Advantages of using Google Analytics for Email Read Tracking

Question

I was recommended Google Analytics as a solution for receiving confirmation whether the emails sent out by my web app actually was delivered and read by the recipient or not.

I take it that what google does is to use an embedded image in the email which causes the email client to issue a request to obtain the same when the email is opened for reading.

1. What are the advantages of using Google Analytics for doing this rather than my own solution. (Its pretty easy to write an image handler and keep a request count for each user using ASP.Net MVC.)

2. If images in incoming emails are blocked by default in the user's email client (which most email clients such as outlook do these days), will google analytics work?

3. Would I not have to worry about the previous item (2) if I use Google Analytics, as the image url will point to a Google domain which is more likely to be recognized as a trusted domain (rather than a self developed solution with my domain name).

4. I read somewhere that it was against google's privacy policy when using Google Analytics to insert data in the image url which would individually identify the user. If so how do I identify the user?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The advantage of using GA is that you can use any of the GA features such as real-time view, analyzing the data for things like mobile opens versus desktop, time of day, etc - all without having to write any of that code yourself.

It will still depend on the client opening the email and downloading images. Using GA doesn't change that.

As for their data policy:

"You will not upload any data that allows Google to personally identify an individual (such as certain names, social security numbers, email addresses, or any similar data), or data that permanently identifies a particular device (such as a mobile phone’s unique device identifier if such an identifier cannot be reset), even in hashed form."

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/policy

An opaque ID generated by your site (integer, guid, etc) is not PII.

That is my personal interpretation of the policy.

I don't send emails through our SMTP server, though. Our email provider handle that and use their open/click tracking - so GA is something I've looked at but not used.

Answer 2

I don't think Google Analytics is a good tool to track email reads. GA collects data via javascript; sure it would be possible to embed a google tracking pixel into the email but this would render most reports in the GA interface useless (since they rely on data that won't be collected without JS). Plus if you collect into a profile that also tracks a website you will wreck your statistics (especially bounce/exit rates and similar).

You should tag links in your emails with utm parameters - but this will not track reads, it will merely allow you to identify visitors that visit via newsletter links.

If you want a solution based on GA your best bet IMO would be to look at the new measurement protocol (https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/v1/) to create a bespoke data collection mechanism and create custom reports in the GA interface - but it might be easier to roll your own solution.

As for privacy, the relevant bit is here:

You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use the Service to track, collect or upload any data that personally identifies an individual (such as a name, email address or billing information), or other data which can be reasonably linked to such information by Google. You will have and abide by an appropriate Privacy Policy and will comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to the collection of information from Visitors. You must post a Privacy Policy and that Privacy Policy must provide notice of Your use of cookies that are used to collect traffic data, and You must not circumvent any privacy features (e.g., an opt-out) that are part of the Service.

Bubbafats quote describes the rules for creating Uuids to pass to the Ga tracker - related, but not necessarily the same thing.