Attention Maps Vs. Traditional Heatmaps: Which One Works Best

Ever looked at a heatmap and wondered if you’re making the right changes? Data can be misleading if you’re not using the right tool for the job. You could end up fixing what’s not broken and missing what actually matters.

This article helps you cut through the noise and choose between attention maps and traditional heatmaps so you can make confident, data-driven design decisions that actually improve engagement and conversions.

Attention Maps Vs. Traditional Heatmaps In A Nutshell

Attention maps use AI to predict where users will look, while traditional heatmaps show where users actually click, scroll, or hover. One helps before launch, the other analyzes real behavior after.

Attention Maps: What It Is, How It Works, Pros, & Cons

To pick the right tool, you first need to know what attention maps bring to the table.

What Is An Attention Map?

Think of attention maps as a cheat sheet for visual impact. It shows what’s likely to catch a user’s eye so you can optimize before anyone clicks.

How Does An Attention Map Work?

An attention heatmap uses AI to predict where people’s eyes will go first. It looks at visual elements like color, contrast, size, and layout to figure out what grabs attention the most. The results show up as a heatmap, with warm colors (red, orange) highlighting the most eye-catching spots and cooler colors (blue, green) showing areas that get less focus.

Because it’s AI-driven, an attention heatmap doesn’t need real users to generate results, it works instantly. This makes it great for testing designs, ads, and layouts before launch, to help you place important headlines and buttons where they will get noticed. But since it’s based on predictions, use it as a guide, not a replacement for real user data.

Advantages & Drawbacks

4 Best Attention Map Tools

Using the right attention heatmap tool can make a huge difference in how you optimize your design. As you go through each tool, pay close attention to their key features.

1. Attention Insight: AI-Powered Precision For Fast Decisions

Attention Insight predicts user focus with over 90% accuracy based on eye-tracking studies. It generates instant heatmaps that highlight which elements will grab attention within the first few seconds. Just upload your design or enter a webpage URL, and the AI does the rest.

How to Use Attention Insight:

• Register on Attention Insight and upload a design or enter a URL.
• Generate the heatmap. The AI instantly analyzes your layout and creates an attention map.
• Identify which areas get the most attention and adjust elements like CTAs, headlines, and images before launching.

If you need AI-powered heatmaps with eye-tracking accuracy, Attention Insight offers percentage-based visibility scores for CTAs, headlines, and images. It also has a clarity score so you can measure how visually clean and scannable your design is.

2. Mouseflow: A Complete Suite With Attention Tracking

Mouseflow provides 6 types of heatmaps to help you understand which areas of a page get the most focus. It’s a great option if you want to combine attention predictions with actual user behavior tracking.

How to Use Mouseflow:

• Install the tracking code. Sign up for Mouseflow and integrate it with your website.
• In the dashboard, select ‘Heatmaps’ and choose ‘Attention Heatmap.’
• See which parts of your page hold user focus the longest. If CTAs or product images are not getting enough attention, adjust their size, contrast, or placement to make them more visually prominent.

3. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer): AI-Powered Insights & A/B Testing

VWO offers predictive attention heatmaps alongside powerful A/B testing tools where you can optimize page elements by simulating where users will look before a design is live.

How to Use VWO:

• Register on VWO and connect it to your website.
• Navigate to ‘Insights’ and choose ‘Heatmaps’ to generate AI-driven attention maps.
• Use the results to adjust your layout and test variations.

4. Lucky Orange: Real-Time Analytics With Attention Heatmaps

Lucky Orange is an all-in-one analytics tool that includes attention heatmaps, session recordings, and visitor analytics. It’s useful for those who want to track both predicted and real engagement in one platform.

How to Use Lucky Orange:

• Sign up for Lucky Orange and integrate it with your website.
• Select ‘Heatmaps’ and choose ‘Attention’ to see where users focus.
• Identify which sections of your page get the most and least attention, then reposition CTAs, forms, or key messaging to align with high-focus zones. If crucial areas are ignored, adjust colors, spacing, or contrast to make them more noticeable.

Which Attention Map Tool Should You Choose?

• For fast, AI-powered predictions, Attention Insight is the best choice.
• For a mix of AI insights & real user dataMouseflow or Lucky Orange offer a balance.
• For A/B testing alongside heatmap, VWO is a strong option.

Traditional Heatmaps: What They Show, How to Use Them, & Their Pros & Cons

We covered attention heatmaps, let’s also understand what traditional heatmaps are.

What Is A Traditional Heatmap?

Traditional heatmaps show where users actually click, scroll, and hover so you can understand how people interact with your page. Instead of predicting attention, they track real user behavior, to give you insights based on actual engagement.

How Does A Traditional Heatmap Work?

A traditional heatmap collects data from real visitors, tracking their actions (clicks, scroll depth, and mouse movements) to create a visual representation of user activity. Areas with the most interaction appear in warm colors (red, orange), while less active spots fade into cooler shades (blue, green).

Since it relies on real user behavior, a traditional heatmap gives accurate post-launch data. It’s great for spotting usability issues, improving conversions, and making data-driven optimizations. But you need actual traffic to generate meaningful results, so it’s not useful for pre-launch testing.

Advantages & Drawbacks

4 Most-Used Traditional Heatmap Tools

When choosing a tool to use, think about how deep you need to go into user behavior. Do you just need a quick visual overview of clicks and scrolls, or do you want more advanced tracking, like session replays or segmentation by device type?

Consider whether you need simple heatmaps for surface-level insights or a more comprehensive tool to diagnose user friction or where users abandon your site.

1. Crazy Egg: Comprehensive Click & Scroll Tracking

Crazy Egg offers detailed click and scroll heatmaps, so you can see where users are clicking and how far they scroll on your pages. This will help you identify popular and overlooked areas, so you can make data-driven design decisions.

How to Use Crazy Egg:

• Register on Crazy Egg and add the tracking script to your website.
• Create snapshots of the pages you want to analyze.
• Access click and scroll heatmaps to understand user engagement.
• Use the data to reposition elements, improve layouts, and enhance user experience.

2. FullStory: In-Depth Session Replays & Heatmaps

FullStory combines heatmaps with session replay functionalit to get you a comprehensive view of how users interact. It captures clicks, scrolls, and mouse movements, so you can visualize user behavior and identify areas for improvement.

How to Use FullStory:

• Create an account on FullStory and integrate the tracking code into your website.
• Access session replays to observe user interactions in real-time.
• Review aggregated heatmaps to identify trends and patterns.
• Adjust layout, CTAs, and content placement based on user interaction patterns.

3. Smartlook: Real-Time User Behavior Analysis

Smartlook provides heatmaps alongside session recordings so you can analyze user behavior on both websites and mobile apps. It gives clicks, taps, and scrolls data to help you understand how users navigate your platform.

How to Use Smartlook:

• Register on Smartlook and add the tracking code to your website or app.
• Define the pages or screens you want to analyze.
• Review heatmaps and session recordings to identify user behavior patterns.
• Shift the elements around based on where users actually click, scroll, and spend time.

4. Plerdy: Multi-Faceted User Behavior Tracking

Plerdy tracks clicks, scrolls, and mouse movements, showing exactly how users interact with your site. It also comes with built-in SEO analysis and pop-up form tracking, making it a handy all-in-one tool for improving both engagement and conversions.

How to Use Plerdy:

• Create an account on Plerdy and implement the tracking code on your site.
• Navigate to the heatmap section to view user interaction data.
• Identify which areas receive the most engagement and which are overlooked.
• Use the data to move key elements, fix ignored sections, and make your site easier to navigate.

Which Traditional Heatmap Tool Should You Choose?

• For comprehensive click and scroll tracking, Crazy Egg is a solid choice.
• For in-depth session replays, FullStory offers what you need.
• For real-time behavior analysis on websites and apps, choose Smartlook.
• For a versatile tool with additional features, Plerdy has a broad range of functionalities.

Attention Maps vs Traditional Heatmaps: Common Use Cases + Examples

Choosing between attention maps and traditional heatmaps depends on what stage you are in, what goals you have, and what insights you need. Here’s how to decide:

I. eCommerce Stores: Use Traditional Heatmaps

An online store thrives on real user engagement: what products people click, how far they scroll, and where they drop off before checkout. Traditional heatmaps help spot problem areas like an ignored “Add to Cart” button or a product description that’s too low on the page.

Example:

A Walmart Marketplace seller analyzing heatmaps for their product listing notices that shoppers frequently click on product images but rarely scroll down to the description or reviews even after learning strategies from these Walmart starter guides.

Realizing that buyers rely heavily on images to make decisions, they optimize the first few images to highlight key features and add infographic-style visuals explaining benefits. This small tweak will result in a higher conversion rate and fewer returns because the product expectations are clearer.

II. Review & Buying Guides: Use Attention Maps

These pages need to highlight key takeaways fast, before users bounce. Attention maps help optimize layout, CTA placement, and visual hierarchy before publishing to make sure readers focus on the most important sections first.

Example:

This medical alert device review site runs an attention map on a buying guide and finds that users’ eyes first land on the comparison table but skip the “See Special Offer” recommendation. To improve conversions, they reposition the winning device’s callout within the table, change the CTA color, and move the CTA higher.

III. SaaS & B2B Platforms: Use Traditional Heatmaps

Software platforms rely on user flows, sign-up processes, and feature discovery. A traditional heatmap reveals where users hesitate, drop off, or engage most so it helps you improve onboarding and retention.

Example:

A time-tracking SaaS company sees that users often abandon the onboarding process after step 2. The heatmap analysis shows that they struggle with the “Add Team Members” step. The company simplifies this section by offering a “Skip for Now” button.

IV. Recruiting Platforms: Use Both

Recruiting platforms need attention maps to refine job posting layouts before launch and traditional heatmaps to track how job seekers interact with listings and filters.

Example:

A recruiting platform like Genius can use an attention map to test a new candidate posting layout before rolling it out. The AI predicts that employers focus more on the company logo and job title but overlook the “Hire 1% Administrative Assistants” button. To fix this, they move the button higher and adjust its color to make it more visible.

After launch, they use a traditional heatmap and discover that users rarely interact with the salary filter, even though it’s one of the most searched criteria. Based on this, they redesign the filter placement and add a default salary range.

V. Landing Pages & Ad Creatives: Use Attention Maps

Before launching an ad campaign, you need to know if your key elements (CTA, headlines, and visuals) will grab attention right away. Attention maps predict where users’ eyes will land, showing if your CTA is prominent enough or if distractions are pulling focus away.

When you catch these issues early, you can adjust colors, contrast, or placement before spending money on ads. This means you are not just guessing what works but making sure your ad creative is optimized for higher click-through rates and a better return on investment.

Example:

An Amazon seller launching a new product tests an attention map on their product detail page before going live. The AI predicts that shoppers’ eyes focus on the product title and price but skip over the bullet points. To make key selling points stand out, they rearrange the listing, bold key phrases, and tweak formatting to increase in “Add to Cart” clicks.

VI. Blogs & Content Sites: Use Traditional Heatmaps

Content-heavy websites need to know how far users scroll, where they stop reading, and what they click on. Traditional heatmaps shows which sections hold attention and which get skipped.

Example:

A finance blog analyzing its heatmaps sees that users spend a lot of time on comparison tables but barely read the introduction. They move key takeaways to the top and add jump links, to increase time on page.

VII. Mobile Apps & Interactive Web Apps: Use Traditional Heatmaps

Mobile and web apps need to track taps, gestures, and navigation paths to improve usability. A heatmap helps pinpoint usability issues in real-time.

Example:

A language-learning app notices that users repeatedly tap an icon meant for visual reference, expecting it to play audio. They update the icon to a play button, improving how users engage with learning materials.

Which One Should You Use?

• Use Attention Maps if you are in the pre-launch stage, designing a landing page, ad, or content layout, and need instant data on what will stand out visually.
• Use Traditional Heatmaps if you want real user data on clicks, scrolls, and interactions to refine an existing design based on how people actually engage.
• Use both for platforms like marketplaces or SaaS tools where you need to optimize layout and track real users.

The Verdict: What’s Better Between Attention Maps vs Traditional Heatmaps?

Neither is outright better because each serves a different purpose.Choosing between the two depends on what stage you are in.

If you are refining a design before launch, attention maps help predict visual focus so you can optimize layout and CTA placement upfront. Once real users interact with your site, traditional heatmaps provide the hard data showing what’s working and what needs improvement.

Think of attention maps as your blueprint and traditional heatmaps as your real-world test.

Conclusion

Optimizing your design isn’t just about making any changes. It’s about making the right changes at the right time. To make it easier to decide, think of attention maps as a movie trailer, they predict what will grab attention before release, while traditional heatmaps are the box office results, showing what actually kept people engaged.

Making smart design choices early can save you time, effort, and ad spend. Attention Insight you can predict where users will focus before they even visit, so you can refine your layout and optimize key elements with confidence. Try for free today.