You’ve invested time and money into your firm’s website, so if your visitors aren’t converting into new enquiries or newsletter signups then something needs to be fixed.
If you’re missing an essential component, like call-to-action buttons, then you should tackle them first.
But if that checklist has been ticked off and your results are still missing, it's time for a deeper dive. You need to find out why your visitors aren’t converting, then use that information to fix the problem.
You could use the “trial and error” approach, making some changes and hoping for the best.
But there’s a better way.
Session recording tools let you view “replays” of people as they visit and engage with your site, as if you're standing right behind them.
You’ll watch them scrolling right past your “Contact Us” button, or flicking their mouse pointer in frustration when they can’t find what they’re after.
You’ll gain valuable insight into how people actually use your website, which you can then use to pinpoint and fix issues, and optimise the experience.
Session recording tools
Session recording is a common feature in many user behaviour analytics tools, including HotJar, FullStory, and Microsoft Clarity.
Most firms should be fine using Microsoft Clarity – it's free and contains all of the features you need to get started. Microsoft also has a support page that should answer privacy and GDPR questions that you may have.
Once you’ve set up your chosen tool and recorded some user sessions, it’s time to start watching the replays. Keep an eye out for any unintended or unexpected behaviour, and make sure to take note if you see the same actions from multiple visitors.
Here are some things to look out for:
- Are visitors missing your call-to-action buttons?
- Are they pausing to read your content, or scrolling straight past?
- Are they clicking on regualr text or images, mistaking them for links or buttons?
- Are they trying to fill out your contact form, getting frustrated, and leaving without hitting send?
- Are they hovering around the navigator bar or footer links, looking for an option that doesn’t exist?
If you do find issues, take some time to think about how you can fix them.
For example, if visitors are missing your call-to-action buttons, you could try changing the colour or size of the buttons to make them stand out more from the rest of your content.
If people are getting frustrated filling out your contact form, you could remove fields that aren’t truely necessary. If you don’t plan on calling your enquiries, don’t require them to leave a phone number – it simply adds friction to the process.
Start with the fixes that have the greatest potential impact. If you can see that people are having trouble getting in contact with you then you’ll want to fix that issue before tackling more “cosmetic” fixes.
Make a note of any changes that you make, in case you decide to reverse your changes later on. Then, when your optimisations are in place, use your session recording tool to make sure the changes are having their intended effect.
Remember, even small changes can have a big impact, especially when they start stacking on top of each other. Make sure to check your session recordings every month or so, because there’s always always room for improvement.
Over time, these optimisations will strengthen your growth system, helping you attract, convert, and retain more clients.
