Step by step guide to tracking email opens and link clicks in Yesware

If you’re sending out sales emails, following up with leads, or just want to know if anyone’s actually reading your stuff, tracking email opens and link clicks can be a lifesaver. But getting it right—and not letting it drive you nuts—isn’t always obvious. This guide is for anyone who’s using Yesware and wants honest, step-by-step directions on how to track email engagement without the fluff.

Let’s cut through the noise and get your tracking set up quickly, so you can focus on what matters: getting replies, not fiddling with settings.

Why Track Opens and Clicks? (And What to Expect)

Before you dive in, here’s what tracking can (and can’t) do:

  • See who’s engaging. Know when a recipient opens your email or clicks a link. This helps with timing follow-ups and figuring out what’s working.
  • Avoid guesswork. Stop wondering if your email landed or got ignored.
  • Don’t expect perfection. Not every open or click actually means someone read your message. Tracking is useful, but it’s not psychic.

Heads up: Some people use blockers or privacy tools that can mess with tracking. You’ll get close to the truth, but not 100%. Treat tracking as a guide, not gospel.

Step 1: Make Sure You’ve Got Yesware Set Up

You’ll need:

  • A Yesware account and subscription (some features are only available on paid plans)
  • Gmail or Outlook (Yesware works as an add-on for both)

If you haven’t already:

  1. Sign up for Yesware and connect it to your email account.
  2. Install the browser extension (for Gmail) or the add-in (for Outlook).
  3. Log in and authorize permissions so Yesware can do its thing.

Pro Tip: If you’re on a locked-down work computer, you might need admin rights to install the add-on. IT hassle is, unfortunately, a classic.

Step 2: Enable Email Tracking in Yesware

Yesware doesn’t track every email by default. You have to turn it on—either for each email or all emails you send.

For Gmail:

  1. Compose a new email in Gmail.
  2. Look for the Yesware toolbar at the bottom of the compose window. It should have a green checkmark or “Track” icon.
  3. Click the “Track” button so it lights up. This means open tracking is ON for this email.

For Outlook:

  1. Open a new email window.
  2. On the Yesware tab, click “Track.”
  3. Make sure it’s highlighted before you hit send.

Want to track everything automatically?

  • Go to your Yesware settings and set tracking as ON by default. Just be mindful—if you’re sending internal emails, you might not want to track those.

Step 3: Add Links to Your Email (The Right Way)

Tracking link clicks is a bit different than tracking opens.

  • Opens are tracked by a tiny invisible image (“pixel”) Yesware inserts into your message.
  • Clicks are tracked when someone clicks a link that’s been run through Yesware’s redirect.

How to ensure clicks are tracked:

  1. Paste your link into the email as usual.
  2. Yesware should automatically turn it into a tracked link (it’ll look normal in your email, but the actual URL will go through Yesware’s servers first).
  3. If you want to double-check, hover over the link before you send. Some versions of Yesware show the tracking URL in the bottom corner of your browser.

A few caveats:

  • If you paste a link and then remove tracking on the email, those links won’t be tracked either.
  • Not all links can be tracked (e.g., mailto: or some special internal links).
  • If you edit the raw HTML or use third-party templates, double-check that Yesware’s still tracking.

Step 4: Send Your Email and Wait for Activity

Once your email is ready and tracking is enabled, hit send. Now the real fun begins—seeing who actually opens or clicks.

Step 5: Check Who Opened or Clicked (and What It Means)

Where to look:

  • Gmail: Yesware adds a sidebar in your inbox where you’ll see tracked emails. Open an email and look for the Yesware panel with open and click stats.
  • Outlook: Use the Yesware add-in dashboard or the sidebar for the same info.

What you’ll see:

  • Green checkmarks or icons beside emails in your sent folder mean it’s tracked.
  • Notifications pop up (if you enabled them) when someone opens or clicks.
  • Analytics dashboard: For more detail—like number of opens, timestamps, and link clicks—use the Yesware web dashboard.

What to remember:

  • Multiple opens could mean your recipient forwarded the email, or just reopened it several times.
  • Location and device info are spotty at best. Don’t obsess over them.
  • Clicks are more reliable than opens. Some email clients load images by default, some block them. Link clicks usually mean a real person did something.

Pro Tip: Don’t read too much into “open” numbers. Focus on replies and genuine clicks.

Step 6: Use Notifications (or Mute Them)

Yesware can ping you every time someone opens or clicks your email. This sounds helpful, but can get annoying fast, especially with group emails or frequent forwards.

  • To enable/disable notifications: Go to Yesware’s settings and choose how (or if) you want to be notified.
  • Mute noisy threads if you’re getting too many pings for one message.

Real talk: Turning on every notification is a recipe for distraction. Pick what’s actually useful for your workflow.

Step 7: Review Analytics and Spot Trends

Yesware collects all your tracking data so you can see patterns over time.

  • Go to your Yesware dashboard (web or in-app).
  • See open and click rates for individual emails, templates, or campaigns.
  • Export data if you want to dig in deeper or share with your team.

What matters:

  • If lots of emails are getting opened but not clicked, maybe your links aren’t compelling.
  • If you’re seeing opens but no replies, try tweaking your subject lines or timing.
  • If nothing’s getting opened, your emails may be landing in spam (or your list is cold).

Step 8: What to Ignore (and Where Tracking Falls Short)

Email tracking is handy, but it’s not foolproof:

  • Apple Mail Privacy Protection (and similar tools) can trigger false opens. Yesware (and every other tracker) can’t really beat this.
  • Some companies block tracking pixels entirely. You’ll get no signal at all.
  • Group opens: If your email gets forwarded, you’ll see a lot of opens, but won’t know who’s doing it.
  • Links in attachments aren’t tracked. Only links in the body of your email count.

Bottom line: Use tracking as a helpful indicator, not the full story.

Pro Tips for Smarter Tracking

  • Test it yourself by sending a tracked email to your personal account. Open it in different devices and see what Yesware reports.
  • Don’t overthink the data. Chasing every open can make you paranoid. Look for overall trends.
  • Respect privacy. Let people know if you’re tracking, especially in one-to-one conversations.
  • Combine tracking with good follow-up. Opens and clicks are just the start—real conversations matter most.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

Email tracking with Yesware takes a few minutes to set up, and the basics work for most people. Don’t sweat every detail—focus on clear emails, honest follow-ups, and use tracking as a helpful nudge, not a scoreboard.

If something’s not working or feels off, tweak your approach. You don’t need more data—you need better conversations. Keep it simple, stay curious, and you’ll get the hang of it.