Building a Basic HTML Email Template from Scratch

Creating a basic HTML email template from scratch is a straightforward process that requires a basic understanding of HTML and CSS.

Start by defining the HTML structure, including the doctype declaration, html, head, and body tags.

The head section is where you'll define the character encoding, meta tags, and link to external stylesheets or scripts.

A basic HTML email template should include a clear and concise subject line in the head section.

For the body section, use a table-based structure to ensure compatibility with older email clients.

A simple table with one row and two columns can serve as the foundation for your email template.

In the table cells, you can add content such as headings, paragraphs, and images.

Use a clear and consistent font, such as Arial, to ensure readability across different email clients.

Make sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) in the email template to encourage recipients to take action.

A unique perspective: Basic Structure of Html

To get started with creating a basic HTML email template, you'll need to create a new HTML document in the same directory as the /images folder and paste the basic HTML structure into it.

The basic HTML structure includes the doctype, HTML tag, head, and body tags, which are essential for creating a valid HTML document. You can find this structure in the example code snippet.

Grab the files from GitHub and create a new HTML document to get started.

You'll also need to set up the meta tags to ensure your responsive email displays properly on mobile devices. These meta tags include the charset, viewport, and x-apple-disable-message-reformatting tags.

Setting up the body of the email is crucial, and you can do this by adding a div with a role of article, which helps with accessibility. This div should also have a lang attribute set to "en" and a style attribute that resets the word-spacing.

Here are the essential HTML tags and attributes to include in your email template:

Remember to include these essential elements in your email template to ensure it's valid and accessible.

A basic HTML email template should start with a clean table-based layout, which is widely supported across email clients. This is because tables help control the structure and layout of your email content.

Use nested tables to achieve this, and don't forget to set the table role to presentation (role="presentation") to make your email more accessible. This tells screen readers that the table is being used for layout purposes, not to display data.

A typical email structure includes a header for branding, a body for the main content, and a footer for additional information and links. This is the basic structure you should follow when coding your email template.

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Plain text emails are exactly what they sound like - any email that contains just plain old text with no formatting. They're universally readable, quick to load, and highly accessible, particularly for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers.

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In contrast, HTML emails offer enhanced design capabilities with support for images, buttons, and various styles, making them perfect for marketing and promotional content. However, they can be more complex to design and might not display consistently across all email clients.

Here are some key differences between plain text and HTML emails:

A plain text version is exactly what it sounds like - an alternative version of your HTML email that renders in completely plain text. Adding a plain text version of your HTML email is important because some email clients and user settings can't (or choose not to) load HTML.

There are plenty of free HTML email templates available online.

Many of these templates are responsive and provide a great starting point for your email marketing campaigns.

You can find a selection of free HTML email templates that offer a responsive user experience.

Just be sure to read the terms and conditions on each individual template before use.

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If you're looking for a more styled and polished starting place, consider checking out the Bee Free marketplace.

Bee Free offers a collection of free, open-source templates that are completely responsive and tested across popular email clients.

Each template is available in multiple formats for different marketing purposes, such as transactional emails and email subscriber re-engagement.

If you're using the pro version of BeeFree, you can export directly to your email marketing program, which is less of a hassle.

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In a basic HTML email template, it's essential to add content that's both visually appealing and functional. This involves creating a main content container that adapts to different screen sizes.

You can set the width of your container to a fluid percentage, such as 94%, which will adjust automatically as the screen size changes. This is a key principle of the fluid hybrid method, allowing your content to be easily readable on various devices.

To ensure your table takes up the available space, you can set a maximum width in pixels, like 600px, as seen in the example. This will prevent your content from getting too wide or too narrow on different screens.

Writing effective content is key to engaging your audience. A good subject line should be under 35 characters to display well on different devices.

The Miro Welcome email is a great example of a concise and relevant subject line that captures attention and encourages recipients to open the email.

Use preheader text wisely to provide additional context or a compelling reason to open the email. Keep it under 100 characters.

The KEEPS email uses an advanced trick to ensure the email copy that follows won't be pulled into the preheader. They use the   tag and &zwjn; (zero-width non-joiner) to create invisible spaces.

Focus on one primary message and deliver it concisely and clearly. The Outsite example shows how to make it obvious to the recipient what the email is about by just skimming the content.

Breaking up text with subheadings, short paragraphs, and bullet points can improve readability. Just be sure not to cram too much info into the email.

Personalization can significantly increase engagement. Use merge tags to include the recipient's name or other personal details.

A clear CTA (call-to-action) is essential. Test out different actionable wording that strictly relates to the action you want to take and the destination of the copy button.

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We're going to create a container that's a fluid percentage width, but limited to a fixed maximum width in pixels. This is the first major principle of the fluid hybrid method.

The container is set to be 94% wide on small screens, up until there's enough space for the table to become its max-width of 600px wide.

You can play around with both widths, for example if you set the width to 100%, there will be no "padding" on the sides when viewed on a small screen.

Because this table contains all our content, we've added CSS for text styling which will be inherited by the cells and paragraphs inside the table.

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The Welcome by Unlayer template is a great choice for adding content to your email marketing strategy. It's a clean and muted template that's perfect for displaying your team's content and connecting subscribers with your latest products or blog posts.

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This template features two fully responsive columns, making it easy to adapt to different devices. You can also customize the color scheme to match your brand's identity.

The design is simple yet effective, allowing your content to shine through. It's a great way to highlight a call-to-action (CTA) at the top of the email.

Unlayer integrates with many email marketing platforms, including MailChimp and HubSpot. This means you can easily export your template and start sending emails to your subscribers.

The template's structure and customizability make it a breeze to edit using Unlayer's drag-and-drop editor.

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Adding a store sale section to your email can be a great way to grab attention and drive sales. This template from Campaign Monitor is a sleek and responsive design that's perfect for showcasing your latest products.

The clear and attention-grabbing CTA is a key element of this template, making it easy for subscribers to take action.

You can use this template for free, but you'll need to sign up on the Campaign Monitor platform first. Their library of responsive email templates is worth checking out too.

By using Campaign Monitor's template language, you can design a template with changeable sections that can be easily edited for an email.

Password Reset emails don't need to be elaborate. A good example is the Password Reset HTML Email Template by Foundation Framework, which is a simple yet effective template.

This template leaves space for your logo or a graphic, and has placeholder text that you can use as is. You can also change the button's color to match your brand.

The Foundation for Emails style tag is included at the top of each template, indicating where it's from. You can download the template, preview it, and see how the features were implemented by looking at the source.

All you need to do is change the button's color to one of your brand colors, and you'll be all set.

Font styling can be added to divs to ensure consistent appearance across all mail clients. To do this, add the following code to the style attribute of div.col-sml and div.col-lge: font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#363636;

For links styled as buttons, follow Mark Robbin's template and replace the content with the provided code. This will ensure a consistent experience across different email clients.

To ensure your styling works for different email clients, it's essential to know how popular email clients load HTML and CSS elements. The most popular email clients support and render different styling elements differently, so it's crucial to adapt accordingly.

Here are some standard web fonts that are safe to use in emails:

These fonts are widely supported by most email clients and will ensure a consistent experience for your subscribers.

Adding font styling to your HTML email is a crucial step in making it visually appealing. You can add font styling to your divs, such as div.col-sml and div.col-lge, by adding a style attribute to them.

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For example, you can add the following code to the style attribute of div.col-sml: font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#363636;. Similarly, add this code to the style attribute of div.col-lge.

It's also a good idea to use standard web fonts, as custom fonts can add an extraneous layer of complexity to your email. Standard web fonts are supported by most email clients, making them a safer choice.

Using standard web fonts is especially important when it comes to email clients, which handle style elements differently. You can check to make sure the email client most of your subscribers use supports a particular font.

Here's a quick rundown of the standard web fonts you can use:

By using standard web fonts and adding font styling to your divs, you can create a visually appealing HTML email that looks great across different email clients.

Having a plain text version of your email is crucial for compatibility with all email clients and user settings.

Some email clients and user settings can't or choose not to load HTML, so a plain text alternative is essential.

If a recipient's email server requires a plain text version, most email tools like HubSpot will automatically provide one.

A plain text version is an alternative version of your HTML email that renders in completely plain text.

Creating a plain text version can prevent your message from being flagged as spam or potentially dangerous.

A multipart MIME message is an email that contains both a plain text and HTML version of the same email.

To optimize your HTML email template for multiple screen sizes and devices, start by coding for mobile first, not desktop. This approach is recommended because it requires less code and is more forgiving when it comes to responsive design.

Make sure your HTML email is responsive for different screen sizes and devices. One of the biggest factors is the screen size of the device it's being viewed on. A simple layout is key to ensuring your email looks great across various screen sizes.

Use mobile-friendly buttons or calls-to-action (CTAs) in place of hyperlinked text. This is especially important on mobile devices where tapping a small link can be difficult.

Fluid-hybrid emails are a great method for creating responsive emails, as they use a combination of percentage widths and fixed pixel widths to create a flexible layout. This approach is especially useful for older email clients that don't support media queries.

When designing your email, use semantic HTML tags to structure your content meaningfully. This helps screen readers interpret the content correctly.

Use web-safe fonts to ensure your text displays consistently across different email clients. Reliable choices include Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, and Times New Roman.

Here's a list of web-safe fonts you can use:

Maintain a minimum font size of 14px to ensure readability, especially on mobile devices. This helps make the text clear and legible without the need for zooming.

Use high-contrast color combinations to improve readability for users with visual impairments. This can be achieved by ensuring that the text stands out clearly against the background.

The footer is an essential part of any HTML email template, and it's where you'll add your social icons and copyright information.

To create the footer, you'll add a paragraph with your social icons inside it. You can set these icons to display inline-block so they obey the centered text alignment setting.

You'll replace the [Footer content goes here] marker with a paragraph containing the icons. This is where you can add your social media links and images.

The social icons should be added inside a paragraph tag with a simple space between them. You can use the display:inline-block property to ensure they align correctly.

You'll also add another paragraph with some copyright information and an unsubscribe link. This is where you can include your company's name, address, and any other relevant details.

To style the unsubscribe link, you can add the class unsub to the a tag. This will allow you to enhance it later with CSS.

Here's a list of the classes and properties you can use to style the unsubscribe link:

By following these steps, you can create a basic footer for your HTML email template that includes social icons and copyright information.

Your HTML email template should be responsive for different screen sizes and devices. This means making sure your design looks great on various devices, from desktops to mobile phones.

To achieve this, consider the following best practices:

Conducting thorough testing is crucial to ensure your HTML email template works as expected. This involves checking for any errors or inconsistencies that may occur in different email clients or devices.

Making an HTML email responsive can be a challenge due to varying levels of support for HTML and CSS standards across email services and apps.

Some email apps don't support CSS media queries, which are commonly used to make web pages responsive. The Gmail app for Android and iOS, for example, only supports media queries for Gmail accounts.

The Yahoo app for Android is another client that throws out media queries unless you implement a hack that includes the entire head of your document twice. However, this hack can be stripped out by your sending platform.

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Outlook for Windows only supports a subset of the CSS2.1 specification, making it even more difficult to build responsive HTML email designs that render perfectly everywhere.

The fluid hybrid email coding method is a simple way to design and build an email that will look excellent in every mail app, including those that don't support media queries.

Your HTML email design should be responsive for different screen sizes and devices. This means making sure it looks great on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Make sure your styling works in different email clients. This includes popular email services like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook, as well as older email clients that might not support the latest HTML features.

Be conscious of how long your HTML emails take to load. Aim to keep your email size under 100KB to ensure it loads quickly and efficiently.

To ensure a smooth user experience, plan for end-user inconsistencies. This includes differences in email client rendering, screen size, and device type.

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Conduct thorough testing to catch any issues before sending out your email. This will help you identify and fix problems before they affect your audience.

Here are some key best practices to keep in mind:

Boosting your subscriber count requires creativity and engagement. HTML emails are an effective way to do this.

With the right design and content, HTML emails can increase your subscriber count. They allow you to share what's happening in your business and keep subscribers interested.

Creating beautiful and functional HTML emails is easier than you think. You can do it without writing a single line of code, thanks to the tips and templates available.

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The "Test" section is where you can put your HTML email template to the test. Make sure to send yourself a test email to see how it looks in different email clients.

A good test email should include a mix of text and images, as well as links and buttons. You can also test the responsiveness of your template by sending it to a mobile device.

The template should be free of any errors, including spelling and grammar mistakes. You can use tools like Spell Check or Grammarly to help with this.

Test your email template regularly to ensure it's working as expected. This will save you time and frustration in the long run.