Best Practices for Creating Responsive Templates That Look Great on Any Device
"Warnings" when creating an HTML template
The <style> tags in your email template can render differently across various email providers and devices. Each provider and device may have its own set of rules for how HTML and CSS are interpreted, which can lead to inconsistent formatting. For example, a design that looks perfect in Gmail might appear broken in Outlook or on mobile devices. Testing your email across multiple platforms ensures that your content appears correctly to all recipients, regardless of the device or email provider they're using.
Additionally, certain styles may be stripped or altered by some email clients, affecting the layout and user experience. Testing helps you identify these issues before sending your email to your audience, improving deliverability and engagement.
Additionally, please note that scripts are prohibited in email templates. Using them can significantly break your template or negatively impact its deliverability. Most email clients do not support JavaScript or other scripts. Relying on scripts for functionality can lead to emails that don’t work as intended.
When creating HTML templates for warm-up, here are some key considerations to keep in mind:
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Responsive Design: Ensure your template is responsive, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes. This is crucial since emails can be viewed on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
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Inline CSS: Use inline CSS for styling your templates. Some email clients do not support external stylesheets, which can lead to inconsistencies in how your email is rendered.
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Testing: Always test your templates on multiple devices and providers to see how they appear.
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Simple Layouts: Keep your layout simple. Complex designs can break in certain email clients. Use tables for layout purposes to ensure better compatibility across various platforms.
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Optimize for Deliverability: Ensure your HTML is clean and free from unnecessary code, which can impact email deliverability. Avoid using too many images or heavy media files that could trigger spam filters.
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Use Consistent Branding: Maintain consistent branding throughout your templates. Use your brand colors, logos, and fonts to reinforce brand recognition.
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Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Make sure your CTA buttons are prominent and easy to click. Use contrasting colors and ensure they are appropriately sized for mobile users.
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Load Time Considerations: Keep the overall size of your email template in mind. Large files can slow down loading times, especially on mobile networks, and may deter users from engaging with your content.
A little bit more...
You can get great results with careful use of CSS in emails—and you want to make sure you’ve got a good reason before you commit the development resources you’ll need for it. Here are some tips to help you ace your next CSS challenge:
- If a stakeholder is keen on something that’s high risk and/or high-time investment, run the numbers. What percent of your audience do you stand to lose if deliverability is impacted or your email gets mangled?
- Don’t put style before structure! Make sure you’ve got a solid HTML foundation in place for email format before you add styles with CSS—and let your structure be your guide.
- Test and learn. You should always test emails thoroughly before sending—and that goes triple when you’re incorporating CSS. Review your test results to develop best practices to guide your decisions going forward.
- Compare soft and hard costs. If the CSS is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. The hard cost of using a vendor might outweigh the soft cost of your team’s time.
