How do tracking pixels in HTML emails work and can they be removed?

Email marketer from HubSpot suggests using click-through rates as an alternative way to measure email engagement when tracking pixels are unreliable. Encouraging recipients to click on links provides a more accurate measure of interest.

Email marketer from SuperOffice raises the ethical considerations of using tracking pixels without explicit consent. They suggest being transparent with subscribers about tracking practices and providing an option to opt-out.

Email marketer on StackExchange suggests using personalized URLs and unique offer codes to track conversions and engagement instead of relying solely on tracking pixels, which are easily blocked or rendered inaccurate.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that a tracking pixel is a 1x1 transparent image embedded in HTML emails. When the email is opened, the image is downloaded from a server, which then registers the open. It is primarily used to track open rates.

Email marketer from Gmass suggests using Google Analytics tracking through URL parameters to measure engagement in addition to tracking pixels to gain a better understanding of user behavior after the email is opened.

Email marketer on Reddit in r/emailmarketing shares that due to increased privacy measures, tracking pixels are becoming less reliable and suggests focusing on engagement metrics like click-through rates and conversions to measure success.

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that tracking pixels can be blocked by email clients or ad blockers, leading to inaccurate open rates. They also mention that some email clients may cache images, leading to inflated open rates.

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that email providers like Apple Mail use image proxy which preloads all images, including tracking pixels, which can lead to inflated email open rates, regardless of whether the user actually viewed the email.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that pixels are used in HTML emails to track email opens and link clicks. Deleting the email will delete the pixel.

Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that deleting the email does delete the tracking pixel along with it.

Expert from Word to the Wise mentions the challenges in relying on open rates due to increased privacy measures like Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP). This feature essentially pre-loads images, making it difficult to accurately track genuine opens.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that many email clients now offer options to block remote images by default, effectively preventing tracking pixels from reporting back to the sender. Users can also use browser extensions designed to block tracking attempts.

Documentation from Litmus explains that email tracking works by embedding a tiny, invisible image (a tracking pixel) in HTML emails. When the recipient opens the email and their email client downloads the images, the server hosting the tracking pixel records the open. They note that if images are blocked, the open is not tracked.

Documentation from Sendinblue explains how recipients can disable image loading in their email clients to prevent tracking pixels from working. This effectively blocks the sender from knowing if the email has been opened.

Documentation from Microsoft supports that Outlook has settings to block automatic download of external content, including images. This prevents tracking pixels from functioning unless the user explicitly allows the download.

Documentation from Mozilla supports that Thunderbird allows users to configure privacy settings that block remote content in emails, including tracking pixels, protecting users from unwanted tracking.

Documentation from Apple explains how Mail Privacy Protection prevents senders from using tracking pixels to learn about a recipient’s email activity by masking their IP address and pre-loading remote content.