Click Heatmap vs Scroll Heatmap: Differences Explained

Click heatmaps and scroll heatmaps are among the most valuable tools for understanding user behavior—but they measure fundamentally different things. Using one without understanding the other leaves blind spots in your user experience analysis.

This guide explains what each heatmap type reveals, when to use them, how to interpret the data, and how to combine insights from both for a complete picture of your website's performance.

Quick Comparison: Click vs Scroll Heatmaps

| Aspect | Click Heatmap | Scroll Heatmap | |--------|---------------|----------------| | Measures | Where users click | How far users scroll | | Color intensity | Click concentration | Scroll depth reached | | Best for | Finding engagement hotspots | Identifying content visibility | | Reveals problems | Non-clickable elements, ignored CTAs | Content buried below fold | | Key insight | What users want to interact with | What users actually see | | Action | Improve button placement | Reorganize page sections | | Common issue | Rage clicks (repeated frustrated clicks) | High bounce at scroll depth |

What Is a Click Heatmap?

A click heatmap visualizes every click made on your page. The color intensity indicates where users click most frequently—warm colors (red, orange) show high-click areas; cool colors (blue, green) show low-click areas; white/gray shows no clicks.

What Click Heatmaps Reveal

High-click zones (red areas):

• Interactive elements users find valuable
• Expected buttons and navigation items
• Links users trust and engage with
• Areas that command attention

Medium-click zones (orange/yellow areas):

• Secondary navigation
• Complementary content
• Moderate engagement features

Low-click zones (blue/green areas):

• Underutilized features
• Buttons in poor locations
• Links users miss entirely
• Potential design failures

Click Heatmap Use Cases

1. Button and CTA Placement

A click heatmap instantly reveals whether your primary call-to-action gets clicks or goes ignored. If your "Sign Up" button is the wrong color, wrong size, or in the wrong place, the heatmap shows abandoned clicks nearby.

2. Navigation Analysis

See which navigation items users click most. If your "Pricing" link gets 10x the clicks of "Company," you know what matters to your audience.

3. Identifying Rage Clicks

Rage clicks—repeated clicks on the same spot in rapid succession—indicate frustration. A click heatmap combined with session recordings shows when users click buttons that don't work, form fields that don't respond, or features that appear clickable but aren't.

4. Finding Wasted Space

Large sections with zero clicks aren't necessarily bad, but they indicate design opportunities. Video embeds, testimonial sections, or trust badges with no clicks might need repositioning or redesign.

5. Form Field Analysis

Click heatmaps show which form fields get focused and which are skipped. If users skip your "Company Name" field, maybe it's optional or poorly labeled.

What Is a Scroll Heatmap?

A scroll heatmap shows how far down the page users scroll. It visualizes scroll depth—the percentage of users who reach each vertical section of your page. Warm colors (red) indicate sections most users reach; cool colors (blue) indicate sections few users see.

What Scroll Heatmaps Reveal

Highly scrolled sections (red areas):

• Content users want to consume
• Sections visible in viewport on page load
• Critical information positioned effectively
• Page sections that drive engagement

Moderately scrolled sections (orange/yellow areas):

• Secondary content with decent reach
• Sections some users view
• Features that work but aren't universal

Low-scroll sections (blue/green areas):

• Content few users ever see
• Critical information buried below fold
• Sections that need repositioning
• Content that might not be valuable

Scroll Heatmap Use Cases

1. Content Hierarchy and Positioning

Scroll heatmaps show whether important content is positioned where users will see it. If your value proposition only reaches 20% of visitors, it's buried too deep.

2. "Below the Fold" Validation

For years, marketers fought over whether below-the-fold content matters. Scroll heatmaps answer definitively: if 70% of users scroll past your fold, your content positioning is effective.

3. Landing Page Optimization

Product pages, landing pages, and service pages need content positioned strategically. Scroll heatmaps show where users stop reading, helping you decide what content to move, remove, or expand.

4. Mobile vs Desktop Differences

Scroll behavior varies dramatically on mobile vs desktop. Mobile users scroll more (smaller viewports), while desktop users may not scroll at all on content-heavy pages. Scroll heatmaps reveal these platform differences.

5. Exit Point Detection

Sharp drops in scroll depth indicate where users leave the page. A sudden cliff at the 40% mark reveals a problem section that needs investigation.

When to Use Click Heatmaps

Use click heatmaps when you want to answer:

• Where do users try to click? (on images, logos, or non-interactive elements?)
• Are my CTAs getting interaction?
• Which navigation items matter most?
• Do users attempt to click elements that aren't clickable?
• Where are my rage clicks happening?
• Is my page's clickable geography clear?

Click heatmaps excel at revealing:

• Broken expectations (users clicking non-clickable elements)
• Engagement concentration (which features actually matter)
• Information hierarchy (what draws user attention)
• Design problems (buttons too small, links unclear)

When to Use Scroll Heatmaps

Use scroll heatmaps when you want to answer:

• How much of my page do users actually see?
• Is my critical content positioned correctly?
• Where do users stop scrolling?
• Does below-the-fold content get seen?
• Which sections need to move up the page?
• Is my content digestible or overwhelming?

Scroll heatmaps excel at revealing:

• Content visibility (what percentage see each section)
• Scroll fatigue (declining engagement at depth)
• Optimal page length (where attention drops off)
• Mobile scrolling behavior (different from desktop)
• Exit points (where users leave)

Combining Click and Scroll Insights

The real power emerges when you analyze both heatmaps together.

Scenario 1: High Clicks, Low Scroll

What it means: Users interact with elements at the top of the page but don't scroll below the fold.

Possible causes:

• Top navigation, header buttons, or CTA are engaging but lead to exit
• Users find what they need immediately and leave satisfied
• Content below fold isn't relevant or isn't positioned well

Action:

• Verify top-of-page CTAs lead to conversion (success, not exit)
• Move critical below-fold content higher
• Test whether deeper content needs different positioning

Scenario 2: Low Clicks, High Scroll

What it means: Users scroll through your page but don't interact with clickable elements.

Possible causes:

• Users are reading or browsing passively
• Clickable elements aren't clear (don't look clickable)
• Users haven't found the action they want to take
• Page is informational rather than interactive

Action:

• Make CTAs more prominent and obvious
• Add calls-to-action at natural scroll depth intervals
• Test clearer visual hierarchy for interactive elements
• Add confirmation that actions are interactive ("Click here", arrow icons)

Scenario 3: High Clicks, High Scroll

What it means: Users engage throughout the entire page.

Possible outcomes:

• Page is well-designed with good information architecture
• Users are finding value at multiple depths
• Both navigation and content are compelling
• Conversion probability is typically higher

Action:

• Maintain current structure—it's working
• Monitor which specific areas convert
• Test expanding deep content that drives scrolling
• Consider adding more interactive elements lower on page

Scenario 4: Low Clicks, Low Scroll

What it means: Users don't interact and don't scroll.

Possible causes:

• Landing page bounce (user left immediately)
• Content isn't engaging or relevant
• Page load time is slow
• Traffic source is misaligned with page intent

Action:

• Check bounce rate and traffic source alignment
• Review page clarity and value proposition
• Audit page load performance
• Test headline and above-fold content
• Consider if traffic source is targeting correctly

How to Read Heatmap Color Intensity

Click Heatmap Color Scale

Red (5% of clicks or more): Hotspots—your most-engaged elements. These deserve optimization because they matter to users.

Orange (2-5%): Moderate engagement. Secondary CTAs and navigation items typically fall here.

Yellow (0.5-2%): Low engagement. Tertiary features or elements users rarely find.

Blue/Green (under 0.5%): Minimal to no clicks. Either intentional (decorative) or overlooked.

Gray/White (no clicks): No interaction. Verify if it's supposed to be clickable.

Scroll Heatmap Color Scale

Red (90-100% reach): Practically everyone sees this. Your above-the-fold section.

Orange (60-90%): Most users see this. Good reach without guaranteed visibility.

Yellow (30-60%): Moderate reach. Requires scroll but loses some percentage.

Blue/Green (10-30%): Low visibility. Few users reach here.

Gray/White (under 10%): Rarely seen. Consider moving or removing.

Common Mistakes When Interpreting Heatmaps

Mistake 1: Assuming Red = Good, Blue = Bad

Red is high engagement, but context matters. A rage click hotspot (red) is actually a problem. An image with no clicks (blue) might be perfectly fine if decorative.

Fix: Always correlate heatmap data with session recordings and conversion metrics.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Mobile Differences

Desktop and mobile users scroll and click differently. Analyzing aggregated data without splitting by device can mislead your optimization strategy.

Fix: Compare desktop and mobile heatmaps separately. Most tools offer device filtering.

Mistake 3: Not Accounting for Traffic Sources

Users from organic search behave differently than users from ads. First-time visitors click differently than returning users. Segment by traffic source and user type.

Fix: Filter heatmaps by traffic source (organic, paid, direct) and behavior (new vs returning).

Mistake 4: Ignoring Context with Session Recordings

A heatmap shows what happened but not why. A rage click hotspot looks suspicious, but session recordings reveal whether users were frustrated or just testing.

Fix: Always pair heatmaps with session recordings for context.

Mistake 5: Over-optimizing for Heatmap Hotspots

The most-clicked element isn't always the most important. If your logo gets 500 clicks/day, maybe users are confused about navigation—not a win.

Fix: Correlate heatmaps with user goals and business metrics. Click volume ≠ success.

Top Heatmap Tools for Click and Scroll Analysis

Microsoft Clarity

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting unlimited heatmaps

• Unlimited click and scroll heatmaps
• Free tier includes all core features
• Rage click detection built-in
• Google Analytics integration

Hotjar

Best for: Teams wanting sophisticated heatmap features

• Advanced click and scroll heatmaps
• Form analytics (abandoned fields)
• Conversion funnel visualization
• Session recording paired with heatmaps

Crazy Egg

Best for: Teams wanting beautiful, easy-to-read visualizations

• Scrollmaps and clickmaps with clean UI
• Confetti map (shows individual clicks with metadata)
• Works well on single-page applications
• Simple-to-understand reporting

Lucky Orange

Best for: Teams wanting all-in-one behavioral analytics

• Click and scroll heatmaps
• Session recordings and live chat
• Form analytics
• Conversion funnels

PostHog

Best for: Technical teams wanting open-source analytics

• Click and scroll heatmaps
• Session recordings
• Product analytics
• Can self-host

FAQ

Can I see both click and scroll heatmaps on the same page?

Most heatmap tools show them separately (click heatmap in one view, scroll heatmap in another). Some tools overlay basic scroll depth data as a bar alongside click data. For analysis, reviewing them separately then correlating manually is most accurate.

Do rage clicks always indicate a problem?

Rage clicks often indicate frustration, but context matters. Sometimes users are testing interface elements. Review session recordings with rage click hotspots to understand the actual user experience and intent.

Should I optimize based on clicks or conversions?

Always prioritize conversions over click volume. A highly-clicked element that leads to confusion is a problem. Conversely, a low-click element that converts well is valuable. Use heatmaps to diagnose, but optimize based on conversion data.

Do heatmaps account for mobile and desktop separately?

Better tools do. Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, and Crazy Egg all allow filtering by device. Always split your analysis by device—mobile users behave very differently and deserve their own heatmap.

How do I know if my scroll heatmap is good or bad?

It depends on your page's purpose. A product listing page might expect 40% scroll depth (users browse then leave). A landing page might expect 80%+ if your value is below the fold. Compare against benchmarks in your industry, but define success by conversions, not scroll depth alone.

Can heatmaps help with mobile app optimization?

Some tools (Smartlook, PostHog) support mobile apps with heatmaps, but mobile heatmaps are less common than web. Most mobile optimization comes from crash reports, analytics events, and session recordings rather than heatmaps.

Conclusion

Click heatmaps and scroll heatmaps answer different questions about user behavior:

Click heatmaps show: What users want to interact with

Scroll heatmaps show: What content users actually see

Together, they provide complementary insights that reveal your website's true information architecture and engagement patterns. A click hotspot in an invisible section needs repositioning. A scroll-rich page with low clicks needs more engaging interactive elements.

Start with both: Deploy click and scroll heatmaps simultaneously. Analyze them separately, then correlate the insights. Pair them with session recordings for context, and always validate findings against conversion data.

The combination transforms isolated metrics into actionable insights.

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