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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteFirst decide which email you want to measure: messages your WordPress site sends—such as order updates, password resets, or form notifications—or newsletter campaigns sent through an email marketing service. WordPress’s wp_mail() function hands messages to an underlying mail transport; WordPress does not provide a universal dashboard for email opens and clicks. The right tracking setup depends on where the messages are sent and reported.
Choose the tracking route that matches your email
| Route | What it measures | Where reports appear | Important consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| WP Mail SMTP email logging | Messages sent by the WordPress site through the supported mail setup | WordPress admin, under WP Mail SMTP » Email Log | Email logging is a paid-license feature according to WP Mail SMTP’s setup guide; check the current plan and retention options. |
| Mailchimp campaign reports | Newsletter campaigns sent through Mailchimp | Mailchimp, under Analytics » Reports | Campaign reports are separate from WordPress’s site email log. |
| Email Tracker plugin | The plugin listing says it tracks open and click activity for mail sent through wp_mail() |
As described by the plugin’s own listing | The listing’s compatibility and capability statements are vendor claims, not independent verification. |
WP Mail SMTP and Mailchimp document different workflows, not a controlled head-to-head comparison. A WordPress email log is appropriate for site-generated mail; it is not a substitute for a newsletter provider’s campaign analytics.
Enable open and click tracking for WordPress site email
WP Mail SMTP documents open and click tracking within its email log. Before enabling it, confirm that your license includes logging. Also decide what message details, if any, you want the plugin to retain: stored email content can contain passwords, personal information, and other sensitive details, according to the vendor’s documentation.
- Configure mail delivery and logging. Install and configure WP Mail SMTP for your site, including an appropriate mailer. Tracking does not configure a reliable delivery transport by itself.
- Open the tracking settings. In WordPress admin, go to WP Mail SMTP » Settings » Email Log.
- Enable the tracking options. Turn on Open Email Tracking and Click Link Tracking, then save the settings.
- Review a message. Go to WP Mail SMTP » Email Log and open an entry to inspect its tracking status.
Only messages sent after tracking is enabled can generate tracking records. Allow time for a recipient or their email client to request the tracking image or follow a tracked link before interpreting a message’s status.
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Track a Mailchimp newsletter campaign
For a newsletter sent through Mailchimp, use Mailchimp’s campaign report rather than relying on the WordPress email log.
- In Mailchimp, open Analytics » Reports.
- Select the campaign you want to review.
- Use the campaign report overview to view opens and clicks.
These reports describe activity associated with that campaign. They do not show whether a person read or understood the message.
What opens and clicks can—and cannot—tell you
Open tracking depends on image requests
Mailchimp describes open tracking as a unique hidden image embedded in each tracked HTML campaign email. When the image is requested, the system records an open. A plain-text message cannot carry that image, and a recipient’s image-blocking settings can prevent the request, so an unrecorded open does not prove the email was not viewed.
Privacy features and automated activity can distort counts
Mailchimp warns that Apple Mail Privacy Protection and other bot activity can inflate open and click metrics. In Mailchimp’s system, a tracked link click can also count as an open when click tracking is enabled. Treat the numbers as signals about activity, not a precise count of people who read a message.
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Tracked links are not identical across products
WP Mail SMTP describes its open tracking as a 1×1 image pixel and its click tracking as replacing links with unique trackable URLs; its tutorial says mailto: links are not replaced. These are descriptions of the product’s behavior, not a guarantee that every recipient or email client will behave identically.
Consider a dedicated WordPress tracker
The WordPress.org listing for Email Tracker says the plugin hooks into wp_mail() and describes open and click tracking. Use the listing to understand what the developer claims the plugin does, but do not treat promotional feature descriptions as independent proof of measurement accuracy or universal compatibility. Check the current listing and test the plugin with the site’s actual email setup before relying on its reports.
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Sources
- WP Mail SMTP: How to Enable Open and Click Tracking
- WP Mail SMTP: How to Set Up Email Logging
- Mailchimp: About Open and Click Rates
- Mailchimp: View Email Campaign Reports
- WordPress.org: Email Tracker
- WordPress Developer Resources: wp_mail()
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