Microsoft Clarity Made Simple: Your Quick Setup and Installation Guide

Your gateway to unlocking the transformative power of data insights! In an era defined by data, Clarity stands as your beacon of understanding, offering a seamless path to harnessing actionable intelligence. Every month, Clarity handles approximately 1 petabyte of data from over 100 million users. As businesses worldwide embrace the importance of analytics, the need for efficient tools like Clarity has never been greater. From boosting efficiency and gaining a competitive edge to driving revenue growth and enhancing customer satisfaction, the impact of Clarity is undeniable. Join us on this journey as we empower you with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the setup and installation process effortlessly, ensuring you’re poised to thrive in today’s data-driven landscape.

Microsoft Clarity: What Is It?

In terms of behavioural analysis tools, Microsoft Clarity is a revolutionary advancement that provides unmatched insights into how users interact with your website. This cutting-edge platform empowers businesses to delve deep into user behaviour, providing a comprehensive understanding of how visitors engage with every aspect of their online presence. With Clarity’s robust analysis tools at your fingertips, you gain valuable insights that enable informed decision-making, allowing you to optimise your website for both clients and business success.

From uncovering browsing patterns to identifying pain points and areas for improvement, Clarity equips you with the knowledge needed to enhance user experience, boost engagement, and drive conversions. Embrace the power of Microsoft Clarity to unlock the full potential of your website and propel your business forward in the digital landscape.

Why Is Clarity Something to Think About?

Clarity isn’t just another tool in your digital arsenal – it’s a game-changer. Here’s why you should harness its power:

Simple Customisation

Clarity is designed with your business in mind. Its intuitive interface and easy customisation options ensure that you can tailor it to fit your unique needs seamlessly. No more struggling with complex setups – Clarity puts you in control.

Performance-Friendly

Worried about your site’s performance taking a hit? With Clarity, that concern becomes a thing of the past. This innovative tool operates seamlessly in the background, delivering powerful insights without slowing down your website. Say goodbye to performance issues and hello to smoother operations.

Real-Time Analysis

Time is of the essence in the digital world, and Clarity understands that. Its lightning-fast data analysis means you get insights in near real-time, allowing you to make informed decisions on the fly. No more waiting around for days or weeks – Clarity puts the data you need right at your fingertips when you need it most.

Scalability

Whether you’re managing a single website or a sprawling online empire, Clarity has you covered. With no limits on the number of sites per account, it scales effortlessly to support even the largest digital ecosystems. Grow your business with confidence, knowing that Clarity can handle whatever you throw at it.

Massive Data Processing

Clarity isn’t afraid of big data – in fact, it thrives on it. With the ability to process over 1 petabyte of data from more than 100 million users per month, Clarity is built to handle the demands of the modern digital landscape. Plus, there are no traffic limits on your sites, ensuring that you get comprehensive insights no matter how large your audience is.

AI-Powered Insights

Behind Clarity’s sleek interface lies a powerhouse of AI and machine learning algorithms. These cutting-edge technologies work tirelessly to deliver deep insights into user behaviour, helping you understand your audience like never before. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to data-driven decision-making.

No Sampling

When it comes to data analysis, accuracy is key. That’s why Clarity doesn’t settle for sampling – it analyses every piece of data, giving you a complete and accurate picture of user behaviour. With Clarity, you can trust that your insights are based on the full scope of your data, not just a small sample.

Clarity isn’t just a tool – it’s a partner in your digital success. It helps your business SEO services step by step. With its simple customisation, performance-friendly operation, real-time analysis, scalability, massive data processing capabilities, AI-powered insights, and commitment to accuracy, Clarity empowers you to understand your users better, optimise your website effectively, and drive your business forward with confidence.

Where is Clarity useful?

Clarity serves as a versatile tool across various scenarios, offering invaluable insights to enhance your digital strategy. Here’s where Clarity shines:

• Enable data-driven decisions for clients or management.
• Test and optimise content placement for maximum impact.
• Identify and address confusing elements on your webpage.
• Adapt material to the requirements and inclinations of users.
• Test and implement new ideas with ease.
• Study user clicks and behaviour to understand requirements.

Which misconceptions exist around Microsoft Clarity?

Despite its reputation as a powerful behavioural analysis tool, misconceptions often cloud its true potential. From assumptions about its integration capabilities to doubts about its tracking features, these misconceptions can hinder users from fully leveraging Clarity’s capabilities.

Let’s describe some common myths:

1. 1. Replacement for Web Analytics Tools: Clarity isn’t meant to replace your current web analytics tools like GA4 or Mixpanel. Instead, it complements them, offering unique insights to enhance your overall analytics strategy.
   2. Sole Reliance on Native GA4 Integration: While the native integration with GA4 is valuable, it has limitations, especially regarding session recording playback URLs. Supplementing it with manual integration ensures a more comprehensive understanding of user behaviour.
   3. Inability to Identify Converted Users: Contrary to belief, Clarity offers numerous possibilities for identifying and tracking converted users effectively through custom configurations.
   4. Absence of Internal Traffic Filtering: Just like GA4 and other analytics tools, Clarity offers internal traffic filtering based on IP addresses, ensuring accurate and actionable data.
   5. Complete User Exposure: While Clarity does show user actions on your website, it prioritises user privacy through features like “Masking,” allowing you to redact sensitive information from session recordings.
   6. Event Tracking Limitations: Although Clarity may not support traditional event tracking, its “Custom Tags” feature offers extensive customisation and tracking capabilities.
   7. Sufficient Implementation with Tracking Script Alone: Thorough implementation is key to deriving value from Clarity. Ensure comprehensive implementation to maximise its potential and unlock deeper insights into user behaviour.
   8. Limited User Identifier Customisation: Clarity offers a high degree of user identifier customisation, allowing you to use store-specific or custom IDs to track website visitors accurately
   9. Lack of E-commerce Tracking Support: Clarity does support e-commerce tracking to a certain extent. Exploring its capabilities reveals ways to leverage it for your online store’s success.
   10. Exclusive Integration with GA4: Clarity seamlessly integrates with a variety of tools, including CRM systems and other analytics platforms like Piwik Pro and Amplitude, not just GA4.

Microsoft Clarity Step-by-Step Guide

From setting up Clarity to interpreting insights and optimising your website, each step is carefully crafted to empower you with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions and drive meaningful results. Let’s embark on this journey together and unleash the clarity your website deserves!

Step 1: Create a Microsoft Clarity account

• Click Sign up after visiting https://clarity.microsoft.com.
• Select a sign-up method, then follow to the on-screen instructions.

• You may see the Projects page after logging in successfully.
• Enter the project name and website URL on the new screen.

Step 2: Install the Clarity tracking code on your website

• You will need to copy the tracking code, also known as the project ID, from the “Install Manually” card on the following screen. This tracking code will be used in the instrumentation within Google Tag Manager.
• Depending on how you install Google Tag Manager, you can copy both the project ID and the entire tracking code.

Step 3: Add the tracking code for Clarity to your website

Installing the tracking code is necessary before you can use Clarity on your website. Installing the specific tracking code for every website you add to your Clarity account is necessary. The same script can be added to several of your website’s subdomains.

• After choosing a project, select Settings -> Setup. Find out here how to add a project.
• Select the installation method you want to use going forward.
• Select an installation technique.

Three methods exist for installing Clarity:

1. Install manually
2. Install on a third-party platform
3. Share the code with your team member

As soon as you enter the code, you can begin examining data in the project immediately.
Clarity hides all sensitive content on your website by default.

Install manually

• You need access to the area of your website in order to set up Clarity.
  Choose Get tracking code to install manually.
• Click on “Get tracking code.”
• Paste the copied code into the section of your web application or website.
• Take a copy of the tracking code.

Install on a third-party platform

Third-party systems like Shopify, SquareSpace, Wix, WordPress, and others allow you to install the Clarity tracking code. To learn more, see the list of third-party platforms that are supported.

• To view a list of supported platforms, select View all platforms.
• Use any of the platforms on the list to set up Clarity. As you choose a platform, adhere to the setup guidelines for each one.
• To submit a request if your platform isn’t mentioned, choose I don’t see my platform.
• After entering the platform name, click Submit. You can start using Clarity right away by manually installing the code.

Share the code with your team member

If you would rather share the code with a team member so they may assist you in configuring Clarity, go with this option.

• Choose “Share code.”
• After entering the email address of a team member, click Submit. Your buddy receives an email with the tracking number and setup instructions.

Step 4: Verify that Clarity is tracking your website

To make sure Clarity is installed correctly, there are two ways to check:

Examine your project for Clarity

• Find the Dashboard statistics and Recordings for your project instantly after adding the script. As soon as the tracking code is added, you can see real-time statistics that display the number of active users.
• To begin watching the live users.

Verify POST requests

When using your website, observe POST requests to https://www.clarity.ms/collect. The steps to view the request are as follows:

• When you do a right-click on your website, choose Inspect.
• Choose to inspect with a right-click.
• After viewing the statistics on your project dashboard, use the Heatmaps feature to observe user behaviour on your website.

Configure Clarity settings

You must use Microsoft Clarity’s top menu navigation to reach the “Settings” tab in order to access the configuration settings.

There are eight more side tabs in the options that let you configure Microsoft Clarity in various ways:

• Overview
• Clarity Tour
• Team
• Setup
• Masking
• IP Blocking
• Smart events
• Copilot

Below is a detailed explanation of the options available in each tab:

Overview

You can select your site category, copy the project ID, and modify the Clarity project name and website URL in this area. Projects that are no longer needed can also be deleted.

Clarity Tour

According to Microsoft Clarity, this tab assists in identifying any unfinished implementation tasks, much like the Google Analytics 4 setup helper. Completed setups have a green checkmark next to them, and links to the relevant Microsoft Clarity configurations are provided.

Team

You can change who has access to the Clarity project here. “Admin” is the greatest degree of access available in Microsoft Clarity, whereas “Member” is the lesser of the two access kinds.

You’ll also have the freedom to designate different kinds of access.

Setup

There are multiple settings available in three categories under the “Setup” tab:

1. Overview

Through the Setup interface, you may combine Google Analytics 4 with Microsoft Clarity. Using both the native and manual integration methods is recommended.

Google Analytics 4 with Microsoft Clarity Integration Making Use of the Native Integration
To combine the two platforms:

• Select “Get Started” from the menu.
• To access the GA4 property, sign in or use the Google account that has access.
• Authorisation will now proceed. From the dropdown menu, choose the GA4 property.
• To finish the connection, save the configuration.

Verify your Google account’s authenticity. This account can access the GA4 account.

• You must choose the GA4 property from the dropdown menu in order to link it to the Microsoft Clarity project. In order to integrate both stacks, click the save button.
• Your Google Analytics integration card will display the status “Connected” once both tools have been successfully connected.
• You’ll also get access to the “Google Analytics” report, which I’ll go over in more detail in the tutorial’s subsequent sections.
• To register the “clarity dimension” as a custom dimension, more procedures must be taken within GA4. GA4 provides access to session recording playback URLs when both stacks are connected.

The information is applicable to GA4 standard reports.

The information can also be used for Google Analytics (GA4) investigations.

It is imperative to acknowledge the constraints and problems associated with automated native integration. To get optimal outcomes, it is advisable to employ both native and manual integration methods. To learn more about some of the problems with native integration and the best ways to fix them, you should read the Integration part of this Microsoft Clarity article.

2. Advanced Settings

You can select whether Clarity should collect session data through cookies in this section of the setup parameters. Enabling this makes sense because it changes the way metrics and sessions are tallied.

Additionally, make sure that “bot detection” is turned on in the options. Since it aids in removing bot traffic from reports.

3. Installation Methods

Three things can be done in this section of the setup settings;

• Copy the script for the Clarity tracking.
• Pick one of the partner integrations for Microsoft Clarity.
• Send the team members the installation code via email.

Masking

Some text cannot be transferred to Microsoft Clarity’s servers thanks to this function. Sensitive content, such as email addresses and user-entered data, is by default hidden by Clarity. Furthermore, by default, the “masking mode” is set to “Balanced,” which masks just sensitive text.

You can choose between “Strict” and “Relaxed” mode, though. It is advised to use “Balanced” to guarantee substantial adherence to privacy laws.

Using the “mask by element” capability, you can also manually mask specific items. This involves using CSS selectors to manage what Clarity saves during session recordings. Keep in mind that masking adjustments cannot be performed retroactively and may take up to an hour to show.

Click the “Add” button after adding your CSS selector to finish the manual masking setting for that element.

IP Blocking

You can use a CIDR range or the IP address itself to block an IP address in the settings area. This function aids in blocking known bot IP addresses or internal traffic.

All you have to do is click the “Block IP Address” button to stop internal traffic. Give the IP address a name so that it may be easily recognised. To block the IP that is presently being used, click “Block my current IP.” As an alternative, you can provide the CIDR range or IP address in the designated field. Next, in order to prevent traffic from coming from the designated IP address, click “Add.” Be aware that you can block more than one IP address.

If you’re considering including an IP regex, it is feasible. But before you can use the “GA4 IP Filters” tool to transform the regex IP address into a CIDR range, you must first generate the IP regex.

If you would rather not use IP, this page offers thorough instructions on how to filter internal traffic without using IP.

Smart events

Capture important user actions on a website, are automatically identified by Clarity. These events can be accessed through the dashboard, where you can view them using either the recordings or heatmaps feature.

• The smart events are displayed prominently on playback controls and can be explored in detail under Recordings -> More details -> Events.
• Users have the option to customise these smart events from the Settings section, adjusting them based on how they were initially defined.
• Both Clarity-generated smart events and user-created events can be modified without any coding required within the Clarity project.
• However, API events, which are instrumented through code, necessitate coding for any adjustments.
• Additionally, users can filter their view of smart events based on their definitions.

Copilot

You can turn off “Copilot” by going to this settings menu. I won’t, however, suggest doing so since it would make it impossible for you to verify if you’ve finished the Copilot onboarding checklist. The Microsoft Clarity tracking script for your website and a link to GA4 (Google Analytics 4) are necessary to finish the checklist.

Ways Analysing Data in Clarity

A comprehensive grasp of the Microsoft Clarity interface is vital for extracting maximum value from the product, even after achieving a flawless setup. Let’s delve into the intricacies of the Microsoft Clarity interface, deciphering the significance of each reporting section.

Dashboard Insights

The dashboard offers concise insights that can be further explored using session recordings and heatmaps within Microsoft Clarity. Report cards on the dashboard present various categories of insights, as depicted in the image below.

Insights on the dashboard are categorised as follows:

• Acquisition
• Engagement
• UX Optimisation
• Technology + Acquisition
• Geography + Acquisition
• E-commerce

Filters and Segments

Filters can be applied to the dashboard, persisting across other reports except for the Google Analytics report. Various parameters, including user info, user actions, path, traffic, session, page, and custom filters, can be utilised for filtering.

• User Info(Timeframe, Device, Browser, Operating System, Country, Clarity User ID)
• User Actions(Types of clicks, Scroll behavior, Mouse movement, etc.)
• Path(Landing page, Exit page, Pages visited)
• Traffic(Referring site, Traffic Source, Medium, Campaign, Channel)
• Session(Session duration, Session click count, Page count)
• Page(length on page, number of clicks on page, JavaScript problems, visibility and hidden duration of page, size and resolution of the screen)
• Custom Filters(Custom tags, User ID, Session ID, Page ID, Custom labels

Filters can be saved as segments for future use. Clicking the “save” option initiates the creation process. Segments can be named and saved to the project, and can be accessed and applied via the “Segments” dropdown field.

To create a segment

• Click the “Save as new” button.
• Name the segment and hit save.
• Find and apply the segment from the “Segments” dropdown field.
• Additionally, segments can be deleted by clicking on the “Delete” icon.

Recordings

In this section, you can access recordings of real-time website visitors or previous sessions, empowering you to understand user interactions firsthand. The dashboard allows for easy sorting and downloading of recordings, and you can switch between viewing all recordings and your favourite ones. Each recording provides detailed session info, including acquisition details, user geography, and device technology. With Clarity’s Co-Pilot feature enabled, an AI-driven “Insights” tab summarises session recordings for easy understanding.

The session recording player offers various controls, such as rewind, fast forward, and playback speed adjustment, enhancing your viewing experience. Additionally, you can mark recordings as favourites, share them, and label them for organisational purposes.

HeatMaps

The HeatMaps report offers invaluable insights into user engagement with different areas of your website. By visualising click and scroll behaviour, HeatMaps reveal which sections of your page attract the most attention and interaction. Clicking on a specific webpage or selecting the “View Heatmap” option generates instant heatmaps, eliminating wait times.

You can customise the heatmap display by choosing different types of click heatmaps, such as “All Clicks,” “Dead Clicks,” or “Error Clicks.” The Heatmap Top Panel provides configuration options to switch between device categories and heatmap types, as well as the ability to share or download the heatmap data.

A standout feature of Clarity’s heatmap report is the ability to compare two heatmaps, allowing you to identify behavioural differences between user segments, time frames, or webpage states. This comparison feature is invaluable for tracking user journeys, analysing click patterns, and optimising website performance.

The Heatmap Side Panel complements the heatmap data by displaying clicked elements, scroll depth thresholds, or areas on the webpage, depending on the heatmap type. Meanwhile, the Heatmap Bottom Panel provides key metrics and configuration options, such as page views, click counts and opacity settings.

In summary, Microsoft Clarity’s interface offers a wealth of features to dissect user behaviour, enhance website optimisation, and drive informed decision-making. Whether through session recordings or heatmaps, Clarity empowers you to gain deep insights into user interactions and elevate your digital marketing strategy with confidence.

Microsoft Clarity VS Google Analytics

When considering web analytics tools for your business, it’s important to compare key features and functionalities to make an informed decision. Below is a detailed comparison between Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics across various criteria to help you evaluate which tool aligns best with your analytics needs:

Criteria	Microsoft Clarity	Google Analytics
User Interface	User-friendly with heatmap visualisation	Comprehensive dashboard with data reports
Features	Focuses on user experience insights	Offers robust tracking capabilities
Data Privacy	Anonymises user data by default	Requires configuration for user data privacy
Real-Time Analysis	May have a slight data processing delay	Provides real-time data updates
Cost	Free to use	Free version with premium options available
Integration	Limited integration options	Extensive integration with other tools
Support	Basic support available	Extensive support resources and community

This comparison table provides a detailed overview of Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics, allowing you to assess their strengths and weaknesses in different areas before deciding on your analytics strategy.

How Can It Help You If You’re Linked To Google Analytics?

This dashboard leverages Clarity capabilities, such as heatmaps and session recordings, to present and analyse Google Analytics (GA4) data in a relevant way.

The document is broken up into several sections:

• Overview of Audience: Shows trends in the number of sessions and lengths of sessions.
• Acquisition Report: Offers information on acquiring new users.
• Device Performance by Sessions: Offers information on how well a device is performing depending on sessions.
• Page Performance by Views: Examines a page’s effectiveness according to its views.
• Analyses the performance of various nations according to the number of sessions.

What Do Custom Tags In Microsoft Clarity Do To Improve Analysis?

Clarity’s custom tags offer a powerful tool for dissecting recordings and heatmaps from various perspectives, providing invaluable insights into user behaviour. Here’s what you need to know about custom tags in Clarity:

1. Non-Retroactive Application: Custom tags are applied to future data and are not retroactive, allowing you to analyse recordings and heatmaps with precision moving forward.

2. Unlimited Custom Tags: Enjoy the flexibility of creating an unlimited number of custom tags within a project, enabling you to capture and analyse diverse sets of information.

3. Application Timing: Custom tags are applied after the Clarity tracking script has loaded on the page, ensuring accurate data capture and analysis.

4. Character Limit: The name and value of a custom tag cannot exceed 255 characters each, maintaining clarity and efficiency in data organisation.

5. Page Limit: Each page can have up to 128 custom tags applied, ensuring comprehensive data capture while maintaining efficiency.

6. Alphanumeric Values: Custom tags can consist of alphanumeric values, providing flexibility in data categorisation and analysis.
To apply a custom tag, use the following code snippet:

7. Value: Defines the value the tag should have upon application.

Custom tags can be utilised in various ways, including tagging sessions with conversions, identifying pages with 404 errors, content grouping, and more. Leveraging the Luratic template simplifies the process of adding new tags, allowing for seamless integration with Microsoft Clarity.

To utilise custom tags for tracking conversions, use the following setup:

Once custom tags are created and applied, they can be utilised in session filters to segment data effectively. Follow these steps to use custom tags in the session filter:

• Open the filters modal popup.
• Navigate to the “Custom Filters” section.
• Select your custom tags and specify the values to include or exclude in your segment.
• By leveraging custom tags in Clarity, you can gain deeper insights into user behaviour and enhance your data analysis capabilities, ultimately driving informed decision-making and optimising website performance.

How Can Your E-Commerce Business Be Benefited?

E-commerce tracking and reporting with Microsoft Clarity provide valuable insights into product views, purchases, and checkout abandonment. Here’s what you can expect and how to enable these features:

Product Reporting

E-commerce stores utilising Microsoft Clarity will benefit from an additional card on the insight dashboard dedicated to product views. This card showcases which products are receiving the most views and offers the option to watch session recordings or view heatmaps of product pages. To enable this data, ensure you have either the GA4 e-commerce data layer or a product JSON.LD implemented.

Purchase Reporting

While non-Shopify users may not see a dedicated “Purchases” card on their dashboard, they can still filter sessions based on completed purchases using the “Purchase” filter. By implementing a “Custom Tag” with the key “Purchases” and value “Yes,” you can segment users who have made a purchase. This can be achieved using custom HTML tag types or through tag templates like Luratic.

Checkout Abandonment Reporting

Exclusive to Shopify Plus stores, the checkout abandonment feature provides insights into where visitors drop off in the checkout funnel. With this integration, a dedicated “Checkout Abandonment” card appears on the dashboard, allowing you to identify abandonment stages and watch session recordings or view heatmap data for these sessions.

By leveraging e-commerce tracking and reporting in Microsoft Clarity, you can gain valuable insights into user behaviour, optimise product pages and checkout processes, and ultimately enhance the overall shopping experience for your customers.

Conclusion

This Installation Guide offers a streamlined approach to harnessing the power of Microsoft Clarity. By following this guide, users can easily set up and install Clarity, paving the way for a deeper understanding of user behaviour and website performance. With its intuitive interface and robust features, Clarity empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions, optimise user experiences, and drive meaningful results. Whether you’re a seasoned analytics professional or a newcomer to website optimisation, Clarity simplifies the process, making it accessible to all. Embrace Clarity today and unlock the insights needed to propel your digital endeavours forward confidently and clearly. If you have any questions, contact Aus Asia Online for more information.