Supplied HTML Eblast Tips and Best Practices

BEST PRACTICES TO SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL TESTING

  • Use a secure web server to host all images. Images hosted on an unsecured web server run the risk not rendering in the final, delivered eblast.
  • Use tables. Email clients live in the past so all emails must be built using tables for layout. Example: <table>, <tr> and <td>
  • Use inline styles. Use of external stylesheets is not supported, so to ensure your styling is visible, use inline styles.
    • Example: <tr style="padding-bottom:20px;">
  • Test your code. Check your code in multiple browsers and in multiple email clients to make sure all users get the same experience when viewing your email. Each email client and browser reads code differently, therefore the same code is not always displayed the same way across email clients.
  • Use text buttons for a "call for action".
  • Make sure the HIML code Includes a doctype declaration.
  • Make sure to include the Title HTML tag, with a title that's different from the default one created by many HTML editors (e.g., 'Untitled' or 'New page').
  • Always include one or more links so you can track activity on the
    message but limit the number of links to 10 or less.
  • Avoid using special characters. Instead use the HTML equivalent
    • Example: &amp; is the code for '&'
  • Always set links to open in a new window by using the target attribute set to _blank. Otherwise, you risk having the destination URL open within the current frame of the Web-based email client the customer may be using.

  

THINGS TO AVOID

  • Don't use JavaScript, ActiveX, or Flash. You cannot include any type of JavaScript – no fancy pop-ups or auto-scrolling emails please! This increases the likelihood of your email being sent to a junk folder.
  • Don't use <p>, <div>, <ul>, or <li> tags. Stick to tables when building your HTML for email clients. Other tags don't have universal support across all email clients, so it's best to keep it simple to ensure that your email performs well for everyone.
  • Don't use Dreamweaver to edit or create your HTML. Dreamweaver is not a program that was designed for editing or creating code for emails. It will create code that doesn't follow the best practices listed here.
  • Don't use background images. They are often not displayed.
  • Don't use absolute positioning.
  • Don't position images using X-Y coordinates.
  • Don't use the image "low source" attribute (lowsrc).
  • Don't use the image "roll-over" attribute (hsrc)
  • Don't use the image map "shape" attribute: image maps should not be used at all due to inconsistent support.
  • Don't use anchor links.
  • Don't use pop-ups.