Email click tracking works by replacing each link in an email with a unique tracking link. When the recipient clicks, the request first reaches the tracking server, which records which link was clicked and when, then instantly redirects to the original page. Mailpro applies this link tracking, plus an invisible pixel for opens, to every message sent through its SMTP relay or API by default, and shows the results in a dedicated SMTP statistics section.
How click tracking works, step by step
- When the message is sent, each URL in the content is rewritten into a redirect link tied to that message and recipient.
- The recipient clicks, and the browser calls the tracking server first.
- The server logs the click and redirects to the real destination in a fraction of a second, so the recipient barely notices.
- The event appears in your statistics as total clicks (every click) and unique clicks (one per recipient).
What does Mailpro track on an SMTP send?
| Event | How it is collected |
|---|---|
| Delivery | The success response returned by the recipient's mail server |
| Bounce | The error code returned when delivery fails |
| Open | An invisible image pixel that loads when the email is displayed |
| Click | The tracked redirect link described above |
| Location and device | Read from the open and click requests |
Both methods are invisible to the recipient. See how SMTP message tracking works and how a tracking pixel records opens.
Clicks or opens: which metric should you trust?
Clicks are the stronger signal because they require a deliberate action. Open counts are inflated by Apple Mail Privacy Protection, which preloads images (see Apple MPP and open rates). Clicks are not perfect either: corporate security scanners can follow every link before delivery and create bot clicks. Focus on unique clicks, click-through rate and click-to-open rate, and treat sudden click spikes within seconds of delivery with suspicion.
Want the same insight for your campaigns? Mailpro click analysis ranks your most-clicked links in the Top Clicks tab of each campaign.
Where to see SMTP click statistics in Mailpro
Mailpro SMTP statistics sit in their own section, separate from campaign reports: delivery, opens, click percentage, location, device and bounces for each message sent through the relay. Tracking is on by default and can be switched off at any time from the administration panel, for example for password resets or two-factor codes where delivery confirmation is all you need.
Can click events be sent to your own system?
Yes. If you send through the Mailpro Email API, signed webhooks push delivery, bounce, open and click events to your URL in real time as JSON, signed with HMAC-SHA256 and retried automatically if your server does not answer. This lets you record clicks in your own database or CRM instead of reading them in the dashboard. See the three types of Mailpro webhooks and the Mailpro API page.
Good practice for tracked links
- Link to HTTPS pages so the redirect lands on a secure destination.
- Send an HTML version: in plain-text emails the long tracking URL is visible to the reader.
- Add UTM parameters to see what visitors do after the click in Google Analytics.
- Do not track sensitive transactional emails that recipients never need to click.
Mailpro and SMTP tracking
Beyond click tracking — proof every transactional email arrived
Mailpro's SMTP relay logs delivery, opens, clicks, device and location for every message, on by default, Swiss-hosted, in a dashboard separate from your campaigns.