How to Calculate Email open rate in Google Ads

7 minute read

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Email marketing is a powerful way to reach your target audience and generate leads for your business. However, simply sending out emails is not enough. To be successful, you need to track the performance of your email campaigns to understand what's working and what's not. One of the essential metrics you need to track is the email open rate. In this article, we'll discuss how you can calculate email open rates in Google Ads.

Understanding Email Open Rates

Email open rate is the percentage of subscribers who opened your email. It's essential to track this metric because it tells you how many people are engaging with your content and potentially converting. A higher open rate usually means your emails are relevant and valuable to your subscribers.

What is an Email Open Rate?

Email open rate is a measure of how many people who received your email opened it. It's calculated by dividing the number of people who opened your email by the number of emails sent, then multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage.

But how exactly does email open rate work? When you send an email, a tracking pixel is embedded in the message. This pixel sends a signal to the email client when the email is opened, allowing the email to be counted as "opened." It's important to note that email open rate doesn't measure whether the recipient read or engaged with the content, just that they opened it.

Why is Email Open Rate Important?

Tracking email open rate is essential because it helps gauge whether your subscribers find your content interesting and relevant. It can also help you identify areas for improvement and optimize your email campaigns for higher engagement and conversions.

For example, if your email open rate is low, it could be a sign that your subject line isn't compelling enough, or that your email content isn't resonating with your audience. By testing different subject lines or tweaking your content, you can improve your open rate and ultimately drive more conversions.

It's also important to keep in mind that email open rates can vary depending on factors such as industry, audience, and email type. For example, promotional emails may have a lower open rate than transactional emails, which are often more personalized and time-sensitive.

Overall, tracking email open rate is an important part of any email marketing strategy. By understanding this metric and taking steps to improve it, you can increase engagement and ultimately drive more conversions for your business.

Setting Up Your Google Ads Campaign for Email Tracking

Tracking the performance of your email campaigns in Google Ads can provide valuable insights into your audience's behavior and help you optimize your advertising strategy. However, before you can start tracking, you need to set up your campaign properly. Here are the steps:

Creating a Google Ads Account

If you haven't already, the first step is to create a Google Ads account. This will give you access to the platform's powerful advertising tools and enable you to track the performance of your campaigns across multiple channels. Once you've created an account, navigate to your campaign settings to get started.

Configuring Your Email Campaign Settings

Now that you have access to your campaign settings, it's time to configure them for email tracking. In the Settings tab, select "Email" as the campaign type and input your email content. This will allow Google Ads to track the performance of your email campaigns and provide insights into how your audience is engaging with your content.

When configuring your email campaign settings, it's important to keep in mind the specific goals you have for your campaign. Are you looking to drive traffic to your website, increase sales, or build brand awareness? By setting clear goals and tracking your performance, you can optimize your campaign to achieve the best possible results.

Adding Tracking Parameters to Your Email Links

Finally, you need to add tracking parameters to the links in your email content. This will enable Google Ads to track the performance of your emails and provide insights into how your audience is engaging with your content. To do this, you can use the Google Ads tracking URL builder to create the parameters.

When adding tracking parameters, it's important to use clear and descriptive names that will help you identify the specific links that are driving the most engagement. This will allow you to optimize your campaign to achieve the best possible results and ensure that your email content is resonating with your audience.

In conclusion, setting up your Google Ads campaign for email tracking is an essential step in optimizing your advertising strategy and achieving the best possible results. By following these steps and tracking your performance, you can gain valuable insights into your audience's behavior and make data-driven decisions to improve your campaign's effectiveness.

Integrating Google Analytics with Google Ads

Integrating Google Analytics with Google Ads can help you gain deeper insights into your email campaigns' performance. Here are the steps:

Linking Your Google Analytics Account

The first step is to link your Google Analytics account to your Google Ads account. This will allow you to see website engagement data in your Google Ads reports.

Setting Up Email Tracking in Google Analytics

Next, you need to set up email tracking in Google Analytics. Go to the Admin section and create a new "Email" goal in your Analytics account.

Analyzing Email Performance Data in Google Analytics

Finally, you can analyze your email performance data in Google Analytics. You can view email conversion rates, goal completions, and other engagement metrics. This can help you optimize your email campaigns for better overall performance.

Calculating Email Open Rate in Google Ads

Once you've set up your campaign and integrated Google Analytics, you can start tracking your email open rate in Google Ads. Here's how:

Understanding Google Ads Metrics

Before calculating email open rate in Google Ads, you need to understand the different metrics available. The most critical metrics for email campaigns are impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), conversions, and of course, email open rate.

Finding Your Email Open Rate in Google Ads

In the Google Ads dashboard, go to the "Campaigns" tab and select your email campaign. Then, select the "Ad Schedule" view and add the "Email Open Rate" metric. You can now see your email open rate for the selected date range.

Interpreting Your Email Open Rate Results

Interpreting your email open rate results involves analyzing factors such as your email subject line, sender name, and timing. A low email open rate may indicate that your subject line needs improvement or that you need to segment your subscribers better. On the other hand, a high email open rate may indicate that your subscribers find your content interesting.

Conclusion

Making the most of your email campaigns requires tracking and analyzing crucial metrics such as the email open rate. By following the steps, we've outlined in this article, you can track your email open rate in Google Ads and gain valuable insights to optimize your campaigns effectively.

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