Will Gmail junk folder affect machine generated opens?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign notes that email deliverability challenges are increased when emails land in the spam folder, thus reducing the reliability of open rates.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus explains that improving email open rates starts with avoiding the spam folder. If emails land in spam, it’s unlikely that they will be opened.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow answers that if the mail server delivers to spam folders, most of the time tracking won't be possible, the action of putting it into the spam folder stops the rest of the email loading.
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that if an email lands in the spam folder, it is unlikely to be opened. Open tracking may not be reliable in spam folders due to various factors, including email client behavior.
Email marketer from Litmus answers that bot detection helps filter out non-human opens and clicks, but it may not be effective if emails are already in the spam folder.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their understanding that bot opens will not occur on messages sent to the junk folder specifically for Gmail.
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that one way to improve email deliverability and reduce the chances of emails going to the spam folder is to ensure proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is set up.
Email marketer from Reddit shares their experience that if an email lands in the spam folder, the chances of it being opened are extremely low, and open tracking becomes irrelevant.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that emails landing in the spam folder will drastically decrease open rates, as most users won't check their spam folders.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that email deliverability and open rates are affected by spam filters. Emails sent to the spam folder may not be opened, and tracking might not accurately reflect user engagement.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that there are many machines between the sender and the recipient that can download assets from an email for any number of reasons, and the folder an email is eventually deposited in is irrelevant in that context.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks indicates that if an image loads, odds are good that the email hit an inbox, especially for consumer Gmail.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that in rare cases, the MX temporarily defers the mail but still checks the links/images, resulting in opens recorded before the email was accepted for delivery.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that if an email is placed in the spam folder, user engagement (including opens) is unlikely to be accurately tracked due to filtering and limited user interaction.
Expert from Word to the Wise says that if spam filters move messages to the spam folder, traditional email metrics like open rates become unreliable for measuring audience engagement.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that certain email header fields can be used by spam filters to determine if an email is spam, which affects its placement in the inbox or spam folder.
Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail's spam filters automatically detect suspicious emails and move them to the spam folder, potentially affecting open tracking accuracy.
Documentation from Spamhaus notes that spam filters significantly affect email tracking, as emails moved to the spam folder are unlikely to be opened and tracked effectively.
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that Outlook's spam filters can move emails to the junk folder based on various factors, including content, sender reputation, and user feedback, impacting open rates.