a useful earlier route |
| Repeated button clicks | Slow response or unclear feedback | Test operation, delay and confirmation |
Do not remove content simply because it receives few clicks: text can support a decision without being interactive. Combine the evidence with customer feedback and a navigation test.
8. Make a change, compare and acknowledge limits
Record the URL, version, observation, change and date. Avoid changing the title, structure and entire form simultaneously if you want to investigate a specific effect. Verify functionality immediately afterwards.
Keep devices, traffic sources and periods as comparable as possible. An advertising campaign or different season may explain variation. A before-and-after comparison suggests a possibility; it does not establish causation by itself.
A useful outcome is a delivered enquiry or correctly handled order rather than an extra click alone. With little traffic, focus on concrete usability problems and acknowledge uncertainty instead of reporting dramatic percentage gains.
9. Keep references without reinstalling outdated solutions
Google Analytics complements the analysis with measured events and journeys; the old “Content → In-Page Analytics” route is not a current GA4 procedure. GA4 path exploration is one current way to review journeys. See our web analytics guide for the wider tool selection.
The historical Clicktale reference, along with Click Density, Userfly, ClickHeat, Formisimo and eye-tracking tools, is retained for context rather than as current installation guidance. An actual eye-tracking study needs an appropriate method; mouse movements are not a substitute.
Start with one page and one question. To improve its message, use our writer briefing guide. To keep in touch with visitors who choose to subscribe, prepare your newsletter signup journey.