Open tracking
What is open tracking in email?
Open tracking is a way to check whether an email has been opened by the recipient. It works by adding a very small, invisible image (often called a tracking pixel) to the HTML version of the email.
How does open tracking work?
When you send an email with open tracking enabled, a hidden pixel is included in the message.
Each time the recipient opens the email and allows images to load, the pixel is retrieved from the sender’s server.
This request confirms that the email was opened and can also capture details such as how many times it was opened, the device used, and even at times the approximate location.
What are the benefits of open tracking?
Gain better insights
Beyond just open rates, open tracking shows patterns in reader behavior. It shows how many times a message is opened or what device it was viewed on. These insights can help shape your email strategy, personalize follow-ups, and refine your campaigns for better results.
Optimize timing for your emails
With open tracking, you can see when recipients typically open your emails. This insight helps you schedule future sends at times when they’re more likely to be noticed, increasing the chances of interaction.
What are the limitations of open tracking?
It’s limited by recipient’s settings
Open tracking only works if the recipient’s email client allows images to load. If images are turned off, or if the email is opened in plain-text mode, the tracking pixel won’t fire. This means some opens may go unrecorded, giving you incomplete data.
There are privacy concerns
Many email clients and security tools now block tracking pixels by default to protect user privacy. For example, Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection loads images in the background to mask real user activity. While this improves privacy for recipients, it reduces the accuracy of open rate data for senders.
It can cause false opens
Sometimes, an email may appear to have been opened when it hasn’t. This can happen if spam filters, antivirus software, or inbox preview panes trigger the pixel automatically. These “false opens” can inflate your open rates and make it harder to measure true engagement.