Why Home and Garden Brands Should be Using Microsoft Clarity

Last updated: July 15, 2025

Aaron Rudman-Hawkins

Aaron Rudman-Hawkins is a dynamic digital marketing expert and a driving force behind The Evergreen Agency's success. With a passion for technology and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape, Aaron has become a trusted name in the industry.

Read Aaron's bio here

In this episode of Tea Talk, Aaron and Lou dive into Microsoft Clarity, a free user behaviour analytics tool that’s gaining popularity among marketers. They explore what it is, how it compares to alternatives like Hotjar, and why it can help any business understand what visitors are really doing on their website.

What is Microsoft Clarity?

  • Free analytics tool from Microsoft for tracking and visualising user behaviour on websites.
  • Offers features like session replays (watching users’ journeys), heatmaps (see where people click, scroll, and hover), and AI-powered summaries.
  • Designed to be easy to set up, especially if you use Google Tag Manager.

How is it different from Google analytics?

  • Clarity focuses on how users interact with the site, not just numbers or traffic sources.
  • No revenue data by default. Mainly about actions, clicks, navigation, and engagement.
  • More visual, less data-heavy; offers actionable insights on user experience.

Key features and benefits

  • Session replays: Watch how individual visitors interact with your site.
  • Heatmaps: Understand which areas get the most attention (clicks, hovers, scrolls).
  • Rage clicks: Identify where users click repeatedly out of frustration (indicates possible issues).
  • Dead clicks: Find out where users are clicking, but nothing happens (may highlight confusing UI).
  • AI Overviews: Get a plain-English summary of user behaviour, with suggestions for improvement.
  • No cost: Completely free to use.

Why use Clarity?

  • Ideal for improving user experience and conversion rates, especially after you’ve invested in paid ads.
  • Useful for both marketers and business owners, even those without technical backgrounds.

Helps answer common business questions:

  • Why didn’t visitors convert or complete a contact form?
  • Where are users getting stuck or confused?
  • Which content or calls-to-action are being ignored?

Common use cases

  • Identify website bottlenecks and friction points.
  • See what happens after visitors click through from ads or social media.
  • Validate new web pages or design changes with real user behaviour data.
  • Gather evidence to inform website or product improvements.

Drawbacks and limitations

  • Lacks deep revenue or ecommerce tracking found in more advanced analytics tools.
  • Doesn’t go as granular as some paid tools for sophisticated marketers.
  • Best used in conjunction with Google Analytics, not as a replacement.

Alternatives: paid tools in the market

  • Hotjar: Well-known, paid tool with similar session replay and heatmap features, but with more integrations and advanced surveys.
  • AB Tasty: Focused on A/B testing and experimentation, often used by larger teams.
  • Other options include FullStory and Crazy Egg, which also offer similar features at a cost.

How to set up Microsoft Clarity

  • Easiest setup is via Google Tag Manager (GTM), add a tag to your site.
  • If you don’t have GTM, a developer may need to add the script manually.
  • Allow around 28 days to gather enough data for meaningful insights.

Final thoughts

  • Microsoft Clarity is a powerful, free way to gain visibility on what happens after someone lands on your website.
  • Even if you already use analytics tools, Clarity’s session replays, heatmaps, and AI summaries make it a valuable addition to your marketing toolkit.
  • Improving your website’s user journey can only happen if you know what’s actually happening on each page, and Clarity makes that possible for everyone.

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