Benefits of heat maps
The benefits of a heat map are very rewarding, let’s say you’re wanting to know which areas of your website are getting the most attention, then a heat map shows you in a visual way that’s easy to understand and then make strategic decisions from. In short a heat map is data analysis software that uses colour the way a bar graph uses height and width: as a data visualisation tool.
Below are some benefits of heat maps:
1. Giving direct overview of key web performance
One advantage is heatmaps draw instant attention to important issues on your website.
There are different types of web diagnostic heatmaps such as the following…
A Click heatmap reveals the clicking patterns of the users. Heatmaps expose the average visibility of pages. Attention show which parts of your website are most engaging to users. Movement track mouse movements. Lastly, Geo heatmaps reveals territories or countries where conversions are high and where they are not.
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2. Providing visual paths to understanding numeric values
There is saying that says ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, a heatmap can is worth a thousand numbers.
Even though heatmaps are just as detailed as a spreadsheet, the graphics offer certain advantages to Microsoft’s Excel’s rows and columns of numbers. I think we are all in agreement when I say we prefer a picture over a spreadsheet any day!
A spreadsheet may explain links have a surprisingly low click rate, or that a given page has a extremely higher bounce rate than the rest of your website. But the spreadsheet numbers don’t explain why that is.
By viewing the same data in a properly configured heatmap it quickly reveals that problematic click rate is due to a link being hidden in other misleading elements, or that a high bounce rate could be explained by a low-visibility page.
Heatmaps are an invaluable tool. They can conceptualise interpret data and patterns, making it easier for designers and analytics specialists to talk with commercially-focused clients by showing them clear and easy results. They also help the web designers by letting them experience (through the users eyes) what looking through their website actually feels like.
3. Making it easier learning from users to create more user friendly web design
Effective web design doesn’t happen easily. Anyone who is good at their job/hobby will tell you they spent many hours and experience learning, but also learning along the way. Learning is not naturally easy: it’s about questioning your own choices and recognising areas that need improvement.
In web design, learning from your users is particularly important. Heatmaps can help you understand what your audience does, what they don’t do as they respond to your designs. Forms and surveys have their uses, in particular what we say we do may not always reflect what we actually do.
The navigational patterns of your users on your website can be viewed as unfiltered feedback. Combined heatmaps and A/B testing, and your design learning becomes predictive without being too presumptuous: You can test future web design choices before opening them to a larger audience, and then you don’t risk alienating your users.
4. Understand your visitors better, and provide them a better experience
Design is a visual communicative art, and the various elements of a website displays a series of messages. The goal could be to sell a service, a product or a idea, your users are important because they are part of the conversation. That means you need to have a interest in understanding how they react to your message and understanding whether you need to find a different way to develop it.
This involves understanding what annoys or distracts you users, and this is why friction scores on heatmaps can be so helpful. Such a tool can automatically track data to give you an idea of where and when the user has frustration.
Heatmap filters can show how different you audience reacts to the same message. Listening to a specific audience lets you offer them a better experience.
5. Help companies make knowledgable choices that improve the bottom line
By helping managers make better web design choices that can increase user engagement and the conversions that lead to conversions, heatmaps enable decisions that drive better business results.
Heatmaps are all about improving the bottom line, they demonstrates that customers appreciate their ROI.
Speak to us at about how we can help install heatmaps for your website.