Summary
Experts and marketers generally agree that email providers track user engagement, including clicks, as a factor in determining email deliverability and filtering decisions. While user engagement data, including click-through rates, are considered important signals, none of the sources definitively confirm whether email providers specifically differentiate between clicks on verification links versus other types of links for deliverability purposes. Emphasis is placed on overall engagement, sender reputation, and authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) as critical factors influencing deliverability. Additionally, the importance of adhering to good permission practices to maintain positive user perception and improve deliverability is highlighted.
Key findings
- Engagement Tracking: Email providers monitor user engagement, including clicks, as a factor for deliverability.
- Link Differentiation: It's unclear if email providers differentiate between verification link clicks and other link clicks.
- Sender Reputation: A good sender reputation is vital for email deliverability, especially in B2B contexts.
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC standards is essential for verifying sender identity.
- Permission Practices: Good permission practices are crucial for maintaining a positive user perception and improving deliverability.
Key considerations
- Engagement Strategy: Focus on fostering high engagement rates with relevant content to improve deliverability.
- Reputation Management: Maintain a positive sender reputation by adhering to email marketing best practices.
- Authentication Implementation: Implement email authentication standards to protect against spoofing and improve deliverability.
- Subscriber Quality: Prioritize acquiring engaged subscribers through good permission practices like double opt-in.
- Segmentation: Segment your audience and tailor your approach for B2B and B2C recipients, as filtering mechanisms may vary.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Experts and marketers generally agree that email providers track user engagement, including clicks, as a factor in determining email deliverability. However, there is no consensus on whether email providers specifically differentiate between clicks on verification links versus other types of links. Some sources suggest that email providers prioritize overall engagement metrics, while others indicate that B2B filters rely more on sender reputation than engagement. A key point is that double opt-in is primarily for the sender's benefit, not the mailbox provider's. Several sources emphasize the importance of maintaining high engagement rates and following best practices for sender reputation to ensure optimal deliverability.
Key opinions
- Engagement Tracking: Email providers generally track user engagement, including clicks, to assess email deliverability.
- Link Differentiation: There's no clear consensus if email providers differentiate tracking of verification link clicks versus other links.
- B2B vs B2C: B2B email filters often rely more on sender reputation than engagement metrics compared to B2C filters.
- Double Opt-in Benefit: Double opt-in primarily benefits the sender by ensuring a more engaged subscriber base, rather than directly influencing mailbox provider filtering.
Key considerations
- Engagement Strategy: Focus on fostering high engagement rates through relevant and valuable content to improve overall deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Maintain a positive sender reputation by adhering to email best practices and avoiding spam triggers.
- Audience Type: Tailor your approach based on whether you're targeting B2B or B2C audiences, as filtering mechanisms may differ.
- Verification Purpose: Implement double opt-in as a way to improve subscriber quality, demonstrating to email providers the subscribers want the content.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that click-through rate (CTR) is a key metric in email marketing, indirectly implying tracking of clicks, but doesn't specify differentiation between link types. They emphasize analyzing CTR to understand audience engagement.
2 May 2024 - Neil Patel
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that monitoring email engagement, including clicks, is essential for understanding audience behavior and improving campaign performance. Doesn't specify the email type of click.
5 May 2025 - Mailchimp
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts generally agree that email providers use engagement data, including clicks, to filter emails. However, they do not explicitly confirm whether verification link clicks are tracked differently from other links. Email providers prioritize understanding whether users want the mail, and poor permission practices correlate with negative user perception, which ISPs measure.
Key opinions
- Engagement Data: Mailbox providers use engagement data (including clicks) to filter emails.
- Link Differentiation: It is unclear whether email providers track verification link clicks differently from other link clicks.
- User Perception: ISPs measure user perception of email, and poor permission practices can negatively impact this.
Key considerations
- Engagement Optimization: Focus on improving overall user engagement with emails to improve deliverability.
- Permission Practices: Maintain good permission practices to ensure positive user perception and improve deliverability.
- User Intent: Prioritize sending emails that users want to receive to positively influence deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource details how mailbox providers utilise engagement metrics such as clicks, to inform spam filtering decisions but doesn't state whether they specifically track verification links.
6 Aug 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that mailbox providers absolutely use engagement data, which includes clicks, to filter email. Although they do not explicitly say if they track verification link clicks any differently.
11 Jul 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Email provider documentation from Gmail and Microsoft indicates that user engagement, including clicks, is tracked to assess email quality and relevance for filtering purposes. Neither explicitly states whether verification links are tracked differently. RFC documentation describes email authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) but does not address click tracking or the distinction between link types, focusing instead on sender identity verification.
Key findings
- Engagement Tracking: Gmail and Microsoft track user engagement (including clicks) for email filtering.
- Link Differentiation: Neither Gmail nor Microsoft explicitly state if they track verification links differently.
- Authentication Standards: RFC standards focus on email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) but don't address click tracking.
Key considerations
- Optimize Engagement: Improve user engagement (clicks, opens, etc.) to enhance email deliverability based on Gmail and Microsoft guidelines.
- Sender Reputation: Focus on building a positive sender reputation, as it is a key factor for Microsoft's Outlook.com filtering.
- Implement Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication to verify sender identity and prevent spoofing, as outlined by RFC standards.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft states that Outlook.com uses user feedback and engagement metrics to filter email, suggesting they monitor clicks, though it does not explicitly say they track verification links differently. They focus on overall sender reputation.
9 Mar 2022 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from RFC describes the technical standards for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify sender identity. These standards do not directly address tracking clicks or the distinction between verification and other links but ensure authenticity and prevent spoofing.
5 Apr 2022 - RFC-Editor
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