What are common SendGrid unsubscribe and tracking issues and how are they resolved?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares that they experienced issues with SendGrid's click tracking not accurately registering clicks. They found that disabling and re-enabling click tracking in their SendGrid settings resolved the problem. They suspect it might be a bug within SendGrid's platform.
Email marketer from MarketingProfs explains that sometimes unsubscribe issues are caused by end-users incorrectly reporting emails as spam instead of unsubscribing. They suggest that marketers educate their subscribers and provide clear unsubscribe instructions to encourage them to use the unsubscribe option rather than marking emails as spam. This helps protect the sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that on June 10th, there was a bug found that impacted unsubscribes in SendGrid. Subscription tracking wasn't working properly on certain accounts, and the data for unsubscribe activity hadn't been updating properly or at all from June 11th. SendGrid's engineers couldn't find the unsubscribes that should have been tracked, so clients were sending to subscribers who had opted out. They fixed it on June 16th and it was a bug due to some update that impacted users with both custom link tracking and branded links.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares an experience of clients receiving emails they didn't open or being unsubscribed without clicking. SendGrid explained it as spam filters activity checking links, but provided no real solution, suggesting to look at unique opens and clicks.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains problems with global unsubscribes that can impact multiple campaigns. They suggest segmenting mailing lists to prevent issues caused by unsubscribes. They also discuss the importance of preference centers so users can opt-out of certain emails instead of all emails.
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that incorrect unsubscribe feedback loops can lead to deliverability issues. They recommend implementing a system to verify that unsubscribe requests are being correctly processed and that the user's email address is being added to the suppression list. Further, that regularly monitor bounce rates and spam complaints to identify potential issues.
Email marketer from Twilio explains that managing unsubscribes is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation. They advise setting up dedicated unsubscribe groups within SendGrid and allowing users to manage their preferences. Further that marketers should leverage SendGrid's API to automate the process of adding unsubscribed users to a suppression list and integrate this data into their CRM.
Email marketer from Digital Reach Agency explains that tracking issues can arise specifically with AMP emails in SendGrid due to their dynamic nature. They suggest that marketers check that the AMP part of the email is correctly implemented and that the tracking parameters are properly passed through the AMP code to ensure consistent and accurate tracking.
Email marketer from Litmus explains about ensuring proper unsubscribe functionality across devices and email clients. They suggest that marketers test their unsubscribe links on different devices and email clients to ensure they function correctly and redirect users to the intended page. They also advise checking for broken links and ensuring that the unsubscribe process is user-friendly.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from SpamResource explains the concept of list bombing, where spammers subscribe victims to many lists, filling their inboxes and making legitimate unsubscribes difficult. They don't directly discuss SendGrid, but they advise using confirmed opt-in (double opt-in) to verify subscriptions and requiring proof-of-address or using challenge-response systems to prevent abuse.
Expert from Word to the Wise discusses the importance of the List-Unsubscribe header and one-click unsubscribe options. This allows recipients to unsubscribe easily from within the email client, helping to avoid spam complaints. They explain the technical aspects of setting up List-Unsubscribe, which typically involves both a 'mailto:' and an 'http:' option, and they emphasize the importance of honoring unsubscribe requests promptly.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from SendGrid explains that best practices for handling unsubscribes involve using a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers genuinely want to receive emails. They also recommend providing a clear and easily accessible unsubscribe link in every email, honoring unsubscribe requests promptly, and managing suppressed email addresses effectively to prevent future sends.
Documentation from SendGrid explains that tracking issues can sometimes arise due to link rewriting, particularly when using custom link tracking. They suggest verifying that the custom link tracking domain is properly configured and that the DNS settings are correctly pointing to SendGrid. Additionally, they recommend checking the link whitelabel settings to ensure consistency across all links.
Documentation from SendGrid explains the proper method of implementing unsubscribe handling using the API. They show how to correctly process unsubscribe requests using the API and how to add the email address to a suppression list to prevent future sends.
Documentation from SendGrid explains that discrepancies in open tracking can occur due to various factors, including email clients blocking images (which contain the tracking pixel) and aggressive spam filters. They advise comparing open rates across different email clients to identify potential issues and ensuring that the sender's domain is properly authenticated to improve deliverability.
Documentation from SendGrid explains that interpreting event webhook data for bounces can provide insights into deliverability issues. They advise setting up the event webhook to receive bounce notifications and analyzing the bounce reasons to identify common problems, such as invalid email addresses or blocked domains. This information can be used to clean up mailing lists and improve deliverability.