The key to building a successful web map is proper data analysis. Knowing how your users are interacting with your web map moment to moment gives you the ability to test hypothesis and make changes quickly. This means, making smaller, easier-to-implement changes in order to avoid massive, expensive restructuring and redesigns.

With the right analytics, GIS development teams are able to build, test and deploy web maps faster by seeing where and how users are interacting with the map on a granular level.

Improve your conversion funnel:
For web maps with lower traffic, setting up a user interaction test can help determine which user experience provides higher levels of engagement. Tracking web map activities and bounce rates will determine which web map users engage with most over the same period of time.

When you’re redesigning your web map: Thinking about re-hauling your web map? Experiment with multiple designs to see how the new web map performs against the original. Rolling out a new design with a different base layer or new feature can significantly decrease conversions, therefore benchmarking new vs. old is best practise to ensure your new creation isn’t negatively affecting your bottom line.

Are your users looking for more data?
Tracking your users web map interaction provides insights as to what your users are actually looking for. Many web maps are constrained within a certain geographic area, plotting data in a specific City, State or Country. Determining where users are panning on a web map sheds light on where users expect more information.

The Activity Heatmap is by far the easiest and quickest way to understand where users are looking on your web map. To dig a little deeper in the user experience, understanding which zoom level your users have selected can also provide a better overview of their perspective.

Now that you’re armed with some insights into your users web map journey and a clear understanding of your goals, tweaking the experience for higher conversions is much easier.