A Guide to the Differences Between Clicks vs Unique Clicks

A Guide to the Differences Between Clicks vs Unique Clicks

What is the difference between Clicks and Unique Clicks?

Clicks refer to the total number of times a link is clicked, regardless of how many times a single user clicks on it. In contrast, unique clicks count only the first click by each individual user, providing a clearer picture of how many distinct users engaged with your link. Understanding this difference is essential for accurate analytics and more targeted content strategies.

Key Takeaway: Knowing the difference between clicks and unique clicks helps you gauge both total engagement and the breadth of user interaction with your content.

Clicks vs Unique Clicks: What's the Difference?

Clicks count every time someone clicks a link in your email. Unique clicks count how many individual people clicked, regardless of how many times each person clicked.

If one person clicks a link three times, that counts as 3 clicks but only 1 unique click.

Both metrics matter, but they tell you different things about your email performance.

Quick Comparison

In this example, 100 people clicked, and collectively they clicked 150 times. Some people clicked more than once.

Understanding Total Clicks

Total clicks (also called raw clicks or gross clicks) count every single click on links in your email. If your email has three links and someone clicks all three, that counts as three clicks. If they click the same link twice, that counts as two clicks.

Total clicks tell you:

• Overall engagement level with your links

• Which links get the most attention

• How compelling your call-to-action is

• Whether people interact with multiple links

High total clicks relative to unique clicks suggests:

• People are clicking multiple links (good for curated content)

• People are clicking the same link repeatedly (might indicate confusion or high interest)

Understanding Unique Clicks

Unique clicks count how many individual subscribers clicked at least one link. Each person is counted only once, no matter how many times they clicked or how many different links they clicked.

Unique clicks tell you:

• How many people took action

• The reach of your call-to-action

• What percentage of your list engaged

• The breadth of engagement vs depth

Unique clicks are often more useful for understanding campaign effectiveness because they measure how many people you motivated to act.

How to Calculate Click-Through Rate (CTR)

There are two ways to calculate CTR, and which you use depends on what you want to measure.

Total Click-Through Rate

Total CTR = (Total Clicks / Emails Delivered) x 100

Example:

• Emails delivered: 10,000

• Total clicks: 500

• Total CTR: 5%

This measures overall click volume relative to list size.

Unique Click-Through Rate

Unique CTR = (Unique Clicks / Emails Delivered) x 100

Example:

• Emails delivered: 10,000

• Unique clicks: 350

• Unique CTR: 3.5%

This measures what percentage of recipients clicked at least once.

Most email marketing platforms report unique CTR by default because it better represents how many people your email motivated to act.

For more on email metrics, see our guide on analytics for email marketing.

When to Use Each Metric

Use Total Clicks When

Measuring link popularity: If your email has multiple links, total clicks show which links generate the most interest.

Analyzing content newsletters: Curated newsletters with many links benefit from total click analysis. You want to know which topics or links resonate.

Identifying engagement patterns: High total clicks relative to unique clicks reveals whether people explore multiple links or focus on one.

Use Unique Clicks When

Measuring campaign effectiveness: Unique clicks tell you how many people you convinced to take action.

Calculating conversion potential: If you are driving to a landing page or sale, unique clicks represent your pool of potential converters.

Comparing campaigns: Unique CTR provides apples-to-apples comparison between different emails.

Reporting on reach: When stakeholders want to know "how many people clicked," unique clicks answer that question.

The Relationship Between Clicks and Unique Clicks

The ratio between total and unique clicks reveals engagement patterns.

Example scenarios:

E-commerce promotional email: Ratio close to 1:1 is normal. People click to the sale page once.

Weekly news roundup: Higher ratio expected. Readers click multiple stories that interest them.

Single call-to-action email: Ratio above 1.5:1 might indicate the link is confusing or people are clicking multiple times trying to reach the destination.

Other Click Metrics to Know

Click Rate vs Click-Through Rate

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but there can be distinctions:

• Click Rate: Clicks divided by emails delivered

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Can mean the same thing, or sometimes clicks divided by emails opened

Check your platform's definitions. For clarification, see our guide on click rate vs click-through rate.

Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)

CTOR = (Unique Clicks / Unique Opens) x 100

This measures how effective your email content is at driving clicks among people who actually opened it. It isolates content performance from subject line performance.

Example:

• Unique opens: 2,000

• Unique clicks: 300

• CTOR: 15%

A high open rate with low CTOR suggests your subject line works but your content does not convert.

A lower open rate with high CTOR suggests your subject line could improve but your content is effective.

For improving CTOR, see our guide on improving email click-through rate.

How Email Platforms Track Clicks

Email marketing platforms track clicks by wrapping your links in tracking URLs. When someone clicks, they hit the platform's server first, which records the click, then redirects to your destination.

How unique clicks are identified:

• Tracking pixels or cookies identify the subscriber

• The first click from each subscriber is marked as unique

• Subsequent clicks from the same subscriber add to total but not unique

Potential tracking issues:

• Link previews can generate false clicks

• Bot clicks from security software

• Privacy tools that block tracking

• Shared email accounts

Most platforms filter out obvious bot activity, but no system is perfect.

Benchmarks: What's a Good Click Rate?

Average click rates vary by industry, content type, and list quality.

These are rough averages. Your specific numbers depend on your audience, content quality, and list hygiene.

Focus on improving your own metrics over time rather than hitting industry benchmarks. A 2% CTR that grows to 3% is progress regardless of what others achieve.

For strategies to improve engagement, see our guide on how to increase email open rates.

Improving Your Click Metrics

To Increase Unique Clicks

Improve your call to action: Make it clear what you want people to do and why they should do it.

Reduce friction: One clear CTA often outperforms multiple competing ones.

Match content to audience: Relevant content gets more clicks than generic content.

Test subject lines and preheaders: Getting opens is prerequisite to getting clicks.

Segment your list: Send targeted content to segments most likely to engage.

To Improve Click Quality

Set expectations: Let subscribers know what they will find when they click.

Deliver on promises: If the email says "limited time sale," the landing page should show the sale.

Optimize landing pages: A click that bounces immediately provides little value.

For campaign optimization strategies, see our guide on drip campaign examples and best practices.

Using Click Data for Segmentation

Click behavior is valuable for segmenting your list:

Engaged clickers: Subscribers who click frequently are more likely to convert. Target them with offers.

Non-clickers: Subscribers who open but never click may need different content or CTAs.

Topic interest: What people click reveals their interests. Use this for personalization.

Re-engagement: Subscribers who stop clicking after being active may need a re-engagement campaign.

For segmentation strategies, see our guide on email community growth tactics.

Clicks vs Views: Understanding Attribution

Related to clicks vs unique clicks is the distinction between click-through and view-through attribution.

Click-through: Credits a conversion to someone who clicked your email before converting.

View-through: Credits a conversion to someone who saw (opened) your email but may have converted through another channel.

Both matter for understanding email's impact on your business. For more detail, see our guide on click-through vs view-through attribution.

Common Questions About Click Tracking

Do link previews count as clicks?

Some email clients (especially in enterprise environments) automatically preview links for security. Good email platforms filter these out, but some false positives may occur.

What about bot clicks?

Security software on corporate email systems sometimes clicks all links to check for threats. Platforms try to filter these, but it is not always perfect. Unusually high click rates from certain domains may indicate bot activity.

Can I track which specific links were clicked?

Yes. Most email platforms show click data per link, letting you see which content or CTAs perform best.

Are clicks tracked on mobile vs desktop?

Yes, most platforms track device type. This helps you understand how people interact with your emails on different devices.

FAQs

What is the difference between clicks and unique clicks?

Clicks count every click on links in your email. Unique clicks count how many individual people clicked at least once. If one person clicks three times, that is 3 clicks but 1 unique click.

Which metric is more important?

Unique clicks are generally more useful for measuring campaign effectiveness because they show how many people you motivated to act. Total clicks are useful for understanding engagement depth and link popularity.

What is a good unique click-through rate?

Average unique CTR ranges from 1.5% to 4% depending on industry and content type. Focus on improving your own rates over time rather than hitting a specific benchmark.

How is click-through rate calculated?

Unique CTR = (Unique Clicks / Emails Delivered) x 100. Some platforms use emails opened as the denominator, which gives a different number called click-to-open rate (CTOR).

Why are my total clicks much higher than unique clicks?

This means people are clicking multiple links or clicking the same link multiple times. In curated newsletters, this is normal and positive. In single-CTA emails, it might indicate confusion.

Can click tracking be blocked?

Yes. Some privacy tools and email settings can block tracking. This affects accuracy but typically represents a small portion of subscribers.

Need help improving your email metrics? Inagiffy provides email marketing strategy and optimization services. Learn more.