How can you detect if a website uses Hotjar?
Detecting whether a website uses Hotjar can be accomplished by examining the page source for specific indicators that are characteristic of Hotjar’s implementation.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
- Open the Page Source: Right-click on the webpage and select “View Page Source” or press
Ctrl+U
(Windows) orCmd+Option+U
(Mac) to open the page’s source code. - Search for Hotjar Scripts: Use
Ctrl+F
(Windows) orCmd+F
(Mac) to open the search function and look for the following keywords:static.hotjar.com
: This is a common script URL for Hotjar tracking. You might see something like<script src="https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-XXXXXXXX.js"></script>
hotjar
: This is another keyword to search for that could be part of Hotjar’s tracking scripts.
- Look for Hotjar Initialization Code: After finding the Hotjar script, look for code that initializes Hotjar. This is typically in the form of a command such as
window.hj=window.hj||function(){(hj.q=hj.q||[]).push(arguments)};
- Check for Hotjar Tracking ID: In the Hotjar script, look for a unique identifier (numeric or alphanumeric) that represents the Hotjar site ID. You might see it as part of the script URL, such as
hotjar-XXXXXXXX
. - Inspect for Hotjar Reports or Feedback Tools: Sometimes, Hotjar is used for user feedback and heatmap tracking. Look for visible elements like the feedback polls or heatmap indicators on the webpage.
- Using Developer Tools: You can also use browser Developer Tools to track network requests. Right-click on the page, select “Inspect” or press
F12
(Windows) orCmd+Option+I
(Mac). Navigate to the “Network” tab, reload the page, and filter by “JS” or search for “hotjar” to see if any Hotjar-related scripts are being loaded.