The video is in the works. Until then, the guide will get you there.
Step-by-step guide
Where to find the Real-time map
In the side menu, click "Visitors".
A submenu opens. Choose "Real-time map" there.
The Real-time map opens.
When you should check here
Most reports in Trustlytics tell you how many visitors came. The Real-time map tells you something different: where they are coming from right now. At this very moment.
This helps most when location matters to you. Did you send a newsletter to the Midwest and want to see whether the clicks really come from there? Are you advertising in Chicago and wondering whether the ad is landing? One look at the map, and you know. No waiting until tomorrow.
The points on the map
Each point stands for one visit. By size, color, and movement, you can tell at a glance how fresh and how active a visit is:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Large, dark point | A brand-new visit that just happened. |
| Small, pale point | A visit that happened a little while ago |
| Pulsing point | A visitor who is on your website right now. |
That way you can see at a glance where something is going on and where it has gotten quieter. By the way, a pale point does not mean the visit was worth less. It is simply older.
Choosing the time window
At the top right, you set how far back the map should look:
| Time window | Shows you |
|---|---|
| 10 min. | What is happening right at this moment |
| 1 hr | The activity of the last hour. |
| 6 hrs | The trend over half a day. |
| 24 hrs | How your visitors are spread out across the whole day. |
Short time windows show what is going on right now. Longer time windows show how your visitors are spread out over the day. The map refreshes automatically every 30 seconds, so you do not need to reload anything.
Which time window when? Right after a promotion, pick 10 minutes. You will see the first reaction unfiltered. To find out whether a campaign is reaching the right region overall, 24 hours is the better choice. On smaller websites, the larger time window is worth using anyway, because otherwise the map stays empty almost all the time.
Navigating the map
You use the map like any other map on your screen:
- Zooming: use the mouse wheel to move closer or farther out.
- Panning: hold down the mouse button to move the map.
Zoom into the United States, for example, and check whether your visitors come from Texas, Ohio, or New England. That turns "somewhere in the US" into a specific region.
Zooming in is worth it for a second reason: When several visits are close together, they cover each other in the world view. Only when you zoom in do the points separate, and you can see how many there really are.
Clicking a point
When you click a point, the visitor profile opens with the whole story of that one visit:
- Which pages were viewed, and in what order
- How long the visit lasted
- Which device and browser were used
That turns an anonymous point into a visit you can follow. And that is exactly the appeal of this view: You can see not only that someone from Denver is there, but also what that person looked at on your site.
Aha moments you will recognize
You will spot these patterns on the map right away:
- Your newsletter reaches the right region. You sent your newsletter to customers in the United States. Shortly after, points light up around New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Proof that your message is landing where it should.
- Sudden visits from a foreign country. Normally your visitors come from Canada. Suddenly points light up in the UK or Australia? Then someone there has linked to you or shared you. A click on the point shows you more.
- Your regional promotion stays regional. You are advertising specifically in Texas. On the map, you can see whether the visitors really come from the South or whether your money is trickling away somewhere else.
- The points arrive while you are asleep. If points regularly light up overseas at night, your website has an audience you may not have known about. That is the moment when it is worth thinking about a version in a second language.
- Nothing lights up. That tells you something too. You published a post, and the map stays dark? Then the post has not reached anyone. Unpleasant, but better to know it now than tomorrow.
What is in it for me?
The Real-time map is your geographic live window onto your website:
- Recognize which regions your visitors come from. From individual countries down to states and provinces.
- Locate campaigns live. Right after launch, see immediately whether and where the first reactions arrive.
- Spot active visitors. Pulsing points show who is online right now.
Honestly, for everyday use the map is not your most important report. Its strength is the minutes after a promotion and the question of whether you are landing geographically where you wanted to. For everything else, there are better-suited pages.
For the big picture over days and weeks, meaning which countries bring you the most over the long run, use the Locations report. The Real-time map is deliberately the window for the moment, not for looking back.
Common questions
How often does the map update?
Every 30 seconds, all on its own. You do not need to reload the page.
How accurate is the location of a point?
The point shows the approximate region, usually at city level. You will not see an exact address, and that is on purpose. You should be able to tell which corner of the world someone is coming from, not track down individuals.
Why are some points in the ocean or in the middle of nowhere?
The location is estimated from the visitor's internet connection, not by GPS. That is why a point occasionally lands a bit off from the real place. For an overview of regions, that is still completely sufficient.
Why are all the points in a single city, even though my visitors are spread out?
This happens with mobile connections. The connection then runs through a central hub, and that hub is often in a larger city. The visitor may be sitting in Tacoma while the map shows Seattle. The more of your visitors are on mobile, the more often this happens. There is no technical way to make it more precise, because the connection simply does not tell us a more exact location.
Several visitors from the same city, can I see them individually?
Zoom in. In the world view, points that are close together cover each other, and when you zoom in, they separate. If you want to know for sure, the Real-time report is the faster way, because each visit has its own row there.
Can I identify an individual visitor personally?
No, and that is on purpose. You see region, device and the path through your site, but no names, no email addresses, nothing personal. You count visits, you do not follow people. That is exactly what we are here for.
Why does the map show different numbers than the Real-time report?
Both show the same moment, just in a different way. The Real-time report counts visits one after another, while the map spreads them out by location. Small differences arise because not every visit can be placed on the map.
Are bots shown on the map?
No. We filter out search engine crawlers and bots automatically. On the map, you see real people.
The map stays empty almost all the time for me. Is something wrong?
Probably not. On smaller websites, that is the normal case, because several visitors are rarely there at the same time. Set the time window to 24 hours, and the map fills up noticeably. And if you want to be sure everything is running, open your own website in another window. If a point appears shortly after, everything is fine.