Self Hosted Analytics with Heatmaps, Session Recordings and Segments

Self Hosted Analytics with Heatmaps, Session Recordings and Segments

What are Self Hosted Analytics?

In a nutshell, self hosted means installing analytics on your own computer or server, hence hosting the analytics yourself. There are many reasons why various companies may choose to do self hosted analytics, but you have to make sure that you have the proper storage, power, and IT knowledge.

If your server is prepared to host its own analytics software, it could mean more privacy for your company and its analytics, which can be a big draw for some. Many larger companies and corporations go this route not only for the privacy as mentioned above, but also for the convenience and autonomy of having your own analytics hosted on your own server.

What are Heatmaps?

Heatmaps are a type of analytics that provide companies with more information about users while they are visiting their websites. More specifically, the heatmaps track where the user is going and spending most of its time in a graphical representation. The map has a gradient of colors from blue (cool) to red (hot). The hot zones are most frequented, the blues zones are the least frequented, and the other colors are in between the two. It can take really complex data and analytics and make it easier to digest through the visual representation.

Purpose

Now, that we’ve broken it down and taken a look at what self hosted analytics with heatmaps, session recordings and segments are, we will be exploring the purpose of each of these. Since we have already shared what self hosted analytics are and touched on their purpose above, we will be focusing this section on the purpose of heatmaps and session recordings and segments.

Heatmaps and session recordings and segments play a big role in improving conversion rates. Your company’s conversation rate is the percentage of visitors to your website that complete the desired goal you have set. Your goal may be making a sale, clicking on affiliate links, or something else that you have previously set.

The reason these analytics tools help companies with their conversion rates is because they provide the necessary information about the user’s visit to your website. In turn, you can use this information to alter, fix, and improve your website to better reach your goal and improve your conversion rate.

Importance

You may be wondering why heatmaps and session recordings and segments are important? Well, as stated above, these tools can have a significant effect on your brand’s online presence, customer experience, and even profits.

Learning about your customers by seeing how they utilize your website will equip you with very specific information that you would have never otherwise been able to obtain. And, as the world continues to rely more and more on the Internet for shopping and researching, it becomes even more essential to have a well designed, user friendly and attractive website.

Bringing it all together, not all companies will have the adequate resources (IT, money, storage, and capabilities) for self hosted advanced software such as analytics that uses heatmaps, session recordings, and segments.

If a company does have the ability to self host these tools, it will provide them with the opportunity to utilize these tools in a more private, in house way. They won’t have to rely on an external server to obtain the information necessary to learn more about their websites traffic.

Whether a company can afford this or not, heatmaps and session recordings and segments are definitely something worth looking into, especially if you are wanting to increase your conversion rate, lower your bounce rate, or simply improve your customers experience when on the site.

While you could create surveys to send to your customers about their online experience with your site, sifting through the information would prove very daunting. Not to mention, the information wouldn’t be as helpful. There’s just something about literally watching and actually seeing where your users visit, click, and interact on your page. It’s this kind of raw data that, when analyzed properly can take your website from good to absolutely amazing.

We hope that you were able to find this deep dive on self hosted analytics with heatmaps, session recordings and segments both informational and helpful. Be sure to check out our other posts on our blogs for all things marketing and SEO.