Huge increase in click performance from July 2024

[Tobias-AZT]

Hi there,

we are currently evaluating our newsletter performance for 2024 and have come across one interesting change that we can't explain.

1) Report type “Email Link Performance” shows significantly higher figures from July 2024:

• from January to June 2024 we always had between 1,500 and 4,000 clicks per month in reporting 
• from July 2024 we always have 20,000 to 30,000 clicks here

Has there been a change somewhere from external manufacturers (Outlook, Google, Apple, etc.) that could explain this increase?

Or is it another issue?

Thanks for your help!

Tobias 

[SanfordWhiteman]

Filter those by suspected bot clicks (assuming you are not already filtering out bot clicks entirely) and you’ll likely see that’s the spike.

Mail scanners are continually getting more aggressive — rightly so given the costs of a successful phish — making clicks even less of a reliable metric.

[SaurabhGoyal_GN]

Hi @Tobias-AZT,

A dramatic increase in email link clicks (from 1,500-4,000 to 20,000-30,000 monthly) starting July 2024 is unlikely due to simple changes by email providers like Outlook, Google, or Apple. While these providers can influence tracking (e.g., pre-fetching), such a large jump suggests a more significant issue. Investigate potential Marketo" tracking errors (CNAME, link shortening), changes in sending volume/audience/content, or a surge in bot activity. Comparing with other metrics like unique clicks and website traffic, and analyzing click patterns within Marketo, will help pinpoint the cause.

Thanks!