Heatmap

Visual representation of areas of interaction or attention on a web page, usually using a color code (from blue to red) to indicate the intensity of user activity. A heatmap makes it possible toobserve how visitors actually interact with an interface, without having to analyze conventional analytical data line by line.

Heatmap types :

• Click heatmap: shows the areas on which users click the most.
• Scroll heatmap: shows how far users scroll down a page, revealing areas seen vs. ignored.
• Motion heatmap (hover): visualizes mouse movements (useful on desktop) to detect potential visual attention.

CRO contributions :

• Identify ignored or poorly positioned elements (invisible CTAs, content too low, navigation not used),
• Identify areas of confusion or visual overload (unexpected clicks on non-clickable elements),
• Check the effective visual hierarchy of a page,
• Prioritize areas for testing or improvement before launching a variation,
• Optimizecontent layout and layout for mobile and desktop devices.

Integration with A/B testing :

Heatmaps are often used:

• upstream of an A/B test to detect irritants or formulate hypotheses based on actual behavior,
• downstream, to compare the behavioral effectiveness of several variations: a variation may convert better because it draws attention to a key element (e.g. the "Add to cart" button).

Popular tools :

• Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Crazy Egg, Contentsquare, Smartlook, etc.

Limits :

• Heatmaps are exploratory tools: they show the "where" and the "how much", but not the "why".
• They need to be cross-referenced with analytical data (GA4, events) and, ideally, supplemented by user tests or A/B testing to validate the hypotheses they inspire.

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