TL;DR
To track clicks, you need (1) a validated Custom Tracking Domain (CTD) in Settings → Sending settings → Custom Tracking Domain and (2) Track link clicks enabled inside the campaign. Add links using the editor’s link button and a full URL (including https://). Confirm by sending a test email and checking the campaign report.
Symptoms
Campaign click rate shows 0% despite recipients clicking links
Link click data missing in campaign reports and lead activity logs
Hyperlinked text appears black instead of blue in the email editor
Click metrics display N/A or blank values
Error: "Custom Tracking Domain not configured" in sending settings
Environment
Applies to:
All lemlist plans with email campaigns
Users with access to Campaign settings and Sending settings
CTD setup requires DNS access at your domain provider
Step-by-Step Fix
Verify your Custom Tracking Domain is configured
Go to Settings → Sending settings for your email address. Open the Custom Tracking Domain section.
If no CTD is set, create a CNAME record at your DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap) pointing to custom.lemlist.com.
Enter your subdomain (e.g., trail.yourdomain.com) in lemlist and click Check Setup.
✅ Verify: Browse to your CTD URL (e.g., https://trail.yourdomain.com). A confirmation page confirms it's active.
Enable click tracking in campaign settings
From the left sidebar, go to Campaigns, open the campaign you want to fix, click the Settings (gear icon), select Tracking settings, then enable Track link clicks (toggle should be blue)
✅ Verify: The Track link clicks toggle is blue and saves automatically
Insert links correctly in your email
In the email step editor, click the link icon, paste the full URL (including https:// or http://) into the URL field, and insert it
✅ Verify: Hyperlinked text appears blue in the editor. If it’s black, the link wasn’t inserted correctly.
Check link format and variables
Confirm all URLs start with https:// or http://. Without the prefix, tracking can fail.
If using a custom variable as a link (e.g., #{{websiteUrl}}), insert the variable directly into the link input field, not as anchor text.
Example:
❌ Wrong: Anchor text =
#{{websiteUrl}}, link = empty✅ Correct: Anchor text = "Visit our site", link =
#{{websiteUrl}}
✅ Verify: Hover over the link in the editor to confirm it shows a valid URL.
Send a test email
Click Preview
Click Send email test, enter your email address, and click Send
✅ Verify: Open the test email, click the link, then check your campaign report/lead activity after a few minutes (clicks should appear)
Confirm It's Fixed
✓ Custom Tracking Domain shows as validated in Sending settings
✓ Track link clicks toggle is enabled (blue) in campaign settings
✓ Hyperlinked text appears blue in the email editor
✓ Test email click registers in campaign report and lead activity within minutes
Why It Happens / Prevent This
Click tracking requires a Custom Tracking Domain (CTD) to rewrite links through your domain. Without it, lemlist cannot intercept clicks.
Common causes:
No CTD configured: Click tracking won't work without a validated CTD. Set it up once in Sending settings.
Tracking toggle disabled: If "Track link clicks" is off, clicks aren't logged. Always enable it in campaign settings.
Links missing https:// prefix: URLs without http:// or https:// aren't recognized as links. Always include the full URL.
Links not inserted via the link button: Typing a URL as plain text won't track it. Always use the editor's link button.
Custom variables used incorrectly: Variables must be inserted in the link field, not as anchor text.
To prevent this:
Set up CTD once and use it for all campaigns
Always enable "Track link clicks" in campaign settings
Use the link button to insert all URLs
Include
https://prefix in every linkTest clicks before launching campaigns
Alternatives
Use UTM parameters: Add UTM parameters to URLs (e.g., ?utm_source=lemlist&utm_campaign=test) to track clicks via Google Analytics as a backup.
Use lemlist's default tracking domain: If you cannot configure DNS, use lemlist's shared tracking domain (less reliable, shared reputation).
Disable tracking entirely: If privacy or compliance requires it, disable click tracking in campaign settings.
Escalate If Unresolved
If clicks still aren't tracked after following these steps, provide lemlist support with:
Campaign name and link
Screenshot of email template showing hyperlinked text
CTD URL (e.g.,
trail.yourdomain.com)Screenshot of Tracking settings (toggle on)
Exact URL you're tracking
Test email showing the clicked link