So, Why Are You Sending Me Email With Clicks.Aweber Links? Are You Spamming Me?

In a word: No.

One of my clients alerted me tonight about complaints going around embroidery Yahoo groups. Apparently, someone, received emails from a wedding organization out of California.

The email thanked the recipient for registering on their site, though she doesn’t remember doing so. She was concerned because the URL in the link inside the email looked like this:

clicks.aweber.com… followed by several letters and numbers

With all the spam we receive every day, I can understand why she was concerned — and I’m glad that she asked. It’s usually not a good idea to click links in an email when we have no idea where it came from or whether or not the source can be trusted.

In this case though, I can say that I am familiar with Aweber. I am a subscriber to their mailing list services, which I use to manage my “Seven Secrets to Starting A Successful Online Business” ecourse, my Watersweb Biz Tips newsletter and my new Free WAHM Stuff newsletter.

I can tell you that the clicks.aweber link is actually Aweber’s built-in tracking system. When the list owner adds a link into the email she is creating, she has the option to checkmark a box to track whether or not the recipients of the email click the link. She can then determine whether or not her message is reaching her target market. I know “tracking system” sounds like Big Brother, but all it does is help the list owner decide if her marketing campaign is effective or not.

Also, Aweber requires all their lists to be Verified Opt-In, which means that not only do you have to sign up for the list on someone’s website, but you also have to click a link inside a confirmation email before you will receive anything else.

I am thinking that the confirmation email is what the Yahoo group member received. She may have signed up for a list on a website, or maybe someone signed her up. In either case, by doing nothing, she will NOT receive any more emails from that list.

Of course, since I know that people aren’t trusting these re-written links, I don’t think I’ll be using their tracking system again. My client just left my list because she thought that I was sending her weird stuff. (Actually, it was just a link to my Presenting Your Products ask campaign.)

Here are some tips to help you decide if you should click the links in an email

1. Do not sign up for lists, unless you trust the source.

2. Do not click links in the confirmation email unless you trust the source AND you want to continue receiving mailings from the source.

3. If the list is from Aweber or Email Aces or Constant Contact, there will be an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. It is safe to click the unsubscribe link that the company automatically includes in the email. You can read more about the unsubscribe link that aweber appends to messages at http://www.aweber.com/faq_messages.htm#21

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below…