And here we go: I did a job in selecting the perfect tracking and analytics software, checked 5 or more tools in detail, had some great time thinking about useful KPI´s, user segments and further special needs for my “iliketohaveyouascustomer” and then, when presenting the perfect web analytics solution for my new customer (hopefully), he asks:

Fine. Do you have a heapmap?

Errrr. Nope. No heatmap. Nothing. Nada. Niet. Nein. No funny and colorful picture with your website in the background. No, sorry. And now listen: You don´t need it. Yes, it looks nice, right. It´s totally sexy, yes. And yes, i know you would marry your heatmap, if you had one. But you don´t. And you still don´t need it.

sexy sexy heatmap.

Now face it: There definitly IS a need for heatmaps. Sometimes. After a site relaunch. Maybe. Perhaps.

Well, what happens? You want to know WHERE YOUR VISITORS GO ON YOUR SITE AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND WHY THEY ARE NOT BUYING YOUR STUFF.

Right, we all want to know that. And most anaylitcs tools tell you, anyhow.

Sure, not everybody uses URL variables or Anchor Tags to track WHICH or 2 or more links to the same site is beeing clicked. But you can get this information if you want to. Sure, fixed URL variables may cause Google to see kind of duplicate content. But still: why a heatmap?

Look at this picture: what does it show? Yeeeeeessss, it´s showing where your users usually click. Wow. I love it, and so i will not buy any web analytics software -even if it´s perfect for me- if there´s no heatmap.

Okay, back to earth: What do you expect after you stared on your sexy heatmap after a while of counting traffic on your site? Deep insight of visitor satisfaction every day? I guess not. I bet there is one thing you will get: Boredom. Why? What will you see?

Just the same and same image of some color over your website. Everyday.

And that´s it.

What do you want today? You are on the right way: you want to get insigths of your business, so you decided to buy the perfect webanalytics software. Perfect, one step into the “DATA DRIVEN BUSINESS” Avinash is talking about.

Most tools tell you what visitors do on your page. Some tools give you the great opportunity of segmentation. Awesome. Some tools even allow you to use API, snyc to your adwords account, handle external data sources, let you do multi variate testing; some of them even provide behavioral targeting and predictive behavioral targenting and some of them even fly you to the moon.

And all you ask for is a what? A heatmap? Thats it? You, and i mean you, the super-clever entrepreneur. All you ask for is a heatmap? Wow. There are so many much more important questions to ask in your business, and you are on the right way when taking your time in selcting the perfect web analytics tool for your business. Take this time. Use it right. And forget about the heatmap.

Spend some time on implementing your tool, spend more time on segementing your data and spend even more time on finding your business insights your webanalytics tool may provide you – and them have a great life becouse you turned your website into an superduper cash-cow. Even without heatmap.

Here we go: A Heatmap will never ever tell you anyhing that your web analytics tool doesnt know.

A heatmap is like your girlfriend´s room decoration: pretty. And useless.