GoHighLevel Email Stats Not Showing: Why and What to Do Instead

The Stats Problem Explained

When you use custom SMTP in GoHighLevel, email statistics become unreliable:

What you expect: Opens, clicks, bounces, delivery rates in GHL dashboard What you get: Partial data, zeros, or nothing

This isn't a configuration error — it's a fundamental integration limitation. See our SMTP stats broken guide and LC Email vs SMTP comparison for more context.

What's Actually Tracked

Data That Sometimes Works

Metric	Reliability
Sent count	Usually accurate
Basic delivery status	Often accurate
Failed/bounced (some)	Sometimes
Open tracking	Inconsistent
Click tracking	Inconsistent

Data That Often Fails

Metric	Common Issue
Open rate	Shows 0% or very low
Click rate	Missing or incomplete
Bounce details	Not syncing
Complaint data	Never syncs
Delivery confirmation	Stuck on "sent"

Practitioner note: I've tested identical campaigns through GHL with LC Email vs custom SMTP. LC Email shows 28% open rate. Same campaign with Mailgun shows 0% in GHL but 27% in Mailgun's dashboard. The tracking just doesn't sync.

Why This Happens

Technical Reasons

1. Tracking pixel domain — GHL tracking domains may not properly associate with custom SMTP sends
2. Webhook processing — ESP callbacks don't fully update GHL records
3. Database sync — Events received but not written to analytics
4. Cross-system timing — Events arrive after GHL stops listening

Integration Architecture

GHL's email integration was built primarily for LC Email. Custom SMTP was added later with less complete tracking infrastructure.

Where to Find Real Stats

Your ESP Dashboard

Mailgun:

• Dashboard: Overview stats
• Analytics: Detailed metrics
• Logs > Events: Per-email status

SendGrid:

• Statistics: Campaign and aggregate
• Activity: Per-email tracking
• Suppressions: Bounces and complaints

AWS SES:

• CloudWatch metrics
• Configuration sets for tracking
• More setup required

What ESPs Track Accurately

Metric	Mailgun	SendGrid	AWS SES
Delivered	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bounced	Yes	Yes	Yes
Opens	Yes	Yes	Requires setup
Clicks	Yes	Yes	Requires setup
Complaints	Yes	Yes	Yes

Google Postmaster Tools

For Gmail-specific data:

• Domain reputation
• Spam rate
• Authentication rates

This is your best signal for Gmail inbox placement.

Working Around the Limitation

Accept GHL's Stats Limitations

Stop trying to make GHL stats work. Instead:

1. Use ESP for analytics — Real numbers, real data
2. Use GHL for automation — What it does well
3. Report from ESP — Pull client reports from Mailgun/SendGrid

Tracking What Matters

Focus on these metrics from your ESP:

Delivery Health:

• Delivery rate (should be 95%+)
• Bounce rate (should be under 2%)
• Complaint rate (should be under 0.1%)

Engagement:

• Open rate (varies by industry, 15-30% typical)
• Click rate (2-5% typical)
• Unsubscribe rate (should be under 0.5%)

Client Reporting

If you need to report to clients:

1. Export data from ESP dashboard
2. Build reports in Google Sheets or reporting tool
3. Schedule automated exports where available

Don't show clients GHL's broken stats.

Can You Fix It?

Things to Try (Low Success Rate)

Enable tracking in GHL:

1. Email settings → Enable open tracking
2. Email settings → Enable click tracking
3. May improve some tracking

Check custom domain tracking:

1. Settings → Custom tracking domain
2. Ensure DNS is configured
3. May help click tracking

Verify ESP webhook configuration:

1. Check ESP webhook settings
2. Ensure GHL endpoint is receiving
3. May improve bounce/complaint data

What Won't Work

• Contacting support (known limitation)
• Different SMTP configuration (same issue)
• Third-party integrations (same underlying problem)
• Waiting for updates (been this way for years)

Building Alternative Analytics

Option 1: ESP-Only Analytics

Accept GHL won't show stats. Use ESP exclusively:

• Mailgun dashboard for all metrics
• Export weekly/monthly for reporting
• Skip GHL email reports entirely

Option 2: Webhook to External System

For more control:

1. Configure ESP webhooks to your endpoint
2. Store events in your database
3. Build custom analytics dashboard
4. Connects to GHL contact data via API

More complex but gives complete picture.

Option 3: Third-Party Analytics

Some email analytics tools can track regardless of ESP:

• Add tracking codes to email content
• Independent tracking separate from GHL
• Additional cost and complexity

The Practical Approach

Daily Operations

1. Check ESP dashboard for delivery issues
2. Monitor bounce rates weekly
3. Review campaign performance in ESP
4. Use GHL for workflow management only

Monthly Reporting

1. Export ESP analytics
2. Build report in spreadsheet
3. Include key metrics: delivered, opens, clicks, bounces
4. Reference ESP as data source

When Troubleshooting

If something seems wrong:

1. Check ESP first — Did emails send?
2. Check ESP delivery status — Were they delivered?
3. Check Postmaster Tools — Any reputation issues?
4. Ignore GHL stats — They're probably wrong

Practitioner note: I tell all my agency clients: GHL is your CRM and automation platform, not your email analytics platform. Once you accept that mental model, the stats limitation stops being frustrating.

LC Email Stats Comparison

LC Email stats are more reliable because:

• Direct integration with GHL database
• Tracking happens within GHL infrastructure
• No external webhook syncing required

If accurate GHL stats are critical and you don't need custom SMTP's deliverability advantages, LC Email does show better numbers.

But deliverability matters more than accurate stats in a dashboard.

If you need help setting up proper analytics workflows for your GHL email, schedule a consultation. I'll build you a system that actually shows what's happening with your email.

Sources

• GoHighLevel: Email Services Documentation
• Mailgun: Analytics
• SendGrid: Statistics

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v1.0 · March 2026