How to optimize your webshop or website with Hotjar

At a time when user expectations of websites are higher than ever, it’s crucial to understand how they actually interact with your site. You’ve probably already invested in great design and solid SEO, but do you know where your users click – and more importantly, where they don’t?

This is where Hotjar comes in. Hotjar is a powerful tool that gives you insights into your users’ behavior through features such as heatmaps, recordings, surveys and funnels.

Hotjar is a behavioral analytics platform that helps you understand how users navigate your website. Unlike Google Analytics, which focuses on quantitative data such as visitor numbers, bounce rate and conversions, Hotjar focuses on qualitative data – why users act the way they do.

Hotjar consists of four core features:

• Heatmaps – See where users click, scroll and move.
• Session Recordings – Revisit real users’ visits to the site.
• Feedback and Surveys – Collect user opinions directly.
• Funnel Tracking – Identify where users drop out in your flows.

Why use Hotjar on an online store?

Let’s take a webshop as a starting point. You may have a good amount of traffic, but conversions are lagging. This could be because users get confused, lose trust or encounter technical obstacles. Hotjar can help you identify the specific problems.

Example: Product views without purchase

With session recording, you can see how users interact with your product pages. Do they click on images? Do they scroll all the way down and read the descriptions? Perhaps many click on the size guide but leave the page shortly after. This could indicate that the guide is difficult to understand or that important information is missing.

Heatmaps: Find the dead zones

Heatmaps provide a visual overview of where people are clicking, scrolling and staying. If you see that no one is interacting with an important call-to-action button, it could be due to location, color or text. With Hotjar, you can adjust and test with data-based knowledge – not just gut feelings.

Hotjar on information pages and lead sites

For lead generating websites, user experience and trust are even more important. It’s often about the user filling out a contact form, booking a meeting or signing up for a newsletter. If that doesn’t happen, you need to know why.

Example: Forms that are not filled out

With Hotjar you can track the completion of forms. Maybe many people fill in their name and email, but stop at the phone number. This can indicate resistance to providing too much information. This insight can help you shorten the form or explain why you are asking for specific information.

Use feedback for conversion optimization

Hotjar’s feedback and survey features are underrated tools. A simple popup asking “Did you miss anything on this page?” can provide valuable insights – especially when multiple users mention the same thing. It’s honest user feedback you won’t get through classic analytics.

How to get started with Hotjar

Installing Hotjar doesn’t require any advanced technical skills. You simply insert a tracking code on your website – either manually or via a platform like Google Tag Manager or Shopify.

Once Hotjar is active, you will start getting data after a few days. We recommend that you start with:

• Heatmaps on your most visited pages
• Recordings on the purchase funnel or contact forms
• A survey on the thank you page with the question: “What convinced you to complete your purchase/contact?”

Conclusion

In a digital world where margins are everything, understanding user behavior can be the difference between success and failure. Hotjar helps you understand why your users aren’t converting – and that’s the first step to getting them to do so.

Want help implementing and analyzing Hotjar on your webshop or website?
At Alpha Agency, we have the experience and tools to create concrete results. Contact us today – and start optimizing with insight, not guesswork.