Mouse movement is one of the signals that hints at where visitors are looking and what catches their attention. This article explains what Zenovay's tracker captures and what the heatmap dashboard shows today.
What Zenovay Captures
When recording is enabled, the tracking script samples several kinds of interaction data per page:
| Signal | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Clicks | Where visitors click |
| Scroll depth | How far down the page visitors reach |
| Mouse movement | Cursor paths across the page (sampled) |
| Attention | Time spent with parts of the page in view |
Clicks and scroll depth power the heatmap views you can open in the dashboard. Movement and attention are collected and stored, but they aren't yet exposed as their own heatmap view.
Why Mouse Movement Matters
Mouse movement is often used as a rough proxy for attention:
- The cursor frequently tracks alongside where someone is reading
- Pauses can suggest hesitation or interest
- Movement isn't eye tracking, so treat it as a hint, not a measurement
Viewing Heatmaps
The heatmap dashboard currently offers two views: Click and Scroll.
Open Heatmaps
Open your website's dashboard and select the Heatmaps tab (under Audience), or go to Heatmaps in the main navigation.
Pick a page
Choose the page you want to analyze from the page list on the left.
Switch views
Use the Click / Scroll toggle to switch between the click heatmap and the scroll-depth view.
For a deep dive on each view, see Click heatmaps and Scroll heatmaps.
Reading the Color Scale
Heatmap overlays use a warm-to-cool gradient. Hotter colors mean higher density:
| Color | Density |
|---|---|
| Red | Very high |
| Orange | High |
| Yellow | Medium |
| Green | Low |
| Blue | Very low |
| None | No activity recorded |
Movement vs Clicks
Clicks and movement tell you different things:
| Movement | Clicks |
|---|---|
| Hints at interest and attention | Shows a deliberate action |
| Useful as a reading indicator | Confirms intent |
| Passive | Active |
Because the dashboard surfaces clicks (and scroll depth) directly, click heatmaps are the most reliable read on engagement today. Movement data adds context but isn't a standalone view yet.
Desktop vs Mobile
| Device | What you see |
|---|---|
| Desktop | Rich cursor movement and clicks |
| Mobile / touch | Taps and scrolling, but no continuous cursor movement |
On touch devices there's no hover or cursor trail, so click (tap) and scroll heatmaps are the most meaningful signals.
Filtering
When viewing a heatmap you can change the time window using the period selector at the top of the view (for example 7 days, 30 days, or longer ranges, depending on your plan's retention).
Watching Movement in Sessions
If you want to see how an individual visitor moved through a page, use session replay rather than heatmaps. A recorded session plays back the visitor's cursor movement, clicks, and scrolling in sequence, so you can watch the behavior unfold instead of looking at an aggregate. See Session replay overview for how to find and play recordings.
Use Cases
Even without a dedicated movement view, click and scroll heatmaps cover most optimization needs:
- Content: see what gets clicked and how far people scroll before dropping off
- Navigation: check which menu and link areas get engagement
- Forms: spot where interaction stops
- Calls to action: confirm your primary buttons are in the spots people actually reach and click
Limitations
A few things to keep in mind:
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Screen size and layout | Responsive breakpoints change where elements sit |
| Mouse vs trackpad | Movement style varies by input device |
| Touch devices | No cursor movement, tap and scroll only |
| Low traffic | Sparse pages produce noisy heatmaps |
Not Eye Tracking
Movement correlates with where people look, but it isn't the same thing. For decisions that genuinely depend on gaze, dedicated eye-tracking is the right tool.
Enough Data
Heatmaps get more trustworthy with more sessions. A few hundred sessions on a page is a reasonable starting point; very low-traffic pages may not show clear patterns.