How to avoid email message style issues
How to Avoid Email Message Style Issues
When creating HTML email messages, you can run into an array of formatting and style issues. Here are the most common issues, and how to avoid them in the future.
An abundance of email applications
There are an abundance of email applications being used, such as Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and AOL. And of course, they all render HTML in slightly different ways.
Unless you specifically design a message to be viewed in one email client, aspects of your message may not display perfectly. Unfortunately, variances in the way your message displays across email applications cannot be avoided. You may want to set up dummy accounts and test your templates in the major email applications.
Email Marketing Power’s software, MailSurge, has built-in features that follow the standards of every email applications, so that you can design your own message will render almost the same in every application.
Use simple layouts and templates
We understand you want to be creative. But in the world of email marketing, simplicity is key. As previously stated, email applications decipher HTML code in different ways. If you are using a layout with a bunch of tables, columns, and rows, you run the risk of it not displaying properly in every email application. Use basic newsletter, postcard, or 2 column layouts. If you want to show recipients something more complex, point them in the direction of your landing page.
Avoid using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
For those unfamiliar, CSS are external style sheets that save time by enabling you to change the appearance of all the pages on your website just by editing one file. For example, if you wanted all H1 (headers) on your website to be boldface, you would simply change that in one CSS file. However, in email marketing, CSS can cause issues. Coding your email message in HTML will save you time and headaches. If you are not using our message editor and wish to use some form of CSS (styling) for formatting, you will need to utilize inline styling.
Alt tag your images
Alt tags are alternative text descriptions for images that will display where the image does not load. Most email applications block images by default. Using alt tags allows the recipient to get a better understanding of what images you have in your message, and by doing so hopefully they will allow them to render.
Keep a balanced diet of text and images
It’s important to keep a balance between text and images. If you embed your text and graphics into one ginormous (now officially listed in Webster’s dictionary) image, filters may block it.
Avoid bright red fonts, spammy keywords, multiple exclamation points and CAPS LOCK
Avoid these at all cost. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised. By spammy keywords, we’re talking about words or phrases like: free, click here, bonus, mortgage, erotic, money back, earn $, eliminate debt, meet singles, join millions, etc.
Always tell recipients how to opt-out
Per the CAN-SPAM act, you are required by law to “include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt out of getting email from you in the future.” Email Marketing Power is CAN-SPAM compliant and always includes an opt-out link in all of our messages.
Unclosed tag? No problem.
It seems simple enough, but one of the main reasons HTML messages fail to display properly is because of unclosed tags. Not anymore! Our MailSurge message editor will close most every tag for you.