What is error tracking?
Error tracking collects JavaScript errors, failed network requests and missing pages from recorded visits. Every error links to the visits it affected, so you can replay what the visitor saw.
- Group matching errors and see how many visits and pages each one affects.
- Filter by error type, page, browser, device and date.
- Mark issues as resolved and choose who gets error emails.
The short answer
Error tracking collects JavaScript errors, failed network requests and missing pages from recorded visits. Errors are grouped so you can see how many visits and pages each problem touches, and every error links to the visits it affected.
On Hitsteps the report is part of Experience:
- Group matching errors and see how many visits and pages each one affects.
- Filter by error type, page, browser, device and date.
- Mark issues as resolved and choose who gets error emails.
Error tracking and session replay
| Error tracking | Session replay | |
|---|---|---|
| What it collects | JavaScript errors, failed requests and missing pages, grouped across visits | One visit, played back |
| What you look at | Which problems affect the most visits and pages | Clicks, scrolling, pauses and leaving, page by page |
| The question it answers | Which errors do visitors actually hit? | What did this person do? |
| When it runs | From recorded visits | After you turn recording on for that site |
If you only remember one rule: use error tracking when the numbers point at a broken page or request. Open a replay when you want the visit that sits behind the error.
When to use which
Use error tracking when the question is about what breaks on your site. Which JavaScript errors appear, which requests fail, which pages are missing, and whether the problem hits one browser or device. Grouped errors show how many visits and pages each problem touches, and the links show the visits themselves.
Use session replay when the question is about one person. Someone hit a broken control. Someone's page went blank. The replay sits next to that visit's pages, errors and form activity.
Error tracking works on recorded visits. A visit that was not recorded does not appear here, so the counts describe the sample you record. Recording stays off until you turn it on for a website, and each site records a daily sample of visits.
Which plan includes error tracking?
Error tracking is part of Experience. It is included with Pro and higher plans and in the free Pro trial for new accounts. Free, Starter and Growth accounts that have paid before can start one 14-day trial from the dashboard.
Turn it on
- Add the Hitsteps tracking code, or use a supported plugin or app. The setup steps are in How to track website visitors.
- Open Experience from the dashboard menu.
- Turn recording on for that website. Until you do, new recording stays off.
- Open the errors report, start with the biggest group, and replay an affected visit.
Each site records a daily sample of visits, and every error links to the visits it affected. Mark an issue as resolved when the fix is out, then check later that it does not come back.
Frequently asked questions
What is error tracking?
Error tracking collects JavaScript errors, failed network requests and missing pages from recorded visits. Every error links to the visits it affected, so you can replay what the visitor saw. In Hitsteps that report is part of Experience.
Which errors does Hitsteps collect?
JavaScript errors, failed network requests and missing pages from recorded visits.
Why is my error list empty?
If a visit was not recorded, its errors do not appear. Recording stays off until you turn it on for a website, and each site records a daily sample of visits, so the list shows the sample you record.
Can I see what the visitor saw?
Yes. Every error links to the visits it affected, so you can replay them.
Who gets error emails?
You choose who gets error emails, and you can mark issues as resolved.
Can I filter by browser, device or page?
Yes. You can filter by error type, page, browser, device and date to see whether a problem is general or hits one group of visitors.
How do I know a fix worked?
Mark the issue as resolved, then check later that it does not come back. If it stays gone, that group of errors is handled.
Start finding the errors your visitors hit.
Create a free account, install the tracking code and turn recording on for your website.