Funnel Analysis
Funnel drop-off analysis in GA4: we find the step, device and channel where visitors leave and set priorities with data.
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Conversion Rate Optimization
User Behavior Analysis with Heatmaps and Session Recordings
GA4 tells you a visitor left the checkout page, but not why. Heatmap and session recording analysis fills that gap: we see users tapping an image that isn't clickable, getting stuck at the coupon box or never reaching the button on mobile. We don't watch recordings at random; we filter them to the funnel steps where drop-off is concentrated.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this service for?
We turn to heatmaps and session recordings to see, in concrete terms, the cause of the drop-off that funnel analysis reveals. These findings show where users get stuck, which elements they click in vain and which information they can't find, and they become the source of both the hypotheses that go into A/B tests and the errors we fix directly.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
Rage clicks, dead clicks and the other signals we track
Choosing which of thousands of session recordings to watch is the decision that sets how long the analysis takes and what it's worth; pick the wrong ones and hours go to waste. Microsoft Clarity automatically tags sessions based on certain behaviors, and those tags show where to look. Each tag points to a different kind of problem. The ones we use most:
- Rage clicks: Repeated clicks on the same small area; the user gets no response from something they think is clickable
- Dead clicks: Nothing on the page changes after a click; a broken element or misleading design
- Quick backs: Returning shortly after landing on a page; the link doesn't meet expectations
- Excessive scrolling: Scrolling far above average; the information the user is looking for can't be found
- Click errors: JavaScript errors triggered after a click; most often in cart or coupon functions
How we analyze session recordings without wasting hours
Watching a hundred recordings from start to finish is both a waste of time and misleading; you end up remembering the five most interesting sessions. Instead, we start with a question: 'Mobile sessions that reached the checkout step, didn't purchase and include rage clicks.' If the same behavior repeats in the recordings this filter returns, we record it as a finding; a behavior seen only once doesn't count.
Once Clarity is linked to the GA4 property, GA4 metrics appear in the Clarity dashboard and filtering by campaign source becomes easier. Visitors from Meta traffic campaigns and visitors from search ads often behave very differently on the same page; watching recordings without separating them by channel can lead to the wrong decision about the page.
How to read heatmaps and scroll maps correctly
Heatmaps should be read separately for mobile and desktop; merged into one map, they show a page that doesn't exist on any device. In a scroll map, the real question isn't 'how much of the page is seen' but 'what share of visitors see the buy button and the price'. On pages with dynamic content, such as dropdown menus or tabbed product descriptions, clicks can be attributed to the wrong element, so we verify any suspicious concentration with a recording. On blog and guide content, scroll data also feeds into content optimization work.
Privacy, masking and page speed
Clarity and Hotjar come with masking settings for form fields and sensitive content; during setup, we check on actual recordings that masking is active on checkout and account pages. We load the code through Google Tag Manager, conditional on cookie consent. Every behavior analytics script adds load to the page; we don't run both tools permanently at the same time, and once the analysis is done we remove code that is no longer needed, so page speed doesn't suffer.
Heatmaps and User Behavior: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- Sites where funnel analysis shows high drop-off at a specific step
- The first weeks after a new design or a new checkout flow goes live
- Campaigns with high ad traffic but very short time on the landing page
We don't recommend it
- Watching recordings without a target question; hours are spent and no decision comes out
- Making design decisions from heatmaps on low-traffic pages
- Enabling recordings on the checkout page before the masking settings are verified
How we manage Heatmaps and User Behavior
- Defining the questionBased on funnel findings, we choose which page and step to examine.
- Setup and maskingWe load the code through Tag Manager and check that sensitive fields are masked.
- Data collectionWe wait until enough sessions have built up on the selected pages.
- Filtered reviewWe watch recordings filtered by device, channel and behavior tag.
- Findings and hypothesesWe log recurring behaviors in the hypothesis list, along with links to the recordings.
Heatmaps and User Behavior: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- Rage click rate
- Dead click rate
- Scroll depth
- Click errors
- Quick back rate
What you need to get started
- Access to add code to the site via Tag Manager or directly
- A list of the pages and funnel steps to examine
- A behavior analytics category defined in the cookie consent tool
- Permissions on the GA4 property to set up the Clarity link
Official sources
The Brand Move CRO Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about Heatmaps and User Behavior or other conversion optimization services, contact The Brand Move Conversion Optimization team today.
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Conversion Rate Optimization overview
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Page speed optimization: LCP, INP and CLS measured with real-user data and a prioritized fix list for your developers.
ExploreFrequently asked questions
Heatmaps and User Behavior: frequently asked questions
Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar?
For heatmaps and session recordings, Clarity is our first choice on most projects because it is free and integrates with GA4. When on-site surveys or a feedback widget are needed, we use Hotjar. We don't run both permanently on the same page.
What is a rage click?
Repeated clicks on the same small area. It usually means the visitor expects something to be clickable and gets no response. A dead click is related: nothing on the page changes after the click, which points to a broken element or misleading design.
Can you see users' card details in session recordings?
No. Both tools mask what is typed into form fields by default, and during setup we check this separately on checkout and account pages. Recordings show only behavior: mouse movement, clicks and scrolling.
How many sessions do you need to watch?
There is no fixed number. Once the same behavior keeps repeating in a filtered query, we usually have enough. For heatmaps, we don't make decisions until the page has at least a few hundred views.
Do heatmap tools slow down the website?
Every behavior analytics script adds some load. That is why we load the code through Google Tag Manager with cookie consent, don't run both tools permanently at once and remove code that is no longer needed once the analysis is done.
Let's run a first Heatmaps and User Behavior review together.
In a free call we review the drop-off points in your funnel and your landing pages, then send you the first three ideas to test in writing.
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No sales pressure. Just findings.