Why are random characters added to URLs in email click tracking?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum explains that some email clients will display a plain text version and not the HTML version. He advises to check the plain text version and make sure the links are not broken or wrapped in brackets.
Email marketer from Marketing Over Coffee Podcast shares that UTM parameters are a common source of issues. Ensure UTM parameters are correctly formed, and avoid using characters not supported by the tracking system. Validate them after implementation.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog recommends properly encoding all URLs, especially those with parameters. Use URL encoding tools to ensure special characters are correctly formatted for web browsers and email clients.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains the problem occurs when users open the email as plain text. The template editor generates a plain text version where URLs are wrapped in curved brackets with no space after. This causes the next word to be captured.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that email clients sometimes misinterpret or modify URLs, especially if they contain special characters or are not properly formatted. URL shorteners or tracking parameters might exacerbate the issue.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the issue is unlikely to be deliverability-related, more likely client, email template or code related. He recommends doing an ASCII dump of the source email to look for hidden characters and also points out that the addition of a closing bracket could be string sanitation.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that poorly formatted HTML can lead to unexpected characters being added to URLs. They recommend ensuring proper HTML coding practices and avoiding unconventional characters in URLs.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow advises URL parameters need to be encoded correctly to avoid interpretation issues. Specifically, he notes that characters like '&' can break the URL if not properly encoded as '&'.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that email clients can sometimes corrupt URLs due to encoding issues or the way they parse HTML. She advises testing across multiple email clients and devices to identify and mitigate these problems. Correct URL encoding is critical.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests random ISPs, users and links points to a consistent client. The way it's coded might be frustrating a client. He also provides examples `<a href='https....">` or `<a href="......>`
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Oracle Eloqua details that URL length limitations can cause truncation or corruption, leading to unexpected characters or broken links. It advises keeping URLs concise and using URL shortening services when necessary.
Documentation from Litmus explains email clients render HTML differently, leading to variations in how URLs are interpreted. Some clients might add or remove characters, especially with long URLs or those containing special characters. Litmus recommends thorough testing across various clients.
Documentation from Twilio SendGrid states that URL rewriting features, especially when combined with aggressive encoding strategies, can sometimes introduce unexpected characters in tracked URLs. SendGrid advises to check their encoding settings and URL structure within the platform.