Signkit automatically tracks signature performance using industry-standard methods. This guide explains how tracking works and what each metric means.
How Tracking Works
View Tracking (Pixel)
When someone opens an email containing your signature:
- The email client loads the signature content
- A tiny, invisible tracking pixel loads
- Signkit records the view
- The recipient sees only your signature
Technical details:
- The pixel is a 1x1 transparent image
- It's hosted on Signkit's servers
- Each load is counted as a view
Click Tracking (Redirect)
When someone clicks a link in your signature:
- The click goes to Signkit's redirect URL
- Signkit records the click
- The user is instantly redirected to the destination
- This happens in milliseconds
Technical details:
- Links are wrapped with tracking parameters
- Original destination is preserved
- No noticeable delay for recipients
Metrics Explained
Views (Impressions)
What it measures: How many times your signature was displayed
Counted when:
- Email is opened
- Images are allowed to load
- The tracking pixel renders
Not counted when:
- Email is unopened
- Images are blocked
- Email is in preview mode only
Views may be undercounted because some email clients block images by default. Actual reach is likely higher than reported views.
Clicks
What it measures: How many times links were clicked
Counted when:
- Any trackable link is clicked
- Includes social links, website, campaign banners
- Each click counts separately
Highly accurate because:
- Every click must pass through our redirect
- No image loading required
- Not affected by privacy settings
Unique Views
What it measures: Distinct recipients who viewed your signature
Calculated by:
- Tracking identifier per recipient
- De-duplicated across multiple opens
- One person opening the same email twice = 1 unique view
Unique Clicks
What it measures: Distinct recipients who clicked
Useful for:
- Understanding reach vs. repeated clicks
- Measuring campaign penetration
- Comparing to total audience size
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
What it measures: Percentage of views that result in clicks
Calculation:
CTR = (Total Clicks / Total Views) x 100Example:
- 1,000 views
- 15 clicks
- CTR = 1.5%
Engagement Rate
What it measures: Overall interaction with signatures
May include:
- Clicks on any link
- Multiple interaction types
- Campaign-specific engagement
What Gets Tracked
Signature Elements
These elements are tracked:
| Element | View Tracked | Click Tracked | |---------|--------------|---------------| | Signature (overall) | Yes | - | | Website link | - | Yes | | Email link | - | Yes | | Phone link | - | Yes | | Social links | - | Yes | | Campaign banner | Yes | Yes |
Campaign Banners
Campaign banners have additional tracking:
- Banner views: When the banner image loads
- Banner clicks: When the banner is clicked
- CTR: Calculated per campaign
Tracking Accuracy
Factors That Affect View Tracking
May reduce accuracy:
- Image blocking in email clients
- Privacy features (Apple Mail Privacy Protection)
- Corporate email security policies
- Offline email reading
Generally reliable:
- Gmail tends to load images
- Outlook can be configured to allow images
- Mobile apps often show images
Factors That Affect Click Tracking
Highly accurate because:
- No images required
- Works regardless of privacy settings
- Each click is definitively recorded
Potential issues:
- Bot clicks (rare, filtered when detected)
- Link scanners (security tools that preview links)
Privacy Considerations
What We Track
- View counts (aggregate)
- Click counts (aggregate)
- Time of interaction
- General location (country level)
What We Don't Track
- Individual recipient email addresses
- Personal information from recipients
- Detailed location data
- Browsing behavior after click
Compliance
Signkit tracking is designed to be:
- GDPR compliant
- Privacy-respecting
- Transparent in operation
Using Metrics Effectively
Focus on Trends
Rather than absolute numbers:
- Compare week over week
- Look for patterns
- Identify changes after updates
Benchmark Against Yourself
Establish baselines:
- Your typical view count
- Your average CTR
- Seasonal variations
Combine Metrics
Use multiple data points:
- Views show reach
- Clicks show engagement
- CTR shows effectiveness
Common Questions
Why are my views lower than expected?
Image blocking is common. Consider:
- Your actual reach is likely 20-40% higher
- Focus on click data for accurate engagement
- Compare relative trends rather than absolutes
Why don't all clicks show a source?
Click tracking requires:
- Links to be processed through Signkit
- The signature to be properly generated
- No manual modifications to link URLs
Can I track individual recipients?
No, by design. Signkit tracks aggregate metrics to protect recipient privacy. You can see totals and trends, not individual behavior.
How quickly does data update?
- Views: Near real-time (within minutes)
- Clicks: Near real-time
- Dashboard aggregates: Refreshed periodically
What about email forwarding?
When an email is forwarded:
- The new recipient's view counts
- Clicks from forwarded emails count
- This can actually increase your reach
Troubleshooting Tracking
No Views Recorded
- Verify signature is deployed correctly
- Send a test email and open it
- Check that images load in the test
- Allow a few minutes for data to appear
No Clicks Recorded
- Verify links are working
- Click a link yourself as a test
- Check the destination URL is valid
- Confirm tracking wasn't disabled
Unexpected Spikes
- Check for bot activity
- Verify no unusual email sends occurred
- Review if links were shared publicly