How Are Opens Link Clicks and Replies Tracked

title: How Are Opens Link Clicks and Replies Tracked
description: Learn how email tracking works and why reply tracking is recommended.

Overview

SalesBlink can track email opens, link clicks, and replies — but we strongly advise against using open or click tracking.

We really, really do not recommend tracking opens or clicks. Our internal tests show that when you enable open or click tracking, your chances of landing in the inbox drop significantly — by up to 70% — even if you are using a custom tracking domain. These tracking mechanisms are red flags to spam filters and email providers.

Focus on replies instead. Replies are the gold metric. They are the only signal that truly matters for gauging campaign success and deliverability health.

Tracking Email Opens

Email opens are tracked using a small invisible image (tracking pixel) embedded in the email.

How It Works:

• The email contains a hidden image (pixel) in its HTML.
• When the recipient opens the email, their email client loads images.
• This sends a request to the server.
• The opening is recorded.

Important: If images are blocked, opens will not be tracked. Plain text emails cannot track opens.

Why you should not use it: Open tracking relies on embedding a tracking pixel, which spam filters and email providers actively flag. Based on our internal testing, enabling open tracking can reduce your inbox placement by up to 70%, even when using a custom domain. The data is also unreliable due to image blockers, preload behavior, and privacy features like Apple Mail Privacy Protection.

Tracking Link Clicks

Clicks are tracked using unique tracking links that replace your original links.

How It Works:

• Each link is replaced with a tracking URL.
• When clicked, the user first goes to the tracking URL.
• The click is recorded.
• Then they are redirected to the original destination.

Important: Default tracking links may sometimes be flagged as spam. Use a custom domain or subdomain for better results.

Why you should not use it: Just like open tracking, click tracking introduces tracking URLs that email providers and spam filters treat as suspicious. Our tests show that click tracking can significantly hurt deliverability — again, by up to 70% — even with a custom domain configured. It is not worth the trade-off.

Tracking Replies

Replies are tracked by monitoring your inbox.

How It Works:

• SalesBlink connects to your email via IMAP.
• Incoming replies are detected and matched to campaigns.
• Each email has a unique identifier to track responses.

Important: Reply tracking does not work with SMTP-only setups (no IMAP access).

This is what you should care about. Replies are the most honest, reliable, and deliverability-friendly metric. A healthy reply rate means your emails are landing in inboxes and resonating with prospects. Stop chasing opens and clicks — chase conversations.

Updated on: 03/07/2026