Should I use my primary domain for email click tracking?

No, it's generally not recommended. Using your main domain directly for click tracking exposes its reputation to potential issues from link activity. A dedicated subdomain (e.g., clicks.yourdomain.com ) helps isolate reputation issues and protects your primary brand. Learn why using subdomains for email marketing improves deliverability.

How does a dedicated click tracking subdomain protect my sender reputation?

A dedicated subdomain ensures that the reputation generated by link clicks is separate from your main sending domain. This prevents potential issues, like being placed on a blocklist or blacklist due to high click complaint rates, from affecting your primary email reputation. It's about protecting your brand's overall standing.

Do SPF, DKIM, and DMARC apply to click tracking subdomains?

Yes, it is crucial. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC should be correctly configured for your click tracking subdomain, just as they are for your sending domain. This ensures that the links in your emails are authenticated and appear legitimate to mail servers. Improper authentication is a common reason for emails to go to spam. Consult our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM .

Why are 'throwaway' or frequently changed tracking domains bad?

Mailbox providers view rapidly changing or brand-unaligned tracking domains as suspicious, often associated with spamming behavior. These 'throwaway' domains lack the established trust of an aged, branded subdomain, making it more likely for emails containing such links to be flagged as spam. Learn more about why your emails fail .

What other technical considerations are important for tracking domains?

Enable SSL (HTTPS) for your tracking subdomain to encrypt link traffic. This adds a layer of security and trustworthiness. Also, ensure the displayed tracking link URL matches your sending domain's branding, as consistency helps build recipient trust. Review the Google email sender guidelines for more insights.

What are the best practices for using domains and subdomains for email click tracking to avoid spam filters? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Email click tracking is an essential component for understanding user engagement and optimizing campaigns. However, if not implemented correctly, the domains and subdomains used for these tracking links can inadvertently trigger spam filters, impacting your overall email deliverability. Navigating the complexities of sender reputation and domain alignment is crucial to ensure your emails reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.

My goal is to outline the best practices for setting up and managing domains and subdomains specifically for email click tracking. By following these guidelines, you can enhance your sender reputation, avoid common pitfalls that lead to blocklistings (or blacklistings), and ensure your valuable email engagement data is accurately captured without compromising deliverability.

Understanding domain reputation and alignment

When an email recipient clicks a link, the domain associated with that link is evaluated by spam filters. This evaluation contributes to the link domain's reputation, which is distinct from your email sending domain's reputation. If the click tracking domain has a poor reputation, it can flag your entire email, even if your sending domain is pristine. This is why careful management of your tracking domains is so important.

Using a dedicated subdomain for click tracking helps isolate any reputation issues from your main sending domain. If a tracking link ever gets reported for malicious activity or excessive spam complaints, the damage is contained to that specific subdomain, protecting your primary domain's reputation for crucial business communications. This isolation is key for maintaining high deliverability across different email streams.

The consistency between your sending domain and your tracking domain also plays a significant role. Ideally, your click tracking domain should be a subdomain of your primary sending domain. For instance, if you send from yourdomain.com, your tracking links should use something like clicks.yourdomain.com. This alignment signals trustworthiness to mail servers. Find out more about how sending domain differing from click tracking affects deliverability.

The risk of unaligned domains

When your sending domain and click tracking domain are not aligned (e.g., using a generic, third-party tracking domain or a completely unrelated domain), spam filters may view this as suspicious behavior. This can lead to emails being marked as spam or even outright rejected. Mailbox providers prioritize brand consistency as a signal of legitimacy.

Subdomains for tracking versus sending

A common practice for email marketers is to use subdomains to separate different types of email traffic. This strategy extends to click tracking. Instead of relying on generic tracking domains provided by a third party, creating a custom subdomain for click tracking offers greater control and helps build a positive reputation tied directly to your brand.

Subdomains inherit some trust from the root domain, but they also build their own independent reputation. This means a subdomain for marketing emails, another for transactional emails, and a dedicated one for click tracking, can each develop a specific reputation. If one subdomain experiences a dip in deliverability, the others remain unaffected, safeguarding your overall email program. Consider when you should use subdomains to segment email streams for better deliverability and inbox placement.

Choosing a meaningful name for your click tracking subdomain can also reinforce trust. Names like clicks.yourcompany.com or trk.yourcompany.com are clear and professional. Avoid generic or random-looking subdomains, as these can be misinterpreted as suspicious. Learn more about the best practice for selecting a subdomain for marketing emails.

Shared tracking domains

Reputation risk: Shared with other senders, potentially exposing your deliverability to their poor sending practices.
Control: Minimal control over the tracking domain's reputation or how it's used by other clients.
Branding: Often includes the ESP's branding in the URL, not your own, which can look less professional.

Dedicated tracking subdomains

Reputation control: Reputation is solely tied to your sending practices, allowing for better management.
Enhanced branding: Fully branded URLs (e.g., clicks.yourdomain.com) reinforce brand identity and trust.
Isolation: Protects your main domain from negative impacts if the tracking subdomain faces issues.

Technical setup for click tracking domains

To implement a custom click tracking subdomain, you'll need to configure a CNAME record in your Domain Name System (DNS) settings. This record points your chosen subdomain (e.g., clicks.yourdomain.com) to your email service provider's (ESP) tracking domain. Your ESP will provide the specific value for this CNAME record. This setup ensures that when a recipient clicks a link in your email, they are redirected through your branded tracking domain before reaching the final destination.

Example CNAME record for click trackingDNS

Host: clicks
Type: CNAME
Value: track.your-esp.com

Proper authentication protocols, namely SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, are as critical for your click tracking subdomain as they are for your sending domain. While SPF and DKIM primarily apply to the sending domain, DMARC ensures alignment between the sending domain and other authenticated domains, including those used for click tracking. Always ensure your email domain authentication records are correctly set up and aligned.

It is also advisable to enable SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) for your click tracking subdomain. This means your tracking links will begin with https:// instead of http://. Most modern mailbox providers and web browsers favor secure links, and using https for all URLs in your email can positively influence deliverability. According to Klaviyo, it helps with email deliverability.

Avoiding common pitfalls and blocklists

One of the most significant pitfalls is using throwaway domains or frequently changing your click tracking domains. This behavior is a strong indicator of spamming activity to mailbox providers like

Google and

Yahoo. Domains require a warming-up period to establish a positive reputation. Using new, unaged domains for click tracking can lead to immediate filtering into spam folders or even blocklistings (blacklistings).

Another pitfall is linking to domains that are themselves on a blocklist (or blacklist) or are associated with known malicious activity. Even if your sending and tracking domains are clean, a single link to a compromised or disreputable third-party site can severely damage your sender reputation. Always vet any external links you include in your emails. You can check the M3AAWG Sending Domains Best Common Practices for more information on common practices.

Monitoring your domain and subdomain reputation is a continuous process. Keep an eye on your email deliverability metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. A sudden drop in clicks or an increase in spam complaints could indicate an issue with your tracking domain. Regularly checking your domain for blocklist status is also a proactive measure. By implementing these practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of your emails landing in the spam folder due to click tracking issues.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Always use a subdomain of your main domain for click tracking to maintain brand alignment and trust.

Ensure your tracking subdomain has its own authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) properly configured.

Warm up new tracking domains slowly to build a positive reputation with mailbox providers.

Regularly monitor the reputation of your tracking domains using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.

Common pitfalls

Using generic, shared tracking domains that don't reflect your brand and can be impacted by other senders.

Frequently changing tracking domains, which looks like 'throwaway' behavior to spam filters.

Not warming up new tracking domains, leading to immediate filtering and blocklisting.

Including links to suspicious or low-reputation third-party domains in your emails.

Expert tips

Segmenting your email streams with different subdomains for various email types (marketing, transactional, cold outreach) can further protect your main domain.

If using an ESP, configure a custom tracking domain through their platform rather than relying on shared ones.

Pay close attention to user engagement metrics (opens, clicks, unsubscribes) as indicators of tracking domain health.

If you're an email platform, enable your customers to easily set up custom click tracking subdomains linked to their own brands.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that if a domain was used before and hosted malware, it will affect deliverability, so scanning the site for malware and checking for prior blocklistings is crucial.

2024-09-19 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says that using a subdomain of the client's email domain, like clicks.client.com, is preferable because new domains need to be aged for 3-6 months before use.

2024-09-19 - Email Geeks

Key takeaways

Effective email deliverability hinges on building and maintaining a strong sender reputation, and click tracking domains are an integral part of this. By carefully selecting and configuring dedicated subdomains, ensuring proper authentication, and adhering to best practices, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of your emails being caught by spam filters.

Prioritizing branded, aged, and properly authenticated click tracking subdomains signals legitimacy to mailbox providers. This strategic approach not only improves inbox placement but also ensures that the valuable engagement data from your campaigns is reliably captured, helping you optimize your email marketing efforts more effectively.