The ability to track emails has been around for years. This functionality is widely used in sales and marketing circles to verify email deliverability and open rates.
Using the right email tracking tools, it’s possible to track email opens, link clicks, and more without the user ever knowing that they’re being watched.
But how does email tracking actually work?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the process behind email tracking. We’ll also cover some basic questions surrounding reported metrics, user privacy, and more.
Let’s jump in.
Why Track Emails?
With the current level of technology available, both businesses and personal users can track emails.
However, email tracking is mostly carried out by sales and marketing teams for a few specific reasons.
- Deliverability. Email tracking software can report when emails have actually been delivered. This can help to ensure that emails make it to the intended user and that the email address where it was sent is valid.
- Engagement. Tracked emails report when the email is opened and (usually) when links or buttons are clicked. This helps sales and marketing teams better understand how users are handling their outreach and whether their messaging is effective.
- Legal. For legal correspondence, emails can be tracked to ensure that they were opened and read by the intended recipient. This is less nefarious than it might sound, as many legal processes require communication and the transfer of documentation between legal parties.
Email marketing is a relatively common practice for most major businesses, and the ability to track emails is often included in major email marketing software. This data helps businesses optimize their email marketing campaigns for more effective communication.
For sales professionals, email tracking features can also help users ensure that emails were received — even if their leads don’t respond. This can reduce the number of emails they need to send, optimize their subject lines or email templates, and help them better understand where to focus their outreach efforts.
Common Email Tracking Methods
One of the most important factors in email tracking is the ubiquity of the process.
When using commonly accepted methods, emails can be tracked regardless of where the user receives them. It doesn’t matter if the recipient reads them via Gmail in a browser or via Outlook on a Windows desktop.
Most email services and email clients accept the technology and methods used to track emails.
In fact, most of the reporting tools are passive, meaning that by simply loading the data so that you can read it, the sender knows that the email has been opened and read.
Here’s a closer look at how most emails are tracked.
Tracking pixels
Tracking pixels, or web beacons, are small images (usually no larger than a 1×1 image pixel) that are embedded in an email.
As soon as a recipient opens their email, the data for that email is loaded — including the tracking pixel. To do that, the pixel sends a request to the server to retrieve the required data.
Once that request is received, the server reports that to the sender as an email open. Because data is loaded upon request, tracking pixels also provide real-time notifications to the sender.
Although simple, this is one of the most commonly used ways to track email opens and reads. That’s because all email providers accept this method, and loading images is done automatically in most email clients (assuming default settings are enabled).
While the data collected using this method might seem minor, keep in mind that each 1×1 tracking pixel is unique. Using this method, the sender will know exactly which email recipient opened the email and how many times they opened it.
However, while tracking pixels can track email opens, they won’t track clicked links. They also can’t send information like your IP address to the sender since email service providers like Yahoo and Gmail don’t provide that information, and they (on your behalf) are requesting the server data.
Trackable links & UTMs
Click tracking is a little more involved than a tracking pixel and is often used to track any links that might be included in the body of the email.
To track link clicks, many companies use Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters in an attempt to better understand how users interact with their links.
It might sound complicated, but UTM parameters are just small snippets of code that can be added to your links. This information tells the sender where you found the link so that they can track where you’re coming from.
Why does this matter?
Because website links go to a specific location — usually a web page. Because these pages are typically visible to the entire internet, it can be difficult for businesses to understand where users are coming from.
Placing UTM parameters in the HTML of an email link makes it much easier for marketers and sales teams to track their inbound traffic. Because UTMs are compatible with Google Analytics and other tracking services, marketers can more accurately gauge metrics like click-through rates when monitoring their email campaigns.
Read receipts
One of the simplest ways to track email, read receipts have been around for a long time.
They’re far more common now in text messaging, but they first got their start with email. Many platforms (Microsoft Outlook, Google Gmail (via Google Workspace) still offer the feature.
However, read receipts have one major flaw: They are almost always voluntary. The recipient must notify the sender that they’ve received and read the email.
Most organizations don’t want to rely on users to take that extra step and will instead track emails through invisible or nondescript means.
Things That Stop Email Tracking
For senders, the benefits of email tracking far outweigh the minor inconvenience required to set everything up.
However, the simplicity of email tracking has become more complicated in recent years as major tech companies like Apple and governments like the European Union have taken steps to protect user privacy.
If you’re trying to track sent emails, here are a few obstacles that may stop you from retrieving good data.
Opt out features
Privacy regulations like the GDPR require that companies allow users to opt out of the user or collection of their personal data.
While this won’t inherently prevent email tracking, it does mean that you’ll need to be more careful with email marketing to avoid potentially running afoul of legal trouble.
Many companies get around this by following a double opt-in policy for newsletter subscriptions. When a user signs up, the first email they receive is one confirming their subscription.
GDPR also mandates that users must be able to unsubscribe from email marketing and that the process must be clear. Keep these things in mind when using email to connect with customers.
Prevent image loading
Tracking pixels work by loading a unique pixel image from a server and informing senders that the image has been loaded by a recipient.
However, it’s possible to disable automatic image loading by default on most email clients. This means that the tracking pixel won’t load, and your data won’t be accurate.
However, an email client can’t tell the difference between a tracking pixel and another image. For that reason, some marketers include several images in their email, prompting the user to load the images in order to receive the full experience.
When users opt in to see the embedded images, the tracking pixel will also load.
Ad blockers and click warnings
Unfortunately, email scams are common.
Because of this, some browsers (especially those with ad blockers installed) will warn users that the link that they’ve clicked via their email looks suspicious or unsafe.
While this is a great thing for protecting unskilled users, these warnings can interfere with click tracking if the spam filter determines that a link UTM is suspicious.
UTMs typically contain strings of complicated characters that elongate website links. As a result, they can look unappealing and suspicious.
Script blockers
Using Chrome extensions or privacy-heavy browsers and email clients, it’s possible for users to block any tracking scripts (including tracking pixels) that might notify senders who want to track emails.
This is a more advanced setting and requires some technical know-how. It’s likely that users who actively disable scripts to use email know what they’re doing and are opting out through unconventional means.
While there is little that can (or should) be done about a user exhibiting this level of control, data sent to these users may return as a non-open.
Get Started with Email Tracking
Want to try your hand at email tracking?
In the past, the ability to track email sends was limited to larger organizations using sophisticated email platforms.
However, that’s no longer the case. Now, it’s possible for anyone to track email using Chrome plugins and extensions like the Free Email Tracker from PandaDoc.
Simply add the extension to your Chrome browser, open your Gmail from your browser, and send emails like you normally would. Email tracking is invisible, automatic, and can be used on an unlimited number of emails.
