Some email security systems automatically check the links contained in messages to protect users from phishing, malware, and other threats.
These checks can generate automatic clicks, often referred to as bot clicks, which do not correspond to actual recipient interaction.
Solutions such as Proofpoint, Forcepoint, and Barracuda may perform this type of link verification on emails.
Why are these clicks generated?
Email security systems may automatically visit links contained in messages in order to:
- Verify that the destination is safe.
- Check the reputation of the destination website.
- Detect potential phishing attempts or malware.
These visits may occur before the recipient opens the email or immediately after the message is delivered.
How can they affect email statistics?
Bot clicks can artificially inflate the click rate of email campaigns, making an audience appear more engaged than it actually is.
This phenomenon is particularly common in B2B audiences, where advanced email security systems are widely used.
When automatic clicks represent a significant portion of traffic, it becomes more difficult to correctly interpret campaign results and measure recipients' genuine interest.
How magnews handles automatic clicks
To keep click statistics reliable, magnews has developed Bot Shield, a technology designed to help identify clicks generated automatically by bots and email security tools.
Events recognized as automated are excluded from click statistics, providing data that is more reliable and representative of your audience's actual behavior.
Why can click rates change over time?
The technologies used by email security systems are constantly evolving, and their behavior can change over time.
Likewise, the systems used to identify automatic clicks are continuously updated to maintain a high level of data quality.
As a result, you may observe changes in click rates that do not necessarily reflect a change in recipients' interest in your communications.
In some cases, click rates may decrease because more automatic clicks are being excluded than in the past. In other cases, click rates may increase if security systems change the way they scan links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my click rate lower than it used to be?
One possible reason is a reduction in the number of automatic clicks being counted in the statistics. This makes the data more representative of interactions actually generated by recipients.
Are automatic clicks visible in the platform?
No. When an event is identified as being generated automatically, it is not included in the statistics displayed in magnews.
Does this affect all audiences?
No. The impact depends on the security systems used by recipients and is generally more common among business and B2B audiences.