Do link shorteners impact email deliverability with ESP click tracking?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 29 Jun 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
6 min read
Many senders wonder about the impact of link shorteners on email deliverability, especially when their email service provider (ESP) already employs click tracking. It's a valid concern because both mechanisms involve redirects, and email filters are notoriously wary of anything that obscures the final destination of a link.
The common perception is that link shorteners are detrimental to deliverability, often associated with spam and malicious activity. However, ESP click tracking is a standard feature designed to provide valuable analytics without negatively affecting your sender reputation.
The crucial distinction lies in the nature and reputation of the domains involved in these redirects. Understanding this difference is key to maintaining healthy inbox placement and ensuring your messages reach their intended recipients.
How ESP click tracking works
When you include a link in an email sent through an ESP, that link is typically rewritten or wrapped. Instead of pointing directly to your destination URL, it first points to a tracking domain owned and managed by the ESP.
When a recipient clicks the wrapped link, they are briefly redirected through the ESP's tracking server, which records the click, before being sent to the final destination. This process is how ESPs provide metrics like click-through rates, which are vital for understanding engagement.
This method is standard industry practice. ESPs invest heavily in maintaining the reputation of their tracking domains. They ensure these domains are not associated with spam and are properly authenticated, which helps minimize any negative impact on deliverability. Some ESPs also offer branded tracking domains, allowing you to use a subdomain of your own domain for tracking, further enhancing trust.
This standard ESP click tracking does not obscure the ultimate destination of the link from an email filter's perspective, as the ESP's tracking domain often passes through the final URL to the recipient's mail client or browser.
The problem with public link shorteners
Public URL shorteners, such as Bitly, differ significantly. Unlike ESP tracking, their primary purpose is to make long URLs concise. This functionality, while convenient, can be (and often is) abused by spammers and phishers to hide malicious links.
Email spam filters are designed to protect users from deceptive content. Because public link shorteners can mask the true destination, they are frequently flagged as suspicious. This leads to a negative reputation for the shortener's domain itself, and any email containing links from these domains may be subject to increased scrutiny, or even outright rejection or delivery to the spam folder.
Even if your email content is legitimate, using a publicly shared shortener can tarnish your deliverability, because the spam filters may have these common shortener domains on an internal blocklist (or blacklist). For more information on this, check out our guide on whether link shorteners are bad for email marketing.
The combined impact of shorteners and ESP tracking
When you combine a public link shortener with an ESP's click tracking, you create a chain of redirects. The original URL becomes a shortened link, which is then wrapped by the ESP's tracking link. This means a click goes from the ESP's domain, to the shortener's domain, and finally to your destination. This multi-layered redirection is generally not advisable.
From a deliverability perspective, adding a public link shortener introduces an unnecessary risk factor. Even if your ESP's tracking domain has an excellent reputation, inserting a domain known for obfuscation (and potentially spam) into the redirect path can trigger spam filters.
Moreover, this double-redirect scenario can degrade the user experience. Some browsers or security software may flag such layered redirects as suspicious, potentially displaying security warnings to the recipient, or simply failing to resolve the link correctly. This can lead to frustration and reduced engagement, even if the email avoids the spam folder.
The risk of combined redirects
Combining a public link shortener with ESP click tracking significantly increases the chances of your email being flagged by spam filters. The shortener's negative reputation can override the positive reputation of your ESP's tracking domain.
User experience impact
Double redirects can lead to slower loading times or security warnings in some browsers, diminishing trust and potentially causing recipients to abandon the click. For more insights into how link shorteners hurt email deliverability, consider avoiding them.
Best practices for links and tracking
To ensure optimal email deliverability while still tracking clicks, focus on leveraging your ESP's built-in tracking capabilities effectively. Your ESP's tracking domains are designed to be reputable and integrate seamlessly with their sending infrastructure.
If you are concerned about long URLs, it's almost always better to hyperlink a descriptive phrase rather than exposing a raw, long URL in your email content. For instance, instead of https://example.com/very-long-product-page-with-many-parameters, use learn more about our product. This provides a cleaner appearance and enhances trust without resorting to problematic shorteners. We discuss this further in our article on how multiple or long links affect deliverability.
You should also ensure that the tracking URL subdomain aligns with your sending domain to further build trust with receiving servers. This can prevent issues where the ESP's tracking domain appears unrelated to your primary sending domain. Check out our guide on tracking URL subdomain alignment.
Prioritize a clean sending reputation and transparent linking practices over the marginal aesthetic benefits of shortened URLs in email content. This approach will significantly contribute to better inbox placement and overall email program success.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always use your ESP's native click tracking functionality.
If available, configure a custom or branded tracking domain with your ESP to align with your sending domain, reinforcing trust and brand identity.
Hyperlink descriptive text instead of displaying raw, long URLs directly in your email body.
Regularly monitor your email deliverability metrics and sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Common pitfalls
Using public URL shorteners (e.g., bit.ly, tinyurl) in marketing or transactional emails, as they are often associated with spam.
Creating double redirects by placing a shortened link within an ESP's click-tracking wrapper.
Ignoring browser security warnings or user experience impacts caused by excessive redirects.
Failing to maintain a clean email list, which can lead to high bounce rates and spam complaints.
Expert tips
Consider segmenting your audience and A/B testing different link strategies to see what resonates best with your subscribers and their email clients.
For non-promotional or highly sensitive emails, evaluate whether click tracking is essential or if direct links are more appropriate.
Invest in comprehensive deliverability monitoring that provides insights into how different link types are perceived by major ISPs.
Educate your team on the risks associated with public link shorteners and the importance of consistent, reputable linking practices.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that ESP link click tracking is a standard function for most platforms.
2018-07-01 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that the main issue with link shorteners is their potential to obscure malicious links, leading to negative spam filter scoring.
2018-07-01 - Email Geeks
Navigating links for optimal deliverability
While ESP click tracking is an essential and generally safe tool for email analytics, the integration of public link shorteners introduces unnecessary risks to your email deliverability. These shorteners are often associated with suspicious activity due to their capacity to obscure link destinations, leading to potential blocklisting (or blacklisting) of your emails.
The key to good deliverability lies in transparency and trust. Rely on your ESP's robust tracking infrastructure and prioritize clear, descriptive hyperlinks. By avoiding double redirects and maintaining a clean sender reputation, you can ensure your emails consistently reach the inbox, providing both valuable insights and a positive user experience.
