This is the second article in our series on email delivery rates.To catch up, make sure you read the first article Here.
Have you seen an amazing increase in open rates and click-through rates that do not match changes in marketing incentives?
Or maybe you have seen a large number of unsubscribed unsubscribes suddenly?
Believe it or not, all of the above are possible signs that server clicks distort response data. If this is a brand new term for you, don’t worry, we are here to explain everything for you.
What are server clicks and why do they exist?
Server click (also known as robot click or non-human interaction) is the time for the anti-spam filter of the receiving mail server to check the validity and integrity of potentially suspicious links in the email.
For example, if Gmail’s anti-spam filter suspects your email, they will click on the link to make sure they are not malicious.
Anti-spam filters may only click certain links, or they may click links in emails. Based on these checks, the anti-spam filter may send the email to the inbox or send it out as spam.
Although this is a useful service to protect the security of your inbox, it also creates a hassle for reporting email activity.
Since email service providers (ESP) such as Campaign Monitor report open and click data, these server clicks create the impression that the recipient is opening and clicking the email, when in fact, it is an anti-spam filter.
You may have heard of this for the first time, but server clicks are not new. Mail servers across the industry are using server clicks to prevent phishing attacks. Attack, where, The frequency is getting higher and higher.
Mailbox providers set different parameters to determine when anti-spam software will test links in incoming emails.Some anti-spam filters will look at your Sender reputation To determine whether it needs to be checked. However, others will try to test all links contained in emails from outside the organization as much as possible.
It is important to note that this is not an issue unique to Campaign Monitor or any other ESP. Every email sender may experience the effects of server clicks to some extent.
Why do I hear this news now and see the server hits increase?
Phishing attacks have been on the rise in the past few years – both in number and In profileTherefore, security measures are being strengthened worldwide.
As spammers continue to find new ways to bypass security settings, mailbox providers are under pressure to ensure their inboxes are as safe as possible.
What should I do if I see a massive increase in open, click, or cancel subscriptions?
If you suspect that server clicks will affect your email data, you can take some quick steps to help solve the problem.
Check which new URLs you have started linking to. Files, link shorteners, and free online filter files can cause problems.
Check the health of your list. Sending to an inactive or non-participating email address may damage your sender’s reputation. This is a bad practice for a variety of reasons, but mainly because anti-spam filters are more likely to see you as a suspicious sender. When a subscriber stops responding to your content, please remove it from your mailing list.
What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future?
Although there is no magic formula to prevent server clicks, there are some best practices you can followHere are the 3 most important things you can do to help anti-spam filter servers know that they can trust you:
1. Ask your subscribers to add you to their safe sender list
Include a short note in your subscription form or welcome email to remind your subscribers to mark your email as safe, which may be of great help.
2. Only link to content hosted on your website
The receiving mail server prefers the link in the email to match the domain in the sending address. Also, when you include a link to another domain, you will trust their domain reputation, not yours.
3. Turn on confirm unsubscription for all your lists
Activity monitor provides this function for this exact situation. To learn how to activate and confirm unsubscription, Go here.
wrap up
Yes, server clicks are an annoying part of an email marketer’s job. However, such security and privacy measures are helping people. It will not go anywhere.
As email providers become more security-conscious, you must follow sending best practices to get a place in their inbox.
To learn more about server clicks and other security and privacy measures, check out the following list of useful resources:
