Building Email HTML Templates
Development of an HTML email is almost like metamorphosis of a larva into fly. As a developer you will need to implement many many changes right from the conceptualization to the final delivery of the HTML email template in order to hit the right mark.
Once your email marketer determines the purpose of sending an email, the copywriter drafts the email copy according to the wireframe. Subsequently, the email designer works on the email design according to the wireframe. After the design gets approved, it is assigned to the developer who transforms the design file (AI, PSD, XD, or PDF) into a pixil perfect email. This file is loaded in the Email Service Provider (ESP) and deployed after thorough testing for flawless rendering.
Because it takes a number of people to create an HTML email template, even a minor change can take long to resolve. The intricacies of the process add to the time taken in developing a single HTML email template. Here are some tips you should follow to make sure you create a beast email html template.
Make sure your HTML email is responsive for different screen sizes and devices.
The way your email looks in a user’s inbox depends on a wide variety of different factors.
One of the biggest and most obvious factors is the screen size of the device it’s being viewed on. An email that looks amazing and well-formatted on a desktop can easily devolve into a tangle of illegible, overlapping text and images when viewed on a smartphone screen.
To ensure your HTML emails look the way you intended across a wide spectrum of screen sizes, the best thing you can do is keep your layout simple and straightforward. When you start adding more complex elements like multiple columns and floated images, it becomes more difficult to translate the format of your email for different screen sizes.
If you do decide to develop a more complex layout, make sure you’re actively solving for how the elements will be rearranged to suit different screen sizes. For example, if your email displays as multi-column on desktop, that same structure won’t fly on mobile — you’ll need to use media queries to define how elements will be displayed on different screen sizes.
Make sure the styling works in different email clients.
Another big factor that heavily impacts the way your HTML emails appear in your subscribers’ inboxes is the email client they’re using to open the message. Every email client loads emails slightly differently, so an email that looks a certain way in Gmail will likely look different in Outlook.
Luckily, if you know how most popular email clients load particular HTML and CSS elements, you can create a pretty consistent experience across different users’ inboxes.
Be conscious of how long your HTML emails take to load.
How long your email takes to load could very well be the difference between gaining a new customer and losing a frustrated subscriber. While it can be tempting to take advantage of all the different styling options and opportunities to incorporate visuals that HTML emails offer, none of that matters if your email takes too long to load.
As you design your HTML email, remain conscious of how long your email will take to load — especially if someone is, say, opening your message on their morning subway commute with a weak data connection. Here are a few little steps you can take that will go a long way towards improving load time.