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How do they track "email opens"?

by Gec
6 replies
So how exactly, technically, do aweber and the gang track the "email opens"?

I know about the "img" trick, but my gmail won't download any image unless I explicitly click "Download images" (which I assume very few people do, if any).

Plus, there's a lot of "plain text" emails coming.

Just curious. Thanks.
#email opens #track
  • Profile picture of the author FredBliss
    Good question

    - They often use 1x1 transparent images that are remotely hosted to track, but if the email is plain text, <incorrect information redacted> - there really is no way with text emails.

    HTH,

    Fred
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  • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
    "Plain text" email opens cannot be tracked... only "HTML" emails can. The way it works is an HTML email will contain a 1 x 1px transparent image that is hosted on the autoresponder's server. So each time someone opens the email, it downloads that image from the server... and the server keeps track of how many times that image was downloaded.

    It is far from accurate though, because a lot of people (as yourself) block email images from being downloaded, and/or block HTML emails altogether. So in either scenario, it wouldn't work.

    The only thing it's good for (from the email sender's perspective), is to track the relative difference in open rates between various email campaigns.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan Grossman
    Originally Posted by Gec View Post

    I know about the "img" trick, but my gmail won't download any image unless I explicitly click "Download images" (which I assume very few people do, if any).
    Those people that show images in HTML mails are the only opens you can track. Really. There's no secret method they're using, the image tag in the HTML is all they're doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gec
    OK thanks for the answers. So the only way is with images, and many people don't download images. It's a good "relative" measurement between campaigns.

    But it occurred to me, since most people (?) are using browsers to view emails, can they not add some javascript in the HTML email that would, maybe, hit some Google Analytics server when opened?
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Grossman
      Originally Posted by Gec View Post

      OK thanks for the answers. So the only way is with images, and many people don't download images. It's a good "relative" measurement between campaigns.

      But it occurred to me, since most people (?) are using browsers to view emails, can they not add some javascript in the HTML email that would, maybe, hit some Google Analytics server when opened?
      No, because no webmail client will allow JavaScript in the mail. Doing so would allow a 3rd party to hijack any user's e-mail account just by sending them an e-mail. Remember that JavaScript executing within the context of the domain has the ability to do everything the person behind the computer screen can do, from click on buttons and links, to send arbitrary HTTP requests with that user's cookies (including the session cookie authenticating them).

      The script will be stripped out before the mail is displayed on the webpage.
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      Improvely: Built to track, test and optimize your marketing.

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  • Profile picture of the author Gec
    OK, thanks, all clear now.
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