Summary
HTTP tracking links generally do not inherently harm email deliverability; the reputation of the *tracking domain* is the most critical factor. While HTTP links might not directly block emails, the industry standard has shifted towards HTTPS for all web interactions, including tracking, to build user trust and avoid perceptions of insecurity. Many experts strongly advocate for custom tracking domains to maintain control over reputation and prevent issues arising from shared ESP domains, where one bad actor could negatively impact all users. Implementing HTTPS for custom tracking domains often involves collaboration with your ESP, may incur additional costs, and requires careful certificate management, but it is considered a crucial best practice for modern email marketing and overall sender reputation.
Key findings
- Domain Reputation is Key: HTTP tracking links themselves do not inherently cause deliverability problems; the reputation of the underlying tracking domain is the critical factor determining inbox placement.
- Custom Domains Enhance Control: Using a custom tracking domain provides better control over your link's reputation compared to shared ESP domains, mitigating risks of blacklisting or filtering due to other users' poor practices.
- HTTPS is a Modern Standard: While HTTP links might not directly block email delivery, HTTPS is the preferred industry standard, enhancing user trust and perceptions of security, which can indirectly support long-term deliverability by improving engagement metrics.
- ESP Setup and Costs: Implementing HTTPS for custom tracking domains typically requires involvement from your Email Service Provider, often with additional fees and ongoing certificate management, as many ESPs default to HTTP for custom domains.
- Shared Domain Risks: Shared tracking domains provided by Email Service Providers are vulnerable to reputation damage if other clients use them for spam, which can negatively impact the deliverability of all users leveraging that shared domain.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Custom Domains: Always opt for a custom tracking domain to isolate your email sending reputation and avoid being penalized by the actions of other users on shared ESP domains.
- Embrace HTTPS: Strive to use HTTPS for all tracking links to align with modern web security standards, improve user trust, and avoid potential browser warnings or perceptions of insecurity.
- Work with Your ESP: Be prepared to collaborate with your Email Service Provider to set up and manage HTTPS for custom tracking domains, understanding there may be associated costs and certificate renewal responsibilities.
- Monitor Domain Reputation: Regularly monitor the reputation of both your primary sending domain and any associated tracking domains to proactively address potential issues that could impact deliverability.
- Evaluate ESP Offerings: Choose an Email Service Provider that offers custom domain HTTPS tracking as a standard feature, as this indicates a commitment to modern best practices and robust deliverability.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Building on the understanding that domain reputation is paramount, it's clear that while HTTP tracking links might not directly block emails, the industry strongly advocates for HTTPS and custom tracking domains. This is primarily to foster user trust, prevent any appearance of 'phishing,' and ensure a dedicated, clean reputation for your links, mitigating risks associated with shared domains. The process of securing HTTPS for custom tracking often requires close collaboration with your Email Service Provider and may involve additional costs and ongoing certificate management, but it's a vital step for robust email deliverability and brand integrity.
Key opinions
- Indirect Impact, Direct Reputation: While HTTP tracking links themselves are rarely the direct cause of emails landing in spam, their impact on deliverability is largely indirect, stemming from the reputation of the tracking domain and how it's perceived by spam filters and recipients.
- HTTPS for Trust & Phishing Prevention: The use of HTTPS for tracking links is crucial for building and maintaining user trust. It prevents perceptions of insecure or 'phishing' behavior, which can otherwise lead to diminished engagement and potential flagging by security systems.
- Custom Domains Mitigate Shared Risk: Employing a custom tracking domain is a best practice that effectively isolates your link's reputation from the potentially negative actions of other users who might share a default ESP tracking domain. This provides greater control over your deliverability.
- ESP Collaboration & Costs Involved: Securing HTTPS for custom tracking domains typically requires significant technical coordination with your Email Service Provider and often involves additional fees. Many ESPs default to HTTP for custom domains due to the complexity and ongoing management of SSL certificates.
- Analytics Reliability & Domain Health: Click tracking is vital for email analytics, but its effectiveness and safety depend on the health of the tracking domain. If the tracking domain has a poor reputation, it can cause legitimate emails to be flagged, thus undermining the accuracy of your analytics.
Key considerations
- Invest in Custom Domain HTTPS: Actively pursue and invest in setting up HTTPS for a custom tracking domain. This establishes a strong, independent reputation for your links and significantly enhances user confidence, aligning with modern web security standards.
- Evaluate ESP Support for Secure Tracking: When choosing or working with an Email Service Provider, thoroughly assess their capabilities and willingness to facilitate HTTPS on custom tracking domains, recognizing that this often involves additional costs and technical effort.
- Proactive Certificate Management: Be diligent in managing and renewing SSL certificates for custom tracking domains. Expired certificates can lead to broken links, browser warnings, and a detrimental impact on both user trust and deliverability.
- Educate on Link Security: Understand that even if an HTTP link doesn't directly trigger a spam filter, user perception of security is vital. Insecure-looking links can lead to mistrust, lower engagement, and a reduced likelihood of clicks, indirectly affecting deliverability metrics.
- Reputation Management of All Domains: Continuously monitor the reputation of not just your primary sending domain, but also all associated tracking domains. Any negative association with a tracking domain can severely impact email placement and overall deliverability.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that while HTTP tracking links might not directly cause delivery problems, it is "dodgy behavior" and recommends pushing the ESP to implement TLS. He also clarifies that ESPs might be able to obtain certificates via HTTP authentication, depending on CAA records.
5 May 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that if an HTTP tracking link gets blacklisted, it could potentially cause deliverability issues.
4 May 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Although HTTP tracking links typically do not cause direct email deliverability issues, the modern web's shift to HTTPS makes it the expected standard for all links, including those for tracking. The primary concern with HTTP links is their indirect influence: they can trigger browser security warnings and foster a perception of lesser security, potentially eroding recipient trust and engagement. Therefore, while ISPs may not filter emails based solely on the link protocol, adopting HTTPS for all tracking links is a critical best practice that strengthens sender reputation and improves long-term campaign performance.
Key opinions
- No Direct Deliverability Block: Emails are generally not blocked by ISPs solely because they contain HTTP tracking links, as the protocol itself is not a direct trigger for spam filters.
- Indirect Impact on User Perception: The main detriment of HTTP tracking links is their indirect impact, creating browser warnings and a perception of insecurity, which can erode user trust and reduce engagement.
- HTTPS is Current Standard: The industry standard has overwhelmingly moved to HTTPS for all web interactions, making its use for tracking links a crucial component of modern, trustworthy email marketing.
- Bolsters Sender Reputation: Adopting HTTPS for tracking links enhances overall sender reputation and encourages recipient engagement, factors that are vital for long-term email deliverability success.
Key considerations
- Adopt HTTPS Universally: Prioritize implementing HTTPS for all tracking links to align with contemporary web security expectations and avoid presenting a less secure image to recipients.
- Mitigate Browser Warnings: Recognize that HTTP links can cause browser warnings, which directly impact user experience and can lead to reduced click-through rates and perceived unprofessionalism.
- Protect User Trust: Understand that maintaining user trust is paramount; insecure-looking HTTP links can undermine this trust, indirectly affecting open rates and engagement metrics over time.
- Future-Proof Deliverability: By embracing HTTPS for tracking, you are not only adhering to current best practices but also future-proofing your email strategy against evolving security standards and recipient expectations.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that while using HTTP tracking links doesn't directly cause email deliverability issues, the industry standard has moved to HTTPS. Not using HTTPS can lead to browser warnings and a perception of lesser security, which might indirectly affect user trust and engagement, though not directly blocking email delivery based on the protocol itself. The article emphasizes that using HTTPS is a best practice for modern email marketing.
12 Dec 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that while HTTP tracking links do not inherently block email delivery, the trend towards a more secure web means that using HTTPS for tracking links is crucial for building sender reputation and user trust. ISPs generally don't filter emails solely based on HTTP vs. HTTPS for internal links, but insecure links can lead to browser warnings or a less professional perception, potentially impacting user engagement and indirectly, long-term deliverability metrics.
24 Jul 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Email service providers commonly integrate HTTP tracking links, acknowledging them as a standard feature. However, they consistently emphasize that the reputation of the tracking domain itself, rather than the HTTP protocol, is the chief determinant of deliverability success. Many providers, including SendGrid, HubSpot, SparkPost, and Mailgun, strongly advocate for adopting custom tracking domains. This practice is crucial for isolating your brand's reputation, mitigating risks from shared domains that could be negatively impacted by other users' poor practices, and ultimately enhancing overall email deliverability. While Mailchimp also supports this, they additionally highlight the importance of fundamental domain authentication like SPF and DKIM to legitimize all email links.
Key findings
- Standard Feature: Email tracking functionality, utilizing HTTP links, is a common and built-in feature across leading email service providers.
- Domain Reputation Critical: The reputation of the tracking domain, rather than the HTTP protocol itself, is the primary factor influencing whether emails with tracking links reach the inbox.
- Shared Domain Risks: Email Service Providers caution that shared tracking domains are susceptible to blacklisting if misused by other clients, which can negatively impact the deliverability of all users leveraging that domain.
- Custom Domains Recommended: Most email providers highly recommend using custom tracking domains to protect sender reputation by creating an isolated and controlled environment for your links.
- Greater Control & Legitimacy: Custom tracking domains provide senders with more control over their link's reputation, and when paired with proper domain authentication, they help legitimize all links within an email.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Custom Tracking: Make it a priority to set up a custom tracking domain to safeguard your sender reputation and avoid deliverability issues caused by shared infrastructure.
- Understand Shared Domain Vulnerabilities: Be aware that relying on an Email Service Provider's default shared tracking domain carries inherent risks due to potential abuse by other users.
- Implement Domain Authentication: Ensure robust domain authentication, such as SPF and DKIM, is in place to legitimize all links within your emails, including tracking links, enhancing overall trust.
- Monitor Tracking Domain Health: Regularly monitor the reputation and health of your custom tracking domain to proactively address any potential blacklisting or filtering issues.
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid explains that while HTTP tracking links are standard, using custom link branding (custom tracking domains) is highly recommended. This practice helps protect your email sending domain's reputation by isolating it from potential issues or blocklistings that could affect a shared tracking domain provided by your email service provider (ESP), thereby indirectly improving deliverability.
3 Aug 2024 - SendGrid Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp clarifies that their email tracking functionality is built-in. While standard, they strongly recommend users set up domain authentication (SPF and DKIM) and consider a custom domain for branding. This setup, while not directly addressing the HTTP link itself, helps legitimize all links originating from your emails, including tracking links, which can contribute to better deliverability.
17 Mar 2022 - Mailchimp Knowledge Base
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