Session Recording

Conversion & UX

Also: Visitor recording · Screen recording · User session replay

What it isVideo replay of individual user journeys on your site

Best forDiagnosing UX problems that data alone cannot explain

ToolsHotjar, FullStory, Microsoft Clarity (free)

Quick definition

Session recording captures and replays the complete browsing behaviour of individual website visitors, including mouse movements, clicks, scroll behaviour and form interactions. It reveals the why behind quantitative analytics data.

Where it shows up in the data

Rage clicks

Recorded instances where users click rapidly on an element, indicating frustration. Often caused by non-interactive elements that users expect to be clickable, or buttons that do not respond as expected.

Dead clicks

Clicks on elements that have no interactive function. Reveals where users expect links or buttons that do not exist, indicating potential navigation or CTA placement opportunities.

Error clicks

Clicks immediately preceding a JavaScript error or broken element. Helps identify technical issues causing user frustration and abandonment.

Sampling strategy

Recording 100% of sessions is usually unnecessary and expensive. Common strategies: record all sessions on high-value pages (pricing, checkout), record sessions where users experienced errors, record all sessions from specific campaign sources.

What it actually means

Quantitative analytics tells you that something is happening. Session recordings show you exactly what is happening and what the user does immediately before and after the event. A high bounce rate on a product page might be because the main image is too slow to load, the description answers the wrong question or the call-to-action button is below the fold on mobile. Session recordings will show you which.

You can see a drop-off in your funnel data. You cannot see the user's face when they encountered the broken form field. Session recordings bridge that gap.

How it shows up

Session recordings generate qualitative insight that informs design and UX decisions. The impact is measured indirectly through conversion rate changes after implementing fixes identified through recordings. The typical workflow: identify page with high drop-off in analytics, watch 20-30 recordings of abandoning users, identify common UX issues, fix, measure conversion rate change.

The Australian context

Microsoft Clarity is completely free and GDPR and Australian privacy compliant. It provides session recordings, heatmaps and rage click analysis with no session limits. For most Australian SMBs, Clarity provides everything needed without requiring a paid tool subscription.

Where people get this wrong

Recording sessions without a privacy policy and user consent noticeSession recordings capture personal browsing behaviour. Australian privacy law and GDPR require transparent disclosure in your privacy policy and may require consent. Ensure your privacy policy explicitly discloses use of session recording software.

Watching recordings randomly rather than filtering for problem behaviourRandom recording review generates anecdotes, not insight. Filter recordings by specific behaviours (rage clicks, form abandonment, high-value page exits) to find patterns efficiently.

Common questions

Is session recording legal in Australia?

Yes, with proper disclosure. You must inform users that session recording is in use, typically through your privacy policy. You should also ensure the tool you use masks sensitive form fields (credit card numbers, passwords) by default. Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar and FullStory all provide automatic masking of sensitive fields.

How many recordings do I need to watch to find useful insights?

For most UX issues, watching 20 to 30 recordings of users who exhibited a specific behaviour (abandoned checkout, rage-clicked a button, bounced from a key page) is sufficient to identify the primary issues. You reach diminishing returns quickly. Quality of selection matters more than quantity.

Keep exploring

About New Rebellion

New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.

How we think →