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• Clickstream Data : Definition, Use Cases, and More

  15 avril 2024, par Erin

  Gaining a deeper understanding of user behaviour — customers’ different paths, digital footprints, and engagement patterns — is crucial for providing a personalised experience and making informed marketing decisions. 

  In that sense, clickstream data, or a comprehensive record of a user’s online activities, is one of the most valuable sources of actionable insights into users’ behavioural patterns. 

  This article will cover everything marketing teams need to know about clickstream data, from the basic definition and examples to benefits, use cases, and best practices. 

  What is clickstream data ? 

  As a form of web analytics, clickstream data focuses on tracking and analysing a user’s online activity. These digital breadcrumbs offer insights into the websites the user has visited, the pages they viewed, how much time they spent on a page, and where they went next.

  

  Your clickstream pipeline can be viewed as a “roadmap” that can help you recognise consistent patterns in how users navigate your website. 

  With that said, you won’t be able to learn much by analysing clickstream data collected from one user’s session. However, a proper analysis of large clickstream datasets can provide a wealth of information about consumers’ online behaviours and trends — which marketing teams can use to make informed decisions and optimise their digital marketing strategy. 

  Clickstream data collection can serve numerous purposes, but the main goal remains the same — gaining valuable insights into visitors’ behaviours and online activities to deliver a better user experience and improve conversion likelihood. 

  Depending on the specific events you’re tracking, clickstream data can reveal the following : 

  • How visitors reach your website 
  • The terms they type into the search engine
  • The first page they land on
  • The most popular pages and sections of your website
  • The amount of time they spend on a page 
  • Which elements of the page they interact with, and in what sequence
  • The click path they take 
  • When they convert, cancel, or abandon their cart
  • Where the user goes once they leave your website

  As you can tell, once you start collecting this type of data, you’ll learn quite a bit about the user’s online journey and the different ways they engage with your website — all without including any personal details about your visitors.

  Types of clickstream data 

  While all clickstream data keeps a record of the interactions that occur while the user is navigating a website or a mobile application — or any other digital platform — it can be divided into two types : 

  • Aggregated (web traffic) data provides comprehensive insights into the total number of visits and user interactions on a digital platform — such as your website — within a given timeframe 
  • Unaggregated data is broken up into smaller segments, focusing on an individual user’s online behaviour and website interactions 

  One thing to remember is that to gain valuable insights into user behaviour and uncover sequential patterns, you need a powerful tool and access to full clickstream datasets. Matomo’s Event Tracking can provide a comprehensive view of user interactions on your website or mobile app — everything from clicking a button and completing a form to adding (or removing) products from their cart. 

  On that note, based on the specific events you’re tracking when a user visits your website, clickstream data can include : 

  • Web navigation data : referring URL, visited pages, click path, and exit page
  • User interaction data : mouse movements, click rate, scroll depth, and button clicks
  • Conversion data : form submissions, sign-ups, and transactions 
  • Temporal data : page load time, timestamps, and the date and time of day of the user’s last login 
  • Session data : duration, start, and end times and number of pages viewed per session
  • Error data : 404 errors and network or server response issues 

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  Clickstream data benefits and use cases 

  Given the actionable insights that clickstream data collection provides, it can serve a wide range of use cases — from identifying behavioural patterns and trends and examining competitors’ performance to helping marketing teams map out customer journeys and improve ROI.

  

  According to the global Clickstream Analytics Market Report 2024, some key applications of clickstream analytics include click-path optimisation, website and app optimisation, customer analysis, basket analysis, personalisation, and traffic analysis. 

  

  The behavioural patterns and user preferences revealed by clickstream analytics data can have many applications — we’ve outlined the prominent use cases below. 

  Customer journey mapping 

  Clickstream data allows you to analyse the e-commerce customer’s online journey and provides insights into how they navigate your website. With such a comprehensive view of their click path, it becomes easier to understand user behaviour at each stage — from initial awareness to conversion — identify the most effective touchpoints and fine-tune that journey to improve their conversion likelihood. 

  Identifying customer trends 

  Clickstream data analytics can also help you identify trends and behavioural patterns — the most common sequences and similarities in how users reached your website and interacted with it — especially when you can access data from many website visitors. 

  Think about it — there are many ways in which you can use these insights into the sequence of clicks and interactions and recurring patterns to your team’s advantage. 

  Here’s an example : 

  It can reveal that some pieces of content and CTAs are performing well in encouraging visitors to take action — which shows how you should optimise other pages and what you should strive to create in the future, too. 

  Preventing site abandonment 

  Cart abandonment remains a serious issue for online retailers : 

  According to a recent report, the global cart abandonment rate in the fourth quarter of 2023 was at 83%. 

  That means that roughly eight out of ten e-commerce customers will abandon their shopping carts — most commonly due to additional costs, slow website loading times and the requirement to create an account before purchasing. 

  In addition to cart abandonment predictions, clickstream data analytics can reveal the pages where most visitors tend to leave your website. These drop-off points are clear indicators that something’s not working as it should — and once you can pinpoint them, you’ll be able to address the issue and increase conversion likelihood.

  Improving marketing campaign ROI 

  As previously mentioned, clickstream data analysis provides insights into the customer journey. Still, you may not realise that you can also use this data to keep track of your marketing effectiveness. 

  Global digital ad spending continues to grow — and is expected to reach $836 billion by 2026. It’s easy to see why relying on accurate data is crucial when deciding which marketing channels to invest in. 

  You want to ensure you’re allocating your digital marketing and advertising budget to the channels — be it SEO, pay-per-click (PPC) ads, or social media campaigns — that impact driving conversions. 

  When you combine clickstream e-commerce data with conversion rates, you’ll find the latter in Matomo’s goal reports and have a solid, data-driven foundation for making better marketing decisions.

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  Delivering a better user experience (UX) 

  Clickstream data analysis allows you to identify specific “pain points” — areas of the website that are difficult to use and may cause customer frustration. 

  It’s clear how this would be beneficial to your business : 

  Once you’ve identified these pain points, you can make the necessary changes to your website’s layout and address any technical issues that users might face, improving usability and delivering a smoother experience to potential customers. 

  Collecting clickstream data : Tools and legal implications 

  Your team will need a powerful tool capable of handling clickstream analytics to reap the benefits we’ve discussed previously. But at the same time, you need to respect users’ online privacy throughout clickstream data collection.

  

  Generally speaking, there are two ways to collect data about users’ online activity — web analytics tools and server log files.

  Web analytics tools are the more commonly used solution. Specifically designed to collect and analyse website data, these tools rely on JavaScript tags that run in the browser, providing actionable insights about user behaviour. Server log files can be a gold mine of data, too — but that data is raw and unfiltered, making it much more challenging to interpret and analyse. 

  That brings us to one of the major clickstream challenges to keep in mind as you move forward — compliance.

  While Google remains a dominant player in the web analytics market, there’s one area where Matomo has a significant advantage — user privacy. 

  Matomo operates according to privacy laws — including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), making it an ethical alternative to Google Analytics. 

  It should go without saying, but compliance with data privacy laws — the most talked-about one being the GDPR framework introduced by the EU — isn’t something you can afford to overlook. 

  The GDPR was first implemented in the EU in 2018. Since then, several fines have been issued for non-compliance — including the record fine of €1.2 billion that Meta Platforms, Inc. received in 2023 for transferring personal data of EU-based users to the US.

  Clickstream analytics data best practices 

  

  As valuable as it might be, processing large amounts of clickstream analytics data can be a complex — and, at times, overwhelming — process. 

  Here are some best practices to keep in mind when it comes to clickstream analysis : 

  Define your goals 

  It’s essential to take the time to define your goals and objectives. 

  Once you have a clear idea of what you want to learn from a given clickstream dataset and the outcomes you hope to see, it’ll be easier to narrow down your scope — rather than trying to tackle everything at once — before moving further down the clickstream pipeline. 

  Here are a few examples of goals and objectives you can set for clickstream analysis : 

  • Understanding and predicting users’ behavioural patterns 
  • Optimising marketing campaigns and ROI 
  • Attributing conversions to specific marketing touchpoints and channels

  Analyse your data 

  Collecting clickstream analytics data is only part of the equation ; what you do with raw data and how you analyse it matters. You can have the most comprehensive dataset at your disposal — but it’ll be practically worthless if you don’t have the skill set to analyse and interpret it. 

  In short, this is the stage of your clickstream pipeline where you uncover common sequences and consistent patterns in user behaviour. 

  Clickstream data analytics can extract actionable insights from large datasets using various approaches, models, and techniques. 

  Here are a few examples : 

  • If you’re working with clickstream e-commerce data, you should perform funnel or conversion analyses to track conversion rates as users move through your sales funnel. 
  • If you want to group and analyse users based on shared characteristics, you can use Matomo for cohort analysis. 
  • If your goal is to predict future trends and outcomes — conversion and cart abandonment prediction, for example — based on available data, prioritise predictive analytics.

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  Organise and visualise your data

  As you reach the end of your clickstream pipeline, you need to start thinking about how you will present and communicate your data. And what better way to do that than to transform that data into easy-to-understand visualisations ? 

  Here are a few examples of easily digestible formats that facilitate quick decision-making : 

  • User journey maps, which illustrate the exact sequence of interactions and user flow through your website 
  • Heatmaps, which serve as graphical — and typically colour-coded — representations of a website visitor’s activity 
  • Funnel analysis, which are broader at the top but get increasingly narrower towards the bottom as users flow through and drop off at different stages of the pipeline 

  Collect clickstream data with Matomo 

  Clickstream data is hard to beat when tracking the website visitor’s journey — from first to last interaction — and understanding user behaviour. By providing real-time insights, your clickstream pipeline can help you see the big picture, stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions about your marketing efforts. 

  Matomo accurate data and compliance with GDPR and other data privacy regulations — it’s an all-in-one, ethical platform that can meet all your web analytics needs. That’s why over 1 million websites use Matomo for their web analytics.

  Try Matomo free for 21 days. No credit card required.

  Try Matomo for Free

  21 day free trial. No credit card required.

  
  

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• Top 5 Customer Segmentation Software in 2024

  12 mars 2024, par Erin

  In marketing, we all know the importance of reaching the right customer with the right message at the right time. That’s how you cut through the noise.

  For that, you need data on your customers — even though gathering the data is not enough. You can have all the data worldwide, but that raises an ethical responsibility and the need to make sense of it.

  Enter customer segmentation software — the answer to delivering personalised customer experiences at scale. 

  This article lists some of the best customer segmentation tools currently in the market. 

  We’ll also go over the benefits of using such tools and how you can choose the best one for your business.

  Let’s get started !

  What is customer segmentation software ?

  Customer segmentation software is a tool that helps businesses analyse customer data and group them based on common characteristics like age, income, and buying habits.

  The main goal of customer segmentation is to gain deeper insights into customer behaviours and preferences. This helps create targeted marketing and product strategies that fit each group and makes it easier to predict how customers will behave in the future.

  

  Benefits of a customer segmentation software

  Understanding your customers is the cornerstone of effective marketing, and customer segmentation software plays a pivotal role in this endeavour. 

  You can deliver more targeted and relevant marketing campaigns by dividing your audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics. 

  Specifically, here are the main benefits of using customer segmentation tools :

  • Understand your audience better : The software helps businesses group customers with common traits to better understand their preferences and behaviour.
  • Make data-driven decisions : Base your business and marketing decisions on data analytics.
  • Aid product development : Insights from segmentation analytics can guide the creation of products that meet specific customer group needs.
  • Allocate your resources efficiently : Focusing on the customer segments that generate the most revenue leads to more effective and strategic use of your marketing resources.

  Best customer segmentation software in 2024 

  In this section, we go over the top customer segmentation tools in 2024. 

  We’ll look at these tools’ key features and pros and cons.

  1. Matomo

  

  Matomo is a comprehensive web analytics tool that merges traditional web analytics, such as tracking pageviews and visitor bounce rates, with more advanced web analytics features for tracking user behaviour. 

  With robust segmentation features, users can filter website traffic based on criteria such as location and device type, enabling them to analyse specific visitor groups and their behaviour. Users can create custom segments to analyse specific groups of visitors and their behaviour.

  Presenting as the ethical alternative to Google Analytics, Matomo emphasises transparency, 100% accurate data, and compliance with privacy laws.

  Key features

  • Heatmaps and Session Recordings : Matomo provides tools that allow businesses to understand website user interactions visually. This insight is crucial for optimising user experience and increasing conversions.
  • Form Analytics : This feature in Matomo tracks how users interact with website forms, helping businesses understand user behaviour in detail and improve form design and functionality.
  • User Flow Analysis : The tool tracks the journey of a website’s visitors, highlighting the paths taken and where users drop off. This is key for optimising website structure for better user experience and more conversions.
  • A/B Testing : Businesses can use Matomo to test different versions of web pages, determining which is more effective in driving conversions.
  • Conversion Funnels : This feature allows businesses to visualise and optimise the steps customers take toward conversion, identifying areas for improvement.

  Pros 

  • Affordability : With plans starting at $19 per month, Matomo is a cost-effective solution for CRO.
  • Free support : Matomo provides free email support to all Matomo Cloud users.
  • Open-source benefits : Being open-source, Matomo offers enhanced security, privacy, customisation options, and a supportive community.
  • Hosting options : Matomo is available either as a self-hosted solution or cloud-hosted.

  Cons

  • Cost for advanced features : Access to advanced features may incur additional costs for Matomo On-Premise users, although the On-Premise solution itself is free.
  • Technical knowledge required : The self-hosted version of Matomo requires technical knowledge for effective management.

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  Get the web insights you need, without compromising data accuracy.

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  2. Google Analytics 

  

  Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comprehensively understands website and app performance. It focuses on event-based data collection, allowing businesses to understand user interactions across platforms. 

  Similarly to Matomo, GA4 provides features that allow businesses to segment their audience based on various criteria such as demographics, behaviours, events, and more.

  Key features

  • Event-based tracking : GA4’s shift to an event-based model allows for a flexible and predictive analysis of user behaviour. This includes a detailed view of user interactions on websites and apps.
  • Machine Learning and Smarter Insights : GA4 uses machine learning to automatically detect trends, estimate purchase probabilities and provide marketing insights.
  • Google Ads integration : The integration with Google Ads in GA4 enables tracking customer interactions from first ad engagement, providing a holistic view of the customer experience across various platforms.
  • Customer-centric measurements : GA4 collects data as events, covering a wide range of user interactions and offering a comprehensive view of customer behaviour.
  • Pathing reports : GA4 introduces new pathing reports, allowing detailed user flow analysis through websites and apps.
  • Audiences and filters : GA4 allows the creation of audiences based on specific criteria and the application of filters to segment and refine data analysis.

  Pros 

  • Integration with various platforms, including Google Ads, enhances cross-platform user journey analysis.
  • GA4 has a clean reporting interface, making it easier for marketers to identify key trends and data irregularities.
  • Google Analytics has an active community with an abundance of educational resources available for users.

  Cons

  • Complexity for beginners : The wide range of features and new event-based model might overwhelm users new to analytics tools.
  • Dependence on machine learning : Reliance on machine learning for insights and predictions may require trust in the tool’s data processing and large volumes of traffic for accuracy.
  • Transition from UA to GA4 : Users familiar with Universal Analytics (UA) might find the transition to GA4 challenging due to differences in features and data models.

  3. HubSpot

  

  HubSpot is a marketing and sales software that helps businesses attract visitors and turn them into paying customers. 

  It supports various business processes, from social media posts to email marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot organises and tracks user interactions across different channels, providing a unified and efficient approach to customer relationship management (CRM) and customer segmentation.

  Businesses can leverage HubSpot’s customer segmentation through lists, workflows, and smart content.

  Key features

  • Integration capabilities : HubSpot offers over 1,000 integrations in its ecosystem, ensuring seamless connectivity across various marketing, sales, and service tools, which helps maintain data consistency and reduces manual efforts.
  • Segmentation and personalisation : HubSpot allows businesses to deliver personalised content and interactions based on customer behaviour and preferences, using its robust CRM features and advanced automation capabilities.

  Pros 

  • Comprehensive support : HubSpot offers a range of support options, including a knowledge base, real-time chat, and more.
  • User-friendly interface : The platform is designed for ease of use, ensuring a smooth experience even for less tech-savvy users.
  • Personalisation capabilities : HubSpot provides personalised marketing, sales and service experiences, leveraging customer data effectively.

  Cons

  • High price point : HubSpot can be expensive, especially as you scale up and require more advanced features.
  • Steep learning curve : For businesses new to such comprehensive platforms, there might be an initial learning curve to utilise its features effectively.

  4. Klaviyo

  

  Klaviyo is a marketing automation software primarily focused on email and SMS messaging for e-commerce businesses. It’s designed to personalise and optimise customer communication. 

  Klaviyo integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, making it a go-to solution for online stores. Its strength lies in its ability to use customer data to deliver targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

  Key features

  • Email marketing automation : Klaviyo allows users to send automated and personalised emails based on customer behaviour and preferences. This feature is crucial for e-commerce businesses in nurturing leads and maintaining customer engagement.
  • SMS marketing : It includes SMS messaging capabilities, enabling businesses to engage customers directly through text messages.
  • Segmentation and personalisation : Klaviyo offers advanced segmentation tools that enable businesses to categorise customers based on their behaviour, preferences and purchase history, facilitating highly targeted marketing efforts.
  • Integration with e-commerce platforms : Klaviyo integrates with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce, allowing easy data synchronisation and campaign management.

  Pros 

  • Enhanced e-commerce integration : Klaviyo’s deep integration with e-commerce platforms greatly benefits online retailers regarding ease of use and campaign effectiveness.
  • Advanced segmentation and personalisation : The platform’s strong segmentation capabilities enable businesses to tailor their marketing messages more effectively.
  • Robust automation features : Klaviyo’s automation tools are powerful and user-friendly, saving time and improving marketing efficiency.

  Cons

  • Cost : Klaviyo can be more expensive than other options in this list, particularly as you scale up and add more contacts.
  • Complexity for beginners : The platform’s wide range of features and advanced capabilities might overwhelm beginners or small businesses with simpler needs.

  5. UserGuiding

  

  UserGuiding is a no-code product adoption tool that lets businesses create in-app user walkthroughs, guides, and checklists to onboard, engage, and retain users.

  UserGuiding facilitates customer segmentation by enabling businesses to create segmented onboarding flows, analyse behavioural insights, deliver personalised guidance, and collect feedback tailored to different user segments.

  Key features

  • In-app walkthroughs, guides and checklists : UserGuiding has multiple features that can promote product adoption early in the user journey.
  • In-app messaging : UserGuiding offers in-app messaging to help users learn more about the product and various ways to get value.
  • User feedback : UserGuiding allows businesses to gather qualitative feedback to streamline the adoption journey for users.

  Pros 

  • User-friendly interface
  • Customisable onboarding checklists
  • Retention analytics

  Cons

  • Need for technical expertise to maximise all features
  • Limited customisation options for less tech-savvy users

  What to look for in a customer segmentation software 

  When choosing a customer segmentation software, choosing the right one for your specific business needs is important. 

  Here are a few factors to consider when choosing your customer segmentation tool :

  1. Ease of use : Select a tool with an intuitive interface that simplifies navigation. This enhances the user experience, making complex tasks more manageable. Additionally, responsive customer support is crucial. It ensures that issues are promptly resolved, contributing to a smoother operation.
  2. Scalability and flexibility : Your chosen tool should adjust to your needs. A flexible tool like Matomo can adjust to your growing requirements, offering capabilities that evolve as your business expands.
  3. Integration capabilities : The software should seamlessly integrate with your existing systems, such as CRM, marketing, and automation platforms. 
  4. Advanced analytics and reporting : Assess the software’s capability to analyse and interpret complex data sets, without relying on machine learning to fill data gaps. A robust tool should provide accurate insights and detailed reports, enabling you to make informed decisions based on real data.
  5. Privacy and security considerations : Data security is paramount in today’s digital landscape. Look for features like data encryption, security storage, and adherence to privacy standards like GDPR and CCPA compliance. 
  6. Reviews and recommendations : Before making a decision, consider the reputation of the software providers. Look for reviews and recommendations from other users, especially those in similar industries. This can provide real-world insights into the software’s performance and reliability.

  

  Leverage Matomo’s segmentation capabilities to deliver personalised experiences

  Segmentation is the best place to start if you want to deliver personalised customer experiences. There are several customer segmentation software in the market. But they’re not all the same.

  In this article, we reviewed the top segmentation tools — based on factors like their user base, features, and ethical data privacy considerations.

  Ideally, you want a tool to support your evolving business and segmentation needs. Not to mention one that cares about your customers’ privacy and ensures you stay compliant. 

  Enter Matomo at the top of the list. You can leverage Matomo’s accurate insights and comprehensive segmentation capabilities without compromising on privacy. Try it free for 21-days. No credit card required.

  Try Matomo for Free

  21 day free trial. No credit card required.

  
  

  Your email address
  

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  Your information will be used to create an account on our cloud service. For more information please consult our privacy policy.
  
  
  

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• How to Increase Conversions With Form Analysis

  30 janvier 2024, par Erin

  Forms are one of the most important elements of your website. They are also one of the most difficult elements to analyse and improve. 

  Unlike a webpage, forms aren’t all that easy to analyse with standard web analytics tools. You need to learn how to conduct form analysis if you want to improve your forms’ conversion rates and increase revenue. 

  In this article, we’ll explain what form analysis is and why conducting a thorough form analysis is so important. 

  What is form analysis ?

  Form analysis is a process that measures the effectiveness of your forms. Form analysis uses several tools and techniques like a form analytics platform, heatmaps, and session recordings to collect user data and understand how visitors behave when filling in forms. 

  The goal is to improve the design and effectiveness of your forms, reducing abandonment rate and encouraging more users to submit them. 

  There are plenty of reasons visitors could be having trouble with your forms, from confusing form fields to poor design and lengthy verification processes. Form analytics can help you pinpoint why your form’s conversion rate is so low or why so many users abandon your form halfway through filling it in. 

  Why is form analysis important ?

  Website forms have some of the highest bounce rates and abandonments of any website element. By analysing your forms, you can achieve the following outcomes :

  

  Reduce form abandonment

  When it’s tough enough to get users to start filling in your form, the last thing you want them to do is abandon it halfway through. But that’s probably what your users are doing more than you’d like to think. 

  Why are they abandoning it ? Even if you’re humble enough to admit you didn’t create the greatest form the world’s ever seen, it can still be incredibly difficult to pin down why users give up on your form.

  That’s unless you conduct a form analysis. By analysing metrics and user behaviour, you can pinpoint and rectify the issues that cause users to abandon your form. 

  Improve the user experience

  Best practices will only take you so far. How users behave when filling in a form on your website may be completely different to how they behave on another site. That’s why you need to use form analysis to understand how users behave specifically on your website — and then use that information to optimise the design, layout, and content of the form to better suit them. 

  If one field is regularly left empty, for example, you can delete it. If users spend several minutes filling out a form with a high abandonment rate, you could shorten it. 

  The goal isn’t to make the best form ever but to make the best form for your audience. 

  Increase conversions

  Ultimately, form analysis helps you improve your form’s most important metric : conversions. Reducing your abandonment rate will naturally lead to more completions, but so will taking advantage of other optimisation opportunities that only become clear with form analysis. This can include optimisations like :

  • Moving the form higher up on the page
  • Shortening the form
  • Changing the heading and CTAs
  • Renaming field labels 

  A thorough form analysis process can ensure your forms generate as many conversions as possible. 

  Why do users abandon forms ?

  Are you already suffering from high form abandonment rates ? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Marketers regularly make the same mistakes when creating forms that cause users to give up halfway through completion.

  Here are some of the most common reasons for form abandonment :

  • There are too many steps. If you’re telling users they’ve just completed step 2 of 12, you can bet they won’t bother finishing your form. 
  • They ask for too much information. No one wants to fill out a long form, and often, users won’t have the information on hand if you ask for too much. Just look at the rate left blank from the Unneeded Fields report in the screenshot below :

  

  • The form is confusing. Unclear form fields or directions can put users off. 
  • All the fields are free text and time-consuming. Filling out forms with long text fields takes too much time. To speed things up, use dropdown options in the fields, but keep the options to a minimum. This not only helps users finish the form faster but also makes it easier to analyse the data later because it keeps the data format consistent so you can organise the information more efficiently. 
  • Users don’t trust the form. This is a particular problem on checkout pages where users are entering sensitive information.

  How to conduct form analysis

  You need to collect user behaviour data to effectively analyse your forms. But a lot of traditional website analytics tools won’t have the required functionality. 

  Matomo is different. Our web analytics solution offers comprehensive web analytics as well as additional features like Heatmaps, Session Recordings, A/B Testing, and Form Analytics to provide all the functionality you need. 

  Now if you don’t use Matomo, you can try it free for 21 days (no credit card required) to see if it’s the right tool for you.

  Whether you use Matomo or not is up to you. But, once you have a suitable tool in place, just follow the steps below to conduct a form analysis. 

  Check your analytics

  Tracking and analysing specific form metrics should be the first place you start. We recommend collecting data on the following metrics :

  • Form starter rate : the percentage of visitors who actually start to fill in your form
  • Completion rate : the percentage of visitors who complete the form
  • Form abandonment rate : the percentage of users who gave up filling in your form
  • Time spent completing your form : the average length of time users spend on your form

  Let’s look at these metrics are in Matomo’s Form Analytics :

  

  The dashboard shows an overview of these metrics over a given period, allowing you to see at a glance whether there are issues you need to rectify. 

  Next, deep dive into the performance of each form to see things like :

  • Drop off fields
  • Unused fields
  • Entry field
  • Most corrected fields 

  You can even use Matomo’s visitor log to see who’s behind every submission.

  Try Matomo for Free

  Get the web insights you need, without compromising data accuracy.

  Start for free

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  Use a heatmap

  A heatmap is a colour-based graphical representation of data. A heatmap will show what users to do on your website, including : 

  • How far they scroll
  • Which buttons they click on
  • Where they focus their attention

  When used on a webpage with a form, you’ll be able to see how often users interact with your form based on the heatmap colour, with warmer colours representing greater engagement levels.

  Let’s look at a heatmap in Matomo :

  

  This heatmap is showing us how far down users have scrolled. It’s clear that only 63% of visitors are reaching the point above our call to action to see all features. We might want to consider moving that call to action up in order to get more engagement. 

  A heatmap is a great way to see whether your form’s placement gets the level of attention you want from visitors and to what extent visitors interact with your field.

  Record user sessions

  Session replays go even further than heatmaps, recording a real-life user interacting with your site. It’s like looking over a visitor’s shoulder while they use your site.

  

  With Matomo, you can record any sessions where the user takes a certain action (like starting to fill in a form), allowing you to build a rich library of qualitative data. 

  You can then replay a recorded session at your leisure to understand exactly how users interact with your forms.

  Segment users

  If you really want to understand how visitors use your forms, then it’s essential to segment your data. 

  You can segment all Form Analytics reports by over 100 pre-built segments in Matomo.

  

  One way to segment your data is by comparing the average time on form of those who completed the form with those who abandoned it. 

  If users abandon a form quickly, that could indicate your form is irrelevant to this audience or too long. If users spend a lot of time on the form, however, it’s probably safe to assume that it is relevant but there is something wrong with the form itself. 

  Looking at the Field Timings report will help you pinpoint which field visitors are spending the most time on and causing frustration. 

  

  The Field Timings example report in Matomo above, it’s evident that the “Overview of your needs” field takes up the most time (avg. time spent is 1 min 40s). To improve this, we might want to change it to a dropdown field. This way, users can quickly select options, and if necessary, provide additional details.

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  Another way is to segment data by traffic source and compare each source’s conversion rate. This will show whether one traffic source converts better than another or if one source isn’t interested in your form at all.

  How to optimise web forms

  Want to implement what you’ve learnt from your form analysis ? Follow these steps to optimise your existing web forms. 

  Define your form’s purpose

  The first step in optimising your existing web forms is to give a clear and definitive purpose to every single one. 

  When you have a defined goal, creating a form users will complete is much easier. After all, if you don’t know why people should fill in one of your forms, how would a visitor possibly know ?

  Take a look at one of our forms below :

  

  The purpose of this form is to get users to sign up for a free trial of our web analytics platform, and every element works towards that goal :

  • The headline directs the user to take action
  • The copy explains that it’s a free trial that doesn’t require credit card details
  • The green call-to-action button reinforces the action and benefit 
  • There is validation to support this under the form – “Trusted on over 1 million websites in over 190+ countries”

  Our clear instructions leave users no doubt about why they should fill in the form or what will happen. 

  Choose the right type of form

  You can use several forms on your website, each with different designs, form fields, and goals.

  For example :

  • Registration forms are fairly minimalist and designed to collect the least amount of data possible. 
  • Contact forms are concise so that it’s easy for potential customers to reach your team. 
  • Checkout forms balance a need to collect important data with a streamlined design that doesn’t put users off.
  • Lead generation forms are compelling and usually include qualifying questions so sales teams can score leads.

  Make sure you are using the right type of form to avoid abandonments and other issues. For example, requiring users to fill in a lengthy lead generation-style form when you want them to sign up for a free trial will probably kill your conversion rate. 

  Test form elements

  If your form analysis has shed light on one or two issues, you can use A/B or multivariate testing to trial new elements or designs and see how they compare.

  There’s no shortage of elements you can test, including the form’s :

  • Headline
  • Placement
  • Design
  • CTA button
  • Colour-scheme
  • Length
  • Form fields

  

  Matomo makes it easy to create and run A/B tests on your website’s forms. 

  Move your form above the fold

  One of the simplest ways to optimise your web form is to move it above the fold — that’s the section of the screen users see when they load your page. 

  Why ? Well, the more people who see your form, the more people will fill it in. And when it’s above the fold, users can’t help but see it.

  Conclusion

  Forms are one of the most important elements on your website, so why not treat them as such and regularly run a thorough form analysis ? By doing so, you’ll identify ways to optimise your form, improve the user experience, and improve conversions. 

  Matomo is the best platform for conducting form analysis. Our combination of web analytics, Form Analytics, Session Recordings, and Heatmaps means you have all the tools you need to learn exactly how visitors interact with your forms. 

  See just how powerful Matomo’s tools are by starting a free 21-day trial, no credit card required. 

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