What session recordings are used for
- Finding where visitors get stuck, hesitate or give up, for example in a form or a checkout
- Spotting bugs, and elements that look clickable but aren’t (“rage clicks” and “dead clicks”)
- Understanding numbers in analytics, such as a high exit rate on one page
- Getting ideas for A/B tests and conversion rate optimization
Tools
Popular tools include Microsoft Clarity (free), Hotjar, FullStory and Mouseflow. Most also offer heatmaps.
Privacy
Recordings must hide personal data such as passwords, card numbers and form entries. In the EU and UK, session recording usually needs the visitor’s consent, so load the tool through your cookie consent banner and mention it in your privacy policy.