Track Unsubscribes

Introduction

In this article, you will learn how to track email unsubscribes in BetterMerge. Tracking unsubscribes allows you to see which recipients opted out of your emails, helping you maintain a clean and compliant mailing list.

How to Enable Unsubscribe Tracking

To enable unsubscribe tracking:

1. Create a new campaign, or open a draft.
2. Open the Delivery tab.
3. Under Tracking, turn on Track unsubscribes.

Tracking settings are locked once a campaign has started, so turn them on before you click Start campaign.

How to View Unsubscribe Reports

You can view unsubscribe reports in two ways:

1. Campaign report - In the web app or the Google Sheets add-on, click Campaigns in the left menu, open the campaign, and select the Tracking logs tab. Choose the Unsubscribes filter to see only opt-outs. For the totals, see Unique unsubscribes on the Overview tab. See View tracking logs.
2. Google Sheets - In the Google Sheet storing your email list, the STATUS (Campaign name) column shows UNSUBSCRIBED for recipients who opt out. The LOGS (Campaign name) column shows the date and time of the unsubscription.

How to Customize the Unsubscribe Link

BetterMerge offers two ways to add an unsubscribe link to your emails:

1. Default Unsubscribe Link

When you enable unsubscribe tracking, BetterMerge automatically appends the following at the bottom of your email:

To unsubscribe, click the link below.

Unsubscribe

The link opens a short page where the recipient confirms the unsubscribe. Recipients who unsubscribe are marked as UNSUBSCRIBED in your campaign reports and Google Sheet.

2. Custom Unsubscribe Link

To fully customize the unsubscribe link, you can design your own content and use a special merge tag for the unsubscribe link.

• Use the special merge-tag {{_UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK_}} as the URL (i.e. href) value in your email template.
• This tag dynamically inserts the unsubscribe URL when sending the email.

HTML Example:

<p>
  If you no longer wish to receive these emails,
  <a href="{{_UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK_}}">click here to unsubscribe</a>.
</p>

You can format the unsubscribe link to match your email’s design while ensuring recipients can still opt out.

One-Click Unsubscribe in Gmail and Yahoo

BetterMerge also adds the standard one-click unsubscribe headers (List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post, defined in RFC 8058) to your campaign emails. Gmail, Yahoo, and other mailbox providers use these headers to show their own Unsubscribe option next to your name. When a recipient uses it, they are unsubscribed right away, without a confirmation page.

• The headers are added to every campaign email sent to a single recipient, even when Track unsubscribes is turned off. There is nothing to set up.
• They are not added to test emails, or to emails with more than one address in the To field or with any CC or BCC recipients.
• The headers use the same tracking domain as your other tracking links.
• Each mailbox provider decides whether to show its Unsubscribe option, so your recipients may not always see it.

Keep a visible unsubscribe link in your emails as well. Gmail’s sender guidelines require bulk senders to offer both one-click unsubscribe and a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the message.

How Unsubscribes Are Tracked

When a recipient unsubscribes, through the link in your email or their mailbox’s one-click option, BetterMerge automatically:

• Updates the corresponding row in your Google Sheet with the UNSUBSCRIBED status.
• Displays the unsubscribe activity in the Campaign Report page.
• Automatically skips the recipient in all of your future campaigns.

Best Practices for Unsubscribe Management

• Make it clear - Use clear language for unsubscribe links to avoid spam complaints.
• Test custom sections - Ensure the {{_UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK_}} tag is properly inserted in your template.
• Respect opt-outs - Avoid sending further emails to unsubscribed recipients.

Conclusion

Unsubscribe tracking in BetterMerge allows you to monitor opt-outs and maintain a clean mailing list. You can either use the default unsubscribe link or customize it to fit your brand style, and campaign emails also support one-click unsubscribe in Gmail, Yahoo, and other mailbox providers. All unsubscribe activity is automatically reflected in your Google Sheet and campaign reports.