Summary
Experts and documentation sources indicate that Gmail's approach to email tracking is evolving due to privacy changes and security features. Gmail's image caching and proxying significantly impact the reliability of open rates, as an 'open' might simply mean Gmail loaded the image, not that the recipient actually viewed the email. Google Workspace administrators also have control over email delivery settings affecting tracking. Claims about Gmail changing how it handles dotted opens appear misleading, with Gmail ignoring dots in email addresses a specific feature, not a universal standard. The consensus is marketers should shift to more reliable engagement metrics like click-through rates, website traffic, and conversions.
Key findings
- Unreliable Open Rates: Gmail's image caching and privacy features are making traditional open rates unreliable.
- Image Proxy Impact: Google's image proxy skews open rates by loading images through its servers.
- Privacy Focus: Google is prioritizing user privacy, influencing email processing and tracking capabilities.
- Dotted Opens Misinformation: Claims about Gmail altering its handling of dotted opens may be deceptive; Gmail ignoring dots is a pre-existing feature.
- Alternative Metrics: Experts recommend a shift to more concrete metrics like click-through rates and conversions.
Key considerations
- Adapt Tracking Strategies: Adapt your email marketing strategies to account for the unreliability of open rates.
- Focus on Engagement: Shift your focus to metrics that indicate actual user interaction and genuine engagement.
- Verify Info Sources: Be cautious of consumed information, checking credibility before drawing conclusions.
- Holistic Measurement: Employ a holistic measurement approach to understand campaign performance.
- Understand User Privacy: Consider the need to build trust through demonstrating user privacy.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Recent privacy changes in Gmail and Google Workspace, including image caching and proxying, are significantly impacting the reliability of traditional email open rate tracking. While Gmail itself may not be directly tracking opens in the conventional sense, its privacy-focused features are making it harder for marketers to accurately measure engagement using open rates. Consequently, experts recommend shifting focus to alternative metrics such as click-through rates, website traffic, and conversions to better gauge campaign performance. Gmail also ignores dots in email addresses and uses plus addressing for filtering, which are features to manage email rather than a universal change to email tracking.
Key opinions
- Unreliable Open Rates: Gmail's image caching and privacy features make open rates an unreliable metric for measuring email engagement.
- Privacy Focus: Google is moving towards a more privacy-focused approach, which limits traditional email tracking capabilities.
- Alternative Metrics: Marketers should focus on click-through rates, website traffic, and conversions instead of open rates.
- Workspace vs Gmail: Some reported changes might be specific to Google Workspace accounts rather than general Gmail accounts.
- Dotted Email Impact: Gmail ignores dots in email addresses as a feature to help users manage their email.
Key considerations
- Metric Adaptation: Marketers need to adapt their strategies to rely less on open rates and more on other engagement metrics.
- Privacy Awareness: Email campaigns should be designed with user privacy in mind to align with platform changes.
- Workspace Specifics: Be aware that certain tracking changes might only apply to Google Workspace and not standard Gmail accounts.
- Holistic Measurement: Employ a holistic measurement approach by combining multiple metrics for a comprehensive view of email campaign performance.
- Testing and Validation: Continuously test and validate email tracking methods to understand how platform changes affect reporting.
Marketer view
Email marketer from SparkPost blog explained back in 2018 that Gmail uses an image proxy which can affect open tracking because all images are fetched via Google's servers. This means that every email appears to be opened by Google, skewing the data.
1 Sep 2024 - SparkPost
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog discusses the evolution of email marketing in response to privacy changes. They highlight the need for marketers to adapt and use more reliable metrics beyond open rates to gauge campaign performance.
27 Mar 2024 - ActiveCampaign Blog
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Experts generally agree that Gmail's approach to email tracking is evolving, making traditional open rates an unreliable metric. One expert dismisses claims about Gmail changing how it handles dotted opens as misinformation. However, others point to Gmail's image caching and proxying as significant factors that skew open rate data, as an 'open' may simply indicate that Gmail loaded the image, not that the recipient actually viewed the email. Consequently, focusing on alternative engagement metrics, such as click-through rates, is recommended.
Key opinions
- Misinformation Alert: Claims regarding Gmail dotted opens should be scrutinized as they may be misleading or intentionally deceptive.
- Image Caching Skews Data: Gmail's image caching significantly impacts the accuracy of open rates by loading images through proxy servers.
- Unreliable Open Tracking: Due to image proxying and privacy features, open tracking is becoming increasingly unreliable as a metric for engagement.
- Alternative Metrics Recommended: Experts suggest focusing on click-through rates and other engagement metrics to better gauge recipient interest.
Key considerations
- Verify Information Sources: Be cautious of the information you consume and verify the credibility of sources before drawing conclusions about Gmail's changes.
- Adapt Tracking Strategies: Adjust your email marketing strategies to account for the unreliability of open rates by prioritizing alternative metrics.
- Focus on Meaningful Engagement: Shift your focus to metrics that indicate actual user interaction, such as click-through rates, conversions, and website traffic.
- Understand Gmail's Image Proxy: Acknowledge that Gmail's image proxy alters how open rates are measured, and plan your tracking strategies accordingly.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource indicates that due to various factors including image proxying and privacy features, open tracking is becoming increasingly unreliable as a metric for engagement. They suggest focusing on other metrics, such as click-through rates, to better gauge recipient interest.
6 Sep 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says the LinkedIn post about Gmail dotted opens is 'bullshit' and it's an intentional scam post to advertise the author's company.
12 May 2023 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Google's documentation highlights several factors impacting email tracking within Gmail and Google Workspace. Security features, such as image proxying, can skew open rate accuracy as images are loaded via Google's servers. Moreover, Google Workspace administrators possess customizable email delivery settings that can influence processing and tracking mechanisms, primarily for enhanced security and privacy. Regarding dotted opens, the IETF's RFC 822 indicates that dots in the local-part of email addresses are permissible, suggesting that Gmail's disregard for dots is a unique behavior, rather than an email standard.
Key findings
- Image Proxy Impact: Google's image proxy skews open rates because images are loaded through Google's servers.
- Admin Control: Google Workspace admins have settings that affect email processing and tracking.
- Gmail Dot Handling: RFC 822 allows dots in email addresses; Gmail's ignoring them is a specific feature.
- Privacy Emphasis: Google is focused on privacy, influencing email processing and tracking capabilities.
Key considerations
- Account for Image Proxying: Understand that Gmail's image proxy impacts tracking, skewing open rate metrics.
- Review Admin Settings: Google Workspace admins should evaluate email delivery settings for their impact on tracking.
- Address Standardization: Recognize that Gmail treats dots differently, affecting email delivery based on address format.
- Embrace Alternative Tracking: Consider using other metrics besides opens to evaluate engagement, because Google values user privacy.
Technical article
Documentation from IETF on RFC 822 (the original standard for email) indicates that the local-part of an email address (the part before the @ symbol) can contain dots. This suggests that Gmail's behavior of ignoring dots is a Gmail-specific feature and not a universal email standard.
25 Aug 2021 - IETF
Technical article
Documentation from Google Support explains how Google Workspace provides security features that might affect how emails are tracked. Features like image proxying can impact open rate tracking accuracy, as images are loaded through Google's servers.
18 Feb 2025 - Google Support
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