Email traffic is confusing in Google Analytics.
I suspect it's because there are both a variety of email providers and a variety of mechanisms for accessing that email. Whatever the reason, it's normal to be confused by the way email traffic is presented, or by the fact that said traffic is missing from a report.
Let's start with the Acquisition -> Overview screen in Google Analytics. Acquisition is all about how people come to your website (or app). On this page there may be rows labelled Email.
Here's an example:
This screen should be simple. But no. [sigh]
These tables show channels in a particular grouping, designed for ease-of-use. The people (or sessions- there are two tables) in the Email channels are those that Google Analytics (GA) knows come via email. And it transpires that GA understands little about the people on that journey.
The quick answer
The Email Channel relates to people who come to your website via an email sent via email marketing software that has been set up correctly.
That's a narrow definition, which is why the numbers in this row are sometimes disappointing and occasionally absent.
The detailed answer
There are a few different situations to consider. All of these scenarios use email. Most do not provide data in the Email Channel by default.
Let's imagine a fictional university called the University of Berkshire. Unsurprisingly, the University of Berkshire have a website. They've installed GA to track its usage.
Scenario 1 - people email a link to other people
Monica is thinking about going to an open day at the University of Berkshire. She thinks her friend Simon will also be interested. She emails him a link to the open day info on the University's website.
Simon opens the link in Monica's email and visits the University of Berkshire website.
In the GA account of the University, where was Simon's visit listed?
Not in the Email Channel of the Acquisition Overview, sadly. In this case Simon's visit was listed in the Direct Channel.
Scenario 2 - organisation emails a link to people
The University of Berkshire employ a communications officer called Fatema. Fatema emailed everyone who has registered for the open day. She used Mailchimp, the University's email marketing software, for the task.
Rebecca received the email Fatema sent in her Gmail account. She read it on the App on her phone and clicked on the link about accessibility considerations. How was Rebecca's visit recorded in GA?
In this case her visit was counted in the Direct Channel in the Acquisition Overview.
Note: this is usually the case, but not always. Unfortunately, the factors in email journeys throw up some quirks from time-to-time.
Scenario 3 - organisation emails a link to people - and have configured things correctly in advance
A few months later Fatema has learned more about connecting Mailchimp to GA. She set up Mailchimp to connect to the University of Berkshire's GA account.
She has just sent out an email asking for feedback about the open days. The email she sent linked to a feedback form on the University's website.
Rebecca opened the email and clicked through to the feedback form. How was Rebecca's visit recorded in GA?
In this case Rebecca's visit was counted in the Email Channel on the Acquisition Report. Hurray!
Also, in GA's Explorations section, Email was stored in any medium dimensions, for example the Session Medium Dimension. That means Fatema could set up an exploration to track the impact of her emails.
Scenario 4 - a different org emails a link to people - and have configured things correctly in advance
Erick is a business consultant. He runs a Substack email newsletter about marketing. He was impressed with a study from the University of Berkshire's Business School. He included a link to it in the latest issue of his newsletter.
Robert is a subscriber to Erick's newsletter. He read the latest issue and clicked through to learn about the study.
How was Robert's visit to the University website recorded in GA?
The answer: it appears in the Email Channel. The reason is that Substack connects with GA, even when the two accounts don't have the same owner. Not all email marketing tools do that, but Substack do.
In conclusion
This is why many people have a low number of acquisitions via email in GA: because their email marketing package isn't connected up. You can have a healthy email marketing campaign that converts well, and gives a low number in the Email channel.
It's not a disaster - email marketing software will give you analytics data, after all. But it does make it more difficult to compare the performance of the different channels you use for promotion.
We should also remember that some of our audience are emailing each other about our website/app. That positive activity currently goes untracked in GA.
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