Throughout this book, Ive told you to separate structure and style for web pages. With e-mail, its the complete opposite. Because youre sending a single page to an e-mail reader, you actually need to combine structure and style as much as possible.
Some CSS is not supported at all. In fact, many designers use HTML tables for page layout in e-mail design, because CSS positioning just doesnt work in most e-mail readers. Those aspects of CSS that are supported must be embedded within the HTML of the page in order to be recognized. I know this is counter to what Ive already told you, but trust me on this one. Until the e-mail readers get up to speed on CSS support, your best bet is to get light on the styles.
Testing
After youve designed and coded your HTML e-mail, the fun really begins. While weve come to the point where
Phoenix Web Design pages that work in Firebox and internet explorer are considered safe for the web at large, HTML e-mail still requires extensive testing in multiple clients.
Thankfully, many ESPs offer services to make this process easier. Campaign monitor provides screenshots to show how your e-mail will look in more than 15 of the most popular e-mail clients, including outlook, Yahoo!, Mail, and lotus notes.
Another great option is a standalone testing tool such as Litmus. Billing itself as the advances testing tool for
Athlete Website professionals, Litmuss basic account offers up to 50 tests per month in Internet Explorer, Firebox, outlook, and G mail. Additional fee-based options allow testing in 23 web browsers and 16 e-mail clients
Spam Test
One of the unique aspects you can test is the likelihood of your e-mail being flagged as spam. Many of the popular ESPs offer this testing with their e-mail messaging services.
Spam assassin is the most widely used spam filter used to process e-mail received by ISPs. If your e-mail gets blacklisted by Spam Assassin, youll have a hard time getting your content in front of any of your subscribers.
Wondering what might cause an e-mail to be flagged as spam? Here are just a few of the many reasons a Spam Assassin might give you a higher spam score.
HTML link text says click her (I warned you not to do this)
A WHOLE LINE OF YELLING DETECTED
Message that include Dear Friend Or Dear (Name)
Message that contains call or dial or toll free followed by 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833, or 822.
Message with the phrase risk free
HTML title contains Untitled
HTML e-mail is whole different breed. While web browsers are fairly uniform in their displayed of HTML pages, e-mail readers still have a long way to go. Designing HTML e-mail involves lots of patience as you design, test, and redesign. Each ESP offers different options, but all provide the messaging services necessary to send bulk HTML e-mail safely and securely.
