What is a Heat Map?
A visual representation of data that uses color to communicate areas of highest use or likelihood. A click map is a special type of heat map that shows which parts of web pages receive the most clicks. Using a scale of red to blue, areas where people look or click the most are labeled with red. Web designers can combine the data from an eye-tracking heat map and a click map to position call-to-action buttons where they are most likely to be seen and clicked.
Example
Suppose a website owner wants to understand how visitors interact with their homepage. They use a heat mapping tool to generate a heat map that visually represents user engagement on the page. In the resulting heat map, areas where users click most frequently are shown in shades of red or orange, indicating high interaction. Areas with fewer clicks are depicted in cooler colors like blue or green, indicating lower interaction.
By analyzing the heat map, the website owner can identify which elements of the homepage attract the most attention from users and which areas may need improvement. For example, they may discover that a call-to-action button in the center of the page receives the most clicks, while a sidebar widget goes largely unnoticed. With this insight, they can optimize the layout and design of their homepage to better meet the needs and preferences of their visitors.