Want to know what your users actually do on your site or app—not just what they say they do? Session recordings are as close as you’ll get to peeking over their shoulder without being creepy. If you’re tired of guessing why people bounce, rage-click, or get stuck, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through setting up user session recordings in Smartlook, cut through the hype, and show you how to use the data without drowning in it.
Why bother with session recordings?
Analytics dashboards give you numbers. That’s useful, but they won’t tell you why someone abandoned their cart, missed your call-to-action, or kept hammering the same button. Session recordings show you the actual clicks, scrolls, and confusion—warts and all.
But before we dive in, let’s be clear: session recordings aren’t magic. They won’t fix your onboarding or make your checkout flow frictionless overnight. They’re just a tool—a really useful one if you set things up right and don’t try to watch every single session.
Step 1: Sign up for Smartlook and get your tracking code
First things first, you’ll need a Smartlook account. There’s a free plan, which is fine to get started, but don’t expect unlimited recordings or fancy features.
- Head to Smartlook and sign up.
- Use a work email. If your company already uses Smartlook, ask for access instead of making a new account—you don’t want to fragment your data.
- Create a new project in Smartlook.
- Projects help you keep data from different sites or apps separate.
- Grab your unique tracking code.
- This is JavaScript you’ll need to add to your website (or SDK for mobile). Don’t just paste it into a random file—follow the instructions. Usually, it goes right before the
</head>tag on every page you want tracked.
Pro tip:
If you’re using a tag manager (like Google Tag Manager), use that to add Smartlook’s code. It’s easier to update later.
Step 2: Set up privacy and compliance (don’t skip this!)
Session recordings can capture a lot—sometimes too much. Before you hit “record,” make sure you’re not accidentally storing sensitive user data.
- Mask inputs with personal data (like passwords, emails, payment info).
- Smartlook tries to do this by default, but it’s on you to double-check. Check their masking settings and do a test run.
- Customize which elements are masked.
- Use Smartlook’s “Element masking” feature to blur out anything else you don’t want recorded.
- Review your privacy policy and local laws.
- In some places (especially the EU), you must tell users you’re recording sessions. Make sure your cookie banners or privacy notices cover this.
Honest take:
If your legal team is nervous, get their blessing before you start. There’s no “undo” button for privacy violations.
Step 3: Configure which sessions to record (hint: don’t record everything)
It’s tempting to record every single visit, but that’s a shortcut to blowing your monthly quota and drowning in useless footage.
- Set up sampling.
- In Smartlook, you can decide what % of sessions to record. Start with 20-50% unless your traffic is tiny. Recording 100% is usually overkill.
- Filter by user type or behavior.
- Want to see just new users, or only folks who hit your checkout page? Set up filters so you’re not wasting storage on bots or internal testers.
- Exclude your own team.
- Filter out your company’s IP addresses, or you’ll end up watching recordings of your coworkers fixing typos.
What works:
Focused sampling gives you real insights without the noise. Watching hundreds of nearly identical sessions is a waste of everyone’s time.
Step 4: Double-check your setup
Before you start using the data, make sure Smartlook is actually running and recording what you expect.
- Visit your site as a user (not logged in as admin).
- Use an incognito window or another device.
- Trigger key actions you want to capture.
- Click around, fill out forms, try to “break” things.
- Check Smartlook for new recordings.
- Look for your test session. Make sure sensitive info is masked, and that everything you wanted to track shows up.
If it’s not working:
- Did you install the script in the right place?
- Is your ad blocker messing with scripts?
- Are you in a filtered-out group or IP?
Don’t move on until you’ve seen a successful recording. This is the step most people rush—and regret later.
Step 5: Set up events and funnels (so you’re not just watching videos)
Session recordings are useful, but unless you know which sessions matter, you’ll waste hours. Events and funnels help you cut straight to the sessions that need your attention.
- Define key events.
- These could be things like “Clicked Sign Up,” “Added to Cart,” or “Error Message Shown.”
- Use Smartlook’s event tracking to tag these automatically.
- Build funnels for critical flows.
- For example: Homepage → Product Page → Add to Cart → Checkout.
- Smartlook will show you where users drop off.
- Filter recordings by events or funnel steps.
- Now you can watch only sessions where someone, say, started checkout but didn’t finish.
Ignore this:
Don’t bother tagging every single button. Stick to actions that actually matter for your business. More isn’t better—relevant is better.
Step 6: Watch sessions and take notes (but don’t binge-watch)
Now comes the fun part: seeing real users in action. But here’s the thing—don’t try to watch every session. Be strategic.
- Pick a handful of sessions that match your filters.
- For example, users who dropped out at checkout, or who rage-clicked.
- Look for patterns, not one-offs.
- One person getting confused is a fluke. Three out of five making the same mistake? That’s worth fixing.
- Take notes as you watch.
- Write down what’s confusing, broken, or unexpected. Share clips with your team if needed.
What doesn’t work:
Don’t use session recordings to “prove” that users are dumb or blame support tickets on user error. The point is to spot patterns and improve—not to assign blame.
Step 7: Share findings and iterate
Session recordings are most valuable when they lead to real changes on your site or app.
- Share short clips, not just long videos.
- Use Smartlook’s sharing tools to send around just the relevant parts.
- Pair recordings with quantitative data.
- “We saw 50 rage clicks on the signup button and 60% of users dropped off there.” That’s a compelling case for a fix.
- Make small changes, then re-record.
- Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Fix obvious blockers, then see if behavior improves.
Pro tip:
If no one on your team is acting on these insights, you’re just building a highlight reel. Make sure someone owns follow-through.
What to ignore (and what not to expect)
- Don’t obsess over every glitch. Not every hesitation or scroll means something’s broken.
- Session recordings won’t replace user interviews. They show you what happened, not why.
- Don’t expect perfect clarity. Sometimes you’ll watch a session and still have no idea what went wrong. That’s normal.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple
Session recordings in Smartlook can give you real, actionable insights—but only if you set them up carefully and focus on what matters. Don’t try to watch every session or tag every click. Start small: track your main flows, watch a few sessions, make one fix at a time, and see what changes.
You don’t need to be a data scientist to get value here. Just stay curious, be skeptical of your own assumptions, and keep iterating. The best insights usually come from watching real people do things you never expected.
Now go see what your users are really doing.