In this article, we’ll cover the benefits of using secure tracking links \u2014 and GMass’s system for implementing and managing those links. We’ll also go step-by-step through the process of setting up and testing your secure tracking link with GMass.<\/p>\n
SSL Email Tracking Domains: Table of Contents<\/h2>\n\n- Why Using Secure Tracking Links in Your Email Campaigns?<\/a><\/li>\n
- How to Set Up Secure Tracking Links in GMass<\/a><\/li>\n
- Ready to Get Started with Your Own SSL Email Tracking Links?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why Using Secure Tracking Links in Your Email Campaigns?<\/h2>\n
With secure tracking links, your open tracking pixel<\/a><\/b>, click-tracked links<\/a><\/b>, and unsubscribe link<\/a><\/b> will be HTTPS links, not HTTP links. For instance, if your custom tracking domain is link.mycoolcompany.net, all of the tracking links in your email will go to https<\/strong>:\/\/link.mycoolcompany.net\/[etc].<\/p>\nHere are four major reasons why you should use secure tracking links<\/p>\n
Secure tracking links should give you a deliverability boost<\/h3>\n
The internet has made close to a full transition to HTTPS \u2014 it makes everything safer, more secure, and more trustworthy. Google started prioritizing HTTPS links in search as early as 2014; in 2017, Chrome began flagging sites that used HTTP as “Not secure.”<\/p>\n
Email tracking has lagged a bit because implementing secure custom tracking links is complicated. However, as email clients look for trust signals in email (to differentiate quality emails from unwanted or spam emails), HTTPS links are a valuable sign<\/b>.<\/p>\n
So having HTTPS links for your open tracking pixel, click-tracked links, and unsubscribe link send a positive signal to the email clients\u00a0 \u2014 and should increase the likelihood your messages wind up in the inbox, not the spam folder.<\/p>\n
You can use HSTS domains<\/h3>\n
HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) domains are top-level domains that require<\/i> SSL; they won’t work as insecure HTTP links. Some HSTS domains include .app, .dev, .bank, .page, .new, and .meme.<\/p>\n
Now that GMass supports HTTPS for custom tracking domains, you can use those domains (and the other HSTS TLDs) for your tracking links<\/b>. We just couldn’t stand in the way of you using a .meme tracking link any longer.<\/p>\nSecure tracking links are free with GMass<\/h3>\n
GMass is able to offer free SSL certificates for custom tracking domains<\/b> thanks to an integration with the nonprofit Let’s Encrypt<\/a>.<\/p>\nAnd all GMass users are eligible for free secure custom tracking domains.<\/p>\n
Once your domain is set up, no maintenance is required on your part<\/h3>\n
Let’s Encrypt’s SSL certificates have an expiration date of three months from issuance \u2014 but you don’t have to worry about that. GMass will automatically renew the certificate<\/b> a few days before each expiration date.<\/p>\nWhat if you don’t want to use secure tracking?<\/h3>\n
Secure tracking domains are now the default in GMass \u2014 after all, there’s really no downside and lots of upside. But if, for whatever reason, you don’t want a secure tracking domain, contact our support team<\/b>. There’s no interface to “downgrade” to the insecure option right now.<\/p>\nHow to Set Up Secure Tracking Links in GMass<\/h2>\n
The process of setting up a secure tracking link in GMass is easy \u2014 in fact, it’s no different than the prior process for setting up a custom tracking domain<\/a>. Here’s a walkthrough.<\/p>\nSet a custom tracking domain<\/h3>\n
Set up a custom tracking domain at your registrar, web host, or DNS host. (If you aren’t sure, odds are it’s your registrar. You can see more detailed instructions in our custom tracking domain guide<\/a>.)<\/p>\nFor this example, I set up my custom tracking domain at GoDaddy. I used my domain samgreenspan.net and made the custom tracking domain link.samgreenspan.net point to x.gmtrack.net. (All custom tracking domains anyone sets up with GMass need to point to the x.gmtrack.net URL.)<\/p>\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-cname-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOnce I’d confirmed my tracking domain was working by going to the URL, I added it in the Tracking section of the GMass dashboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-addtogmass-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOnce I clicked the Save tracking settings<\/b> button, I got this message confirming my tracking domain was enabled and GMass would begin working on obtaining an SSL certificate. (Yes, I temporarily changed the tracking domain for our entire organization to my own vanity domain for the sake of this example. No one tell Ajay<\/a>.)<\/p>\n![\"Message](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-addmessage-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nGMass will now install an SSL certificate for the domain<\/h3>\n
Once you save your tracking domain, GMass will automatically attempt to obtain an SSL certificate<\/b>.<\/p>\n
(Wondering what gives GMass the ability to obtain an SSL certificate on your behalf when we’re not an official representative of your organization? Once the CNAME record to x.gmtrack.net<\/a> is in place, that tells the Let’s Encrypt server that GMass’s server is an authority for the tracking domain, and that allows GMass’s server to obtain a certificate. Note: Some domains can set a policy that prohibits GMass from obtaining an SSL on their behalf. If your domain has that policy in place, this won’t work and GMass will serve your links over HTTP.)<\/i><\/p>\nYou’ll receive an email when your custom tracking domain is being served over SSL. For me, it took roughly seven minutes from when I saved my tracking domain until I received the confirmation email.<\/p>\n
![\"Email](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-confirmemail-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThere’s also confirmation in the GMass dashboard that the tracking link is secure.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-dashconfirm-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTest your tracking domain to see if it’s working<\/h3>\n
You can test if SSL is working for your tracking domain just by going to https:\/\/yourtrackingdomain. So I went to https:\/\/link.samgreenspan.net and saw the “hello” confirmation with the GMass favicon.<\/p>\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-confirm-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nYou can see the actual certificate details<\/strong> like the issuer and expiration date by clicking on the lock icon in the address bar and going to the certificate. (In Chrome, click the lock to the left of the URL, then click “Connection is secure”, then “Certificate is valid”.<\/p>\n![\"My](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-certdetails-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow this all looks in an email campaign<\/h3>\n
Now that your custom tracking domain is served over SSL, the open tracking pixel, click-tracked links, and unsubscribe link in your campaigns will all be HTTPS links.<\/p>\n
Here’s an email from a sample campaign I set up to demonstrate.<\/p>\n
This click-tracked link is HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-clicklink2-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe open-tracking pixel is HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-openpixel-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnd the unsubscribe link and page URL are HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ssltrack-unsublink-tinified.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nReady to Get Started with Your Own SSL Email Tracking Links?<\/h2>\n
We’ve always recommended custom tracking links for a deliverability boost. Now, with secure email tracking links, you can get an even bigger deliverability boost than before<\/b>.<\/p>\n
If you’re a GMass user, follow the instructions on this page (or the more detailed instructions in our custom tracking domain article<\/a>) to set up your custom tracking domain. GMass will take it from there<\/b> and obtain a free SSL certificate so you can start sending emails with secure tracking links right away.<\/p>\n
Why Using Secure Tracking Links in Your Email Campaigns?<\/h2>\n
With secure tracking links, your open tracking pixel<\/a><\/b>, click-tracked links<\/a><\/b>, and unsubscribe link<\/a><\/b> will be HTTPS links, not HTTP links. For instance, if your custom tracking domain is link.mycoolcompany.net, all of the tracking links in your email will go to https<\/strong>:\/\/link.mycoolcompany.net\/[etc].<\/p>\n Here are four major reasons why you should use secure tracking links<\/p>\n The internet has made close to a full transition to HTTPS \u2014 it makes everything safer, more secure, and more trustworthy. Google started prioritizing HTTPS links in search as early as 2014; in 2017, Chrome began flagging sites that used HTTP as “Not secure.”<\/p>\n Email tracking has lagged a bit because implementing secure custom tracking links is complicated. However, as email clients look for trust signals in email (to differentiate quality emails from unwanted or spam emails), HTTPS links are a valuable sign<\/b>.<\/p>\n So having HTTPS links for your open tracking pixel, click-tracked links, and unsubscribe link send a positive signal to the email clients\u00a0 \u2014 and should increase the likelihood your messages wind up in the inbox, not the spam folder.<\/p>\n HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) domains are top-level domains that require<\/i> SSL; they won’t work as insecure HTTP links. Some HSTS domains include .app, .dev, .bank, .page, .new, and .meme.<\/p>\n Now that GMass supports HTTPS for custom tracking domains, you can use those domains (and the other HSTS TLDs) for your tracking links<\/b>. We just couldn’t stand in the way of you using a .meme tracking link any longer.<\/p>\n GMass is able to offer free SSL certificates for custom tracking domains<\/b> thanks to an integration with the nonprofit Let’s Encrypt<\/a>.<\/p>\n And all GMass users are eligible for free secure custom tracking domains.<\/p>\n Let’s Encrypt’s SSL certificates have an expiration date of three months from issuance \u2014 but you don’t have to worry about that. GMass will automatically renew the certificate<\/b> a few days before each expiration date.<\/p>\n Secure tracking domains are now the default in GMass \u2014 after all, there’s really no downside and lots of upside. But if, for whatever reason, you don’t want a secure tracking domain, contact our support team<\/b>. There’s no interface to “downgrade” to the insecure option right now.<\/p>\n The process of setting up a secure tracking link in GMass is easy \u2014 in fact, it’s no different than the prior process for setting up a custom tracking domain<\/a>. Here’s a walkthrough.<\/p>\n Set up a custom tracking domain at your registrar, web host, or DNS host. (If you aren’t sure, odds are it’s your registrar. You can see more detailed instructions in our custom tracking domain guide<\/a>.)<\/p>\n For this example, I set up my custom tracking domain at GoDaddy. I used my domain samgreenspan.net and made the custom tracking domain link.samgreenspan.net point to x.gmtrack.net. (All custom tracking domains anyone sets up with GMass need to point to the x.gmtrack.net URL.)<\/p>\n Once I’d confirmed my tracking domain was working by going to the URL, I added it in the Tracking section of the GMass dashboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once I clicked the Save tracking settings<\/b> button, I got this message confirming my tracking domain was enabled and GMass would begin working on obtaining an SSL certificate. (Yes, I temporarily changed the tracking domain for our entire organization to my own vanity domain for the sake of this example. No one tell Ajay<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Once you save your tracking domain, GMass will automatically attempt to obtain an SSL certificate<\/b>.<\/p>\n (Wondering what gives GMass the ability to obtain an SSL certificate on your behalf when we’re not an official representative of your organization? Once the CNAME record to x.gmtrack.net<\/a> is in place, that tells the Let’s Encrypt server that GMass’s server is an authority for the tracking domain, and that allows GMass’s server to obtain a certificate. Note: Some domains can set a policy that prohibits GMass from obtaining an SSL on their behalf. If your domain has that policy in place, this won’t work and GMass will serve your links over HTTP.)<\/i><\/p>\n You’ll receive an email when your custom tracking domain is being served over SSL. For me, it took roughly seven minutes from when I saved my tracking domain until I received the confirmation email.<\/p>\n There’s also confirmation in the GMass dashboard that the tracking link is secure.<\/p>\n You can test if SSL is working for your tracking domain just by going to https:\/\/yourtrackingdomain. So I went to https:\/\/link.samgreenspan.net and saw the “hello” confirmation with the GMass favicon.<\/p>\n You can see the actual certificate details<\/strong> like the issuer and expiration date by clicking on the lock icon in the address bar and going to the certificate. (In Chrome, click the lock to the left of the URL, then click “Connection is secure”, then “Certificate is valid”.<\/p>\n Now that your custom tracking domain is served over SSL, the open tracking pixel, click-tracked links, and unsubscribe link in your campaigns will all be HTTPS links.<\/p>\n Here’s an email from a sample campaign I set up to demonstrate.<\/p>\n This click-tracked link is HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n The open-tracking pixel is HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n And the unsubscribe link and page URL are HTTPS<\/b>:<\/p>\n We’ve always recommended custom tracking links for a deliverability boost. Now, with secure email tracking links, you can get an even bigger deliverability boost than before<\/b>.<\/p>\n If you’re a GMass user, follow the instructions on this page (or the more detailed instructions in our custom tracking domain article<\/a>) to set up your custom tracking domain. GMass will take it from there<\/b> and obtain a free SSL certificate so you can start sending emails with secure tracking links right away.<\/p>\nSecure tracking links should give you a deliverability boost<\/h3>\n
You can use HSTS domains<\/h3>\n
Secure tracking links are free with GMass<\/h3>\n
Once your domain is set up, no maintenance is required on your part<\/h3>\n
What if you don’t want to use secure tracking?<\/h3>\n
How to Set Up Secure Tracking Links in GMass<\/h2>\n
Set a custom tracking domain<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nGMass will now install an SSL certificate for the domain<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nTest your tracking domain to see if it’s working<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHow this all looks in an email campaign<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nReady to Get Started with Your Own SSL Email Tracking Links?<\/h2>\n