Are you attracted to heat? You should be as that’s what can make your website a lead converting machine instead of a glorified brochure. Website geeks (myself included) have been using heat maps to figure out where the attention on the page is going and where to place important items and tweak the layout of the page. Why? Because you want to control your visitor experience, not leave it to chance.
Heat maps are website development tools that show the areas of the site that get the most clicks or where someone hovers with their mouse the longest. This can help you determine the best place to put key service information, online booking links and promotional news. The information is usually displayed in color, much like a temperature map, hence the name “heat map.”
Heat maps can help you do several things on your website:
OPTIMIZE USABILITY: When you track a heat map of your website, you can optimize usability. For instance, you can make a decision to use a left-hand sidebar versus a right-hand one. Or, if you are advertising a promotion, you can place it properly on your website page so that more customers will see it.
ADD POLISH: Further, if you know that customers are visiting a particular section more often, you know what areas you need to add the most polish to. Spend the most time developing these areas as regards content and design.
CONTINUE THE STORY: If your heat map shows that customers’ visits to your website tend to end abruptly after visiting a certain section, you can include more content that you can see is popular elsewhere on your site so that duration is increased.
CUSTOMER CLICKS: You can also make your site easier to use by using heat maps. You can use heat maps to track where customers click, even if there are no links there. This information can help you make decisions about how your links should be placed, as well as information about what areas of your site could be altered.
INCREASE CONVERSIONS: All in all, heat map information can be used to increase conversions, whether you are trying to get your website visitors to sign up for your email newsletter, RSVP to a salon event or schedule an appointment.
To try your own heat map, try AttentionWizard as they have a cheap way to get started on learning more about awareness tracking on your site.
Author Bio: Valorie Reavis
Social Marketer, foodie, closet geekA marketing professional who has focused primarily on the hair and beauty business for of the past decade, Valorie now runs linkup marketing, a digital marketing agency for the hair and beauty professional. Valorie works to engage clients in the marketing process and help them successfully engage with their clients and community. Energetic and passionate about the industry, Valorie focuses on blending traditional and digital media in order to bring salons closer to their clients.
