Why are Gmail click rates low despite high email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from MarketingProfs shares that using outdated or purchased email lists will damage your sender reputation and lead to low click rates. Always use organically grown lists and ensure subscribers have explicitly opted in to receive your emails.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog suggests that a lack of personalization can lead to low click rates. Generic emails that don't address individual subscriber needs or preferences are less likely to resonate. Using data to personalize content and offers can significantly improve engagement.
Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog responds that rendering issues can significantly reduce click rates. If an email doesn't display correctly in various email clients or devices, subscribers may simply delete it without clicking anything.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that overly aggressive sales tactics or pushy language can deter clicks. Subscribers are more likely to engage with emails that provide value, offer helpful information, or build a relationship, rather than those that feel like constant sales pitches.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that low click rates despite high deliverability can be due to a mismatch between content and audience expectations. If the content doesn't resonate with subscribers or doesn't deliver on the promises made during signup, they are less likely to click. Segmenting your audience and tailoring content to their specific interests can improve engagement.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor Blog emphasizes the importance of re-engaging inactive subscribers. Low click rates could be due to a significant portion of the list being unengaged. Implementing re-engagement campaigns or sunsetting inactive subscribers can improve overall engagement metrics.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that inconsistent sending schedules can negatively impact click rates. If emails are sent sporadically, subscribers may forget who you are or lose interest. Maintaining a regular and predictable sending frequency helps keep your brand top-of-mind and encourages engagement.
Email marketer from Mailchimp Knowledge Base responds that poor email design and a lack of a clear call to action (CTA) are common reasons for low click rates. Emails should be visually appealing, easy to read, and guide recipients towards the desired action with a prominent and compelling CTA.
Email marketer from Quora shares that using misleading subject lines to trick users into opening emails can backfire. While it might increase open rates, it often leads to lower click rates and increased spam complaints, ultimately harming sender reputation.
Email marketer from StackOverflow shares the importance of using a dedicated IP address, especially for large volume sends. This helps to build and maintain a positive sending reputation, which can influence inbox placement and subsequently click rates.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog states that emails that are not optimized for mobile devices can suffer from low click rates. With a significant portion of emails being opened on mobile, ensuring a responsive design is crucial for a positive user experience and encouraging clicks.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains engagement-based filtering at Gmail may be a cause. If recipients don't open or click on emails, Gmail may place subsequent emails in lower priority tabs (like Promotions) or even spam, despite the emails being technically delivered. This results in fewer opportunities for clicks.
Expert from Spamresource explains that one reason Gmail click rates are low despite high deliverability is poor list quality. This may include addresses obtained through less-than-ideal methods that result in recipients who aren't genuinely interested in the content.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that a likely cause of low Gmail click rates despite good delivery percentages is that the email list may contain addresses that did not genuinely sign up. The practice of offering coupons in exchange for email addresses, without verifying ownership, leads to many users providing fake but deliverable addresses. This results in recipients marking the emails as spam or ignoring them, impacting engagement metrics. The expert suggests to stop this practice and ensure that only valid, confirmed opt-in addresses are added to the mailing list.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that graymail (emails that subscribers technically opted-in for but don't actively engage with) can lead to suppressed click rates despite high deliverability. Gmail's algorithms learn from user behavior, and if users consistently ignore or delete graymail, future emails may be filtered or engagement may be reduced.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools highlights that Gmail users can manually mark messages as 'not spam,' which can improve sender reputation over time. However, low engagement rates (opens and clicks) may signal to Gmail that the content is not valuable to recipients, potentially affecting future deliverability and click rates.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that implementing DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is crucial for authenticating emails. While it primarily affects deliverability by proving the sender's identity, a lack of DKIM can cause ISPs to filter emails more aggressively, indirectly impacting click rates if messages land in spam or are heavily filtered.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that landing in spam traps, even if delivery rates appear high, indicates poor list hygiene. Emailing spam traps damages sender reputation, leading to reduced inbox placement and lower click rates, as fewer legitimate recipients will see the messages.