In the article How to Measure Opens in Email Marketing we have demonstrated how to correctly measure opens in email marketing. When a user has opened an email, an important step is completed. Most emails aim at taking users to a landing page, where they can then execute out a conversion. In this article, we will show you which performance figures to use to measure clicks on links correctly.
Click Through Rate
A click is measured when a recipient has clicked on a tracked link. Links are counted as long as they have been created as tracking links through an email marketing solution and all clicks (invisible for recipients) are managed via this email marketing solution. The click rate is influenced by the number of integrated links. Clicks can be measured individually for each link to allow a comparison with linked offers. The number of clicks is the central benchmark in email marketing. The click rate can be measured in gross or net. In case of the net click rate, only the first click per link is counted. In case of the gross click rate, repeated clicks in an email are also counted. The click rate puts the clicks in a ratio with the delivery quantity. It shows the percentage of how often links are clicked in the newsletter.
Gross Click Rate = clicks / delivery quantity * 100
Net Click Rate = unique clicks / delivery quantity * 100
Clicks to Open Rate
The clicks to open rate puts clicks in a ration to opens. It shows what percentage of recipients, who have opened the newsletter, have found the content attractive enough to click one or more links.
Clicks to Opens = clicks /opens * 100
Clicks per Link
A higher number of links theoretically increases the likeliness of the user finding an offer he is interested in. The effect of the number of links on clicks can be determined via the benchmark “clicks per link”. Here, the number of links in a newsletter is put in a ratio with the clicks generated by this newsletter. The clicks per link show how often a link in a newsletter has been clicked on average.
Clicks per Link = clicks / number of links
Tip: Always separate active links (marketing relevant) from passive links. Active links are those directly associated with a campaign without unsubscribe link, profile link or other system and image links.