Reading your analytics
What the numbers mean, and the one comparison that matters.
The Analytics page shows sends, deliveries, opens, unique opens, clicks, unique clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes over a date range. Campaigns and sequences also show their own numbers.
Read rates against deliveries, not sends
This is the mistake to avoid. Open rate calculated over sends looks fine even when a chunk of the list bounced. Calculated over deliveries, it tells you whether the people who actually received the email engaged with it. Pombo uses deliveries as the denominator, and you should too when you quote a number.
What each signal tells you
- Bounce rate is a list-quality or domain problem. Over 2% is worth looking at; over 5% needs action. See deliverability basics.
- Open rate is a soft signal now that mailbox privacy features pre-fetch images. Use it for trends, not absolutes.
- Click rate is the honest engagement number. It's the one to optimize.
- Unsubscribe rate spiking on a specific send means the content or the frequency missed. A steady low rate is normal and healthy.
Scoping
Filter by template, campaign, or sequence to compare like with like. A blast to a cold list and a triggered welcome email have no business being averaged together.
Deeper questions
For anything the dashboard doesn't answer directly, ask your data in plain English.