Post-launch behavior tracking vs pre-launch market validation
Last updated: October 2025
Hotjar is excellent at showing how existing visitors behave on your site: heatmaps, recordings, feedback widgets. But you need traffic first.
The catch-22: You can't optimize what doesn't exist. Before you launch, you need to know WHO to build for and WHAT to build. Hotjar tells you how visitors navigate your site. BuyerIQ tells you who will actually pay for your product before you build it.
| Hotjar | BuyerIQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Works pre-launch? | No (requires traffic) | Yes (designed for it) |
| Predicts who will buy? | No (only tracks visitors) | Yes (90% accurate) |
| TAM/SAM/SOM? | No (not designed for this) | Yes (automated) |
| Heatmaps & recordings? | Yes (excellent) | No (not designed for this) |
| Conversion optimization? | Yes (post-launch) | No (not designed for this) |
| Cost | $39-$99+/month | $39/month |
BuyerIQ first: Validate your market and identify target demographics before you build. Then Hotjar: Optimize how your validated target market behaves on your site post-launch. Don't make the mistake of launching first and hoping analytics tells you who to sell to.
Validate Your Market Before You Build →