A short tutorial on HTML Emails

HTML Emails have become very popular these days. Instead of sending simple text based emails which are not very attractive, companies and individuals have now started emailing in HTML format.

Advantages of HTML Emails :

1. They are eye catching.
2. HTML mails can hold images and text formatting is possible.
3. Text and Images can be precisely placed which adds to its visual appearance.
4. With template driven HTML emails the content can be changed quickly and efficiently.

Disadvantages of HTML Emails :

1. Unpredictable and Erratic display in various email Clients and Browsers.
2. Images normally get blocked in HTML emails because of security issues.
3. HTML emails are big in size because of images and other enhancements.

Creating an HTML Email :

1. Decide the size of the email ( layout ). 470px by 590px – 730px by 600px - 770px by 700px are some of the sizes one can you. But that is up to the designer and the requirements.
2. Use tables ( yes – forget table less layouts – CSS etc ) to place your text and images. When creating HTML Emails think you are in the early dark ages of Internet when tables ruled.
3. Use inline CSS to format body – table - td etc. Never use external style sheets file OR the import method.
4. Use the ALT tag for images – be very descriptive. In case the images are blocked the viewer at least knows what the empty area contains.
5. Never use a single image as an HTML email. Just imagine if the images are blocked, the receiver will see only a blank page with a small cross x at the top. It would look very funny.
6. Avoid using too many images – Instead use lot of formatted text.
7. Use bg color ( HTML tag ) but avoid using background image.
8. Avoid using nested tables. Keep the design simple with header – left col – center col – right col and the footer as standard layout.
9. Finally, keep your fingers crossed and hope everything goes fine.
10. AND PLEASE DO NOT SPAM. As a courtesy place an unsubscribe link at the top of the email.