As we touch on this issue time and time again, HTML for email can be very different than HTML for websites. Here are a few tips to get started, and for coding veterans, some thoughts to freshen your perspective.
Coding HTML for a Custom Template or an HTML Paste Email
The creative is done, copy is approved – time to start coding and testing for proper rendering! Since the rendering of the email is crucial to ensuring the subscriber has a positive experience, it’s important to choose the appropriate editor to achieve that result. Many popular WYSIWYG editors such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage will work well for web pages, but experience display issues when used to create emails. In a nutshell, this is due to the differences in the way email clients support and display HTML and CSS. There is a firm set of standards in place for coding HTML for web pages, but email standards are still a topic under debate. Programs like Dreamweaver and FrontPage were created with web standards in mind and won’t necessarily generate code that is optimized for email.
Even though these programs are designed with web standards in mind, using them doesn’t guarantee you are left with 100% compliant code. Make sure to avoid using the “Save as a web page” functionality in Microsoft Word. The resulting HTML contains proprietary code and embedded CSS that will not display properly in most email clients.
Advanced Tip
For best results, code HTML emails and templates in a plain-text editor. NotePad and TextEdit come pre-installed on your PC or Mac. Here are our favorites available for download:
For more design tips and recommendations like this, check out:
Email Marketing Design: The New Essentials
Coding HTML for a Custom Template or an HTML Paste Email
The creative is done, copy is approved – time to start coding and testing for proper rendering! Since the rendering of the email is crucial to ensuring the subscriber has a positive experience, it’s important to choose the appropriate editor to achieve that result. Many popular WYSIWYG editors such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage will work well for web pages, but experience display issues when used to create emails. In a nutshell, this is due to the differences in the way email clients support and display HTML and CSS. There is a firm set of standards in place for coding HTML for web pages, but email standards are still a topic under debate. Programs like Dreamweaver and FrontPage were created with web standards in mind and won’t necessarily generate code that is optimized for email.
Even though these programs are designed with web standards in mind, using them doesn’t guarantee you are left with 100% compliant code. Make sure to avoid using the “Save as a web page” functionality in Microsoft Word. The resulting HTML contains proprietary code and embedded CSS that will not display properly in most email clients.
Advanced Tip
For best results, code HTML emails and templates in a plain-text editor. NotePad and TextEdit come pre-installed on your PC or Mac. Here are our favorites available for download:
- E Text Editor (PC)
- CoffeeCup (PC)
- Komodo Edit (PC and Mac)
- TextMate (Mac)
For more design tips and recommendations like this, check out:
Email Marketing Design: The New Essentials
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