What is the difference between heatmap and link map?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is a link map?
• Why use link maps?
• How to read a link map?
• How is a link map different from a heatmap?
• Why can’t I see clicks on my links?
• Why can I see clicks on heatmap but not on link map?

While observing your users’ behaviors you can spot their movements and frustrations via heatmaps. There are 4 different events that can be detected:

• click,
• rage click,
• move,
• link.

What is a link map?

A link map (or a linkmap) is a visual representation of your users’ interactions with links on your website (mouse clicks on a desktop and taps on mobile). Link maps come in handy when you need to track on-page user engagement like clicks on links, form fields, CTA buttons, and images with links across a website, which in turn helps you optimize user experience for better conversion.

Why use link maps?

With link maps, you can:

1. track users’ activity,
2. see links on which visitors click or tap (mobile users),
3. identify underperforming links, CTAs, and images that are getting ignored,
4. identify content that is the most popular/ generates the most traffic,
5. showcase engagement data visually,
6. iterate better website design by finding bugs and areas for improvement.

How to read a link map?

To display a link map for your website page:

1. Log into CUX.
2. Go to Heatmaps.
3. Select “Link” from the Events section.
   1. Choose the type of device for which you’d like to see a link map: desktop, mobile, tablet, smart TV, gaming console, wearable devices, and embedded browsers. Note: we may not be ready to show you views for all types of devices if there’s not enough data.
   2. Select a date range from which you’d like to see a link map.
      
      

Remember that CUX will only highlight those links on the page that are clickable and that someone clicked at least once. If a given link is not highlighted, it means that no user has clicked on it.

Note: the percentage of clicks is calculated in the context of all clicks on a given page. If the website was visited by only one user who clicked on two of the links, the click-through rate for each of them will be described as 50%.

How is a link map different from a heatmap?

The heatmap graphically shows ALL user actions on your site, such as rage clicks, click on clickable and non-clickable elements or mouse movements. The link map shows ONLY clicks on clickable elements such as links, buttons, linking images, etc.

By using both heatmaps and link maps, you can spot missed opportunities for conversion!

• Spot places where users click but didn’t find a clickable element.
• Track users’ clicking on broken links.
• Identify places on the website that should have links (dead clicks).

Why can’t I see clicks on my links?

If there are links on your site that are not highlighted and do not show the clicks’ percentage, check:

• if the link is not damaged,
• that the link is anchored in the right place.

If you still don’t see any clicks, it means that none of the users visiting the sub/page clicked on that particular link.

Why can I see clicks on heatmap but not on link map?

Do you see user activity on the heatmap that does not resonate with clicks on the map link? Jackpot! You have found places on your website that need optimization.

Users, by clicking on non-clickable elements (such as text, photos, contact etc.) are giving you bop on the head, that you may be letting conversion slip through your fingers!

Perhaps a blog post’s title that looks like a CTA should be a clickable button? Or the transition to the next subpage should start after clicking the photo, not after hovering over the arrow? Or an e-mail to your support should have a “mailto:” clickable command? After all, who is not losing it when forced to copy-paste an e-mail address from a contact page!?

Comparison of heatmaps and link map results is a real treat for fans of optimization. Enjoy the ride!