Hotjar Technology Intelligence

What is Hotjar?

Hotjar is a behavior analytics and user feedback platform. Founded in 2014 in Malta by David Darmanin, Hotjar helps businesses understand how users interact with their websites through visual tools and direct feedback.

Hotjar combines heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to reveal user behavior. Heatmaps show where users click, scroll, and move their mouse. Session recordings replay individual user visits. Feedback tools collect user opinions directly. Over 1 million websites use Hotjar to improve user experience and conversion rates.

Key Features

Heatmaps

• Click Maps: Where users click
• Move Maps: Mouse movement patterns
• Scroll Maps: How far users scroll
• Rage Clicks: Frustration detection

Recordings

• Session Replay: Watch user journeys
• Console Logs: See JavaScript errors
• Filtering: Find specific behaviors
• Tagging: Organize recordings

Feedback

• Surveys: On-site questionnaires
• Feedback Widget: Always-on input
• Incoming: Visual feedback on pages
• NPS: Net promoter score

Funnels

• Conversion Funnels: Track drop-offs
• Form Analysis: Field-level metrics
• Trends: Behavior over time
• Highlights: AI-suggested insights

Use Cases

Conversion Optimization

Marketers identify why visitors don't convert. Heatmaps reveal ignored calls-to-action. Recordings show checkout abandonment patterns. Form analytics pinpoint problematic fields.

UX Research

Designers understand real user behavior. Session recordings replace assumptions with evidence. Heatmaps validate design decisions. User feedback explains the "why" behind actions.

Bug Discovery

Development teams find usability issues. Rage clicks indicate broken elements. Console logs capture JavaScript errors. Recordings reproduce bugs in context.

Landing Page Optimization

Growth teams test landing page effectiveness. Scroll maps show content visibility. Click maps reveal engagement patterns. Surveys gather visitor intentions.

E-commerce Analysis

Online stores optimize the shopping experience. Product page interactions guide merchandising. Cart page analysis reduces abandonment. Checkout recordings reveal friction points.

Content Strategy

Publishers understand content consumption. Scroll depth shows reading patterns. Heatmaps indicate engaging sections. Feedback reveals content gaps and interests.

Code Examples

Tracking Code

<!-- Hotjar Tracking Code -->
<script>
    (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){
        h.hj=h.hj||function(){(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};
        h._hjSettings={hjid:YOUR_SITE_ID,hjsv:6};
        a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
        r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1;
        r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv;
        a.appendChild(r);
    })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv=');
</script>

Identify Users

// Identify logged-in users
hj('identify', userId, {
    email: '[email protected]',
    plan: 'premium',
    signup_date: '2024-01-15'
});

// Use with consent
if (userConsented) {
    hj('identify', userId, attributes);
}

Trigger Events

// Trigger survey on event
hj('trigger', 'checkout_completed');

// Custom event for filtering recordings
hj('event', 'added_to_cart');

// Virtual pageview for SPAs
hj('stateChange', '/new-page-path');

Form Tracking

// Tag form submissions
document.querySelector('form').addEventListener('submit', function() {
    hj('tagRecording', ['form_submitted', 'contact_form']);
});

// Tag specific user actions
function onPurchase(orderId) {
    hj('tagRecording', ['purchased', 'order_' + orderId]);
}

Platform Comparison

Hotjar vs FullStory

• Pricing: Hotjar more affordable
• Enterprise: FullStory more powerful
• Search: FullStory better session search
• Simplicity: Hotjar easier to use

Hotjar vs Clarity

• Pricing: Clarity is free
• Surveys: Hotjar has built-in surveys
• Insights: Hotjar AI highlights
• Integration: Clarity ties to Bing

Strengths

• Easy to set up and use
• Visual, intuitive insights
• Combines quantitative and qualitative
• Good free tier
• Privacy-focused options

Considerations

• Limited session quota on lower tiers
• No retroactive heatmaps
• Basic funnel analysis
• Can impact page performance
• Privacy compliance requires setup