Coding HTML emails might seem daunting, but trust me, with the right guide, it's a breeze. Most email clients support HTML5, which means you can use modern coding techniques to create visually appealing emails.
The key to writing effective HTML email code is to keep it simple and concise. A good rule of thumb is to use a maximum of 500 characters per line, as some email clients may truncate longer lines.
Intriguing read: Html vs Plain Text Email
HTML Email Coding Basics
To build a solid foundation in HTML email coding, you should start with a basic HTML structure. This includes a DOCTYPE declaration for emails, defining the head and body sections, and using meta tags in the head section to ensure proper mobile rendering and zooming.
Use tables to create the basic structure of your email, as they ensure compatibility across different email clients. I've found that this approach helps to prevent formatting issues and ensures a clean design.
Related reading: Google Email Storage
To get more advanced, check out the resources listed below for additional tutorials and guides on HTML email templates, design, coding, and more:
- What You Should Know About HTML Email
- The Complete Guide to Designing for Email
- A Beginner’s Guide to Email Accessibility (Checklist + Resources)
- Creating a Future-Proof Responsive Email Without Media Queries
Setting Up Basic Structure
To build an email template, start with a basic HTML structure that includes a DOCTYPE declaration, head and body sections, and meta tags for proper mobile rendering and zooming.
This basic structure is the foundation of your email template, and it's essential to get it right from the start.
Use tables to create the basic structure of your email, as this will ensure compatibility across different email clients.
Here's a simple outline of the basic structure:
- DOCTYPE declaration
- Head section with meta tags
- Body section with content
This structure will provide a solid foundation for your email template, and you can build upon it from there.
In addition to the basic structure, you can also use Stripo's Smart Elements option to generate multiple product cards or an email digest in no time.
The Smart Elements option is a powerful tool that can save you time and effort when building your email template.
By following these steps and using the right tools, you'll be well on your way to creating a professional-looking email template that will engage your audience.
Additional reading: Html Basic Structure
Character Encoder
Using a character encoder is a simple yet effective way to ensure special characters don't appear as squares or diamond symbols with question marks inside. This is especially important in HTML email coding where special characters can cause formatting issues.
You can use a character encoder to turn special characters into images where possible. This can be a great way to add visual interest to your emails without compromising on formatting.
HTML Email Design
HTML email design is all about creating a visually appealing and functional email that looks great across various devices and email clients. To start, you'll want to use a method that allows you to create a basic HTML email design, which can be done by using a table structure.
A basic HTML email design typically includes a table with a doctype and body, along with meta tags that help ensure responsive email displays on mobile devices. You'll also need to set up a basic style with font-family settings to override Gmail's default fonts.
For your interest: Html Table Responsive Design
Here are some key elements to include in your HTML email design:
By following these simple steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a well-designed HTML email that looks great and functions properly across various devices and email clients.
Related reading: Email Html Editor
Full-Width Image and Text
Creating a full-width image and text module in HTML email design is a great way to add visual interest to your emails. You can simply add a table with a width of 100% to make the image full-width.
To ensure the image displays correctly in Outlook on Windows, you need to set the width to 600 pixels. This will prevent it from displaying at its native size.
You can also add padding around the image and text to create a more visually appealing design. For example, you can use 30px padding all around to leave 540px for the image.
Here's a breakdown of the key elements to include:
- A table with a width of 100%
- A full-width image with a width of 600 pixels
- Padding around the image and text to create a visually appealing design
By following these simple steps, you can create a full-width image and text module that will engage your email recipients and enhance your email design.
HTML Email Content
When coding HTML emails, you need to consider how different email clients will render your content. To ensure your email looks great across various platforms, it's a good idea to use inline styles, which are applied directly to the HTML elements.
Using tables is a common practice in HTML email coding, as they provide a flexible way to structure your content. The outermost table takes up 100% of the email's width, with its border, cellspacing, and cellpadding set to 0 to remove default styling and spacing.
The inner table, with the class "content", has a fixed width of 600px and is centered by its parent with td align="center". This inner table includes a border and specific styling, defining it as the main content area.
To make the most of your email's content, consider using the following styles for the .content table:
By applying these styles, you can create a responsive and visually appealing email that looks great across different email clients and devices.
HTML Email Layout
Creating a solid foundation for your HTML email is crucial for a good user experience. Use tables to create the basic structure of your email, ensuring compatibility across different email clients.
Tables are still the most reliable method to make sure the design renders well across all email clients, even though they're an old-fashioned method for web development. This is the preferred way to code your multi-column email design.
The Yahoo app for Android is another client that throws out your media queries unless you can implement a specific hack. This can be avoided by using tables for your template layout.
Here are some benefits of using tables for your email structure:
- Ensures compatibility across different email clients
- Preferred way to code multi-column email design
Tables vs. Divs for Building
Tables are still the most reliable method to ensure your email design renders well across all email clients. This is because tables can be used to create a basic structure, which is essential for compatibility.
Using tables for your template layout is a tried-and-true method that beats other approaches hands down. It's an old-fashioned method, but it gets the job done.
To create a basic structure, use tables to lay out your email design. This will help ensure that it looks great across different email clients.
The most reliable method for coding your multi-column email design is still tables. This approach is preferred by many email designers.
In fact, using tables is so reliable that it's the preferred way to code your email design. This is especially true when you need to create a multi-column layout.
Here's a quick rundown of the benefits of using tables for your email design:
- Reliable compatibility: Tables ensure that your email design looks great across all email clients.
- Easy to use: Tables are a straightforward way to create a basic structure for your email design.
- Time-saving: Using tables can save you time and effort in the long run.
In summary, tables are the way to go when it comes to creating a reliable email design that works across all email clients.
HTML Email Styling
HTML email styling is all about making your email look great in various email clients. To achieve this, it's safer to use inline styles, as email clients vary in how they render CSS.
You can use inline CSS to apply the Google Font to your HTML elements, and always include a generic fallback font. This is because not all email clients support web fonts, and some like Gmail don't support Google Fonts at all.
Explore further: Html Css Grid
To add font styling to your email, you can use a style attribute on your HTML elements. For example, you can add `font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#363636;` to your divs to set the font family, size, and color.
Here are some safe fonts to use in your HTML email:
Remember to define a backup font in case the one you've chosen isn't recognized by a certain email client.
Font Styling
Font styling is a crucial aspect of HTML email styling, and it's essential to get it right to ensure your emails look great across different email clients. Always include a generic fallback font when applying a Google Font using inline CSS.
To apply a font to the body of your email, use the following format: font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#363636;. This will ensure that the font is applied consistently across all email clients.
You can also add font styling to specific HTML elements, such as divs, by including the style attribute. For example, adding font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:#363636; to the style attribute of a div will apply the font styling to that element.
On a similar theme: How to Edit Font Style in Html
Some email clients, like Gmail, don't support web fonts, so it's essential to provide a fallback font. You can do this by listing multiple font families, separated by commas, like this: font-family:Poppins, Arial, sans-serif;. This way, if the primary font isn't available, the email client will fall back to the next font in the list.
Here are some safe fonts that you can use in your HTML emails, according to MailChimp: ArialHelveticaCalibriTimes New Roman. These fonts are widely supported across different email clients, so you can use them with confidence.
Remember to always test your email templates on different email clients to ensure that the font styling looks great across all platforms.
Additional reading: How to Use Notepadd for Html Coding
Optimizing Mobile Buttons
Mobile first is a recommended approach for email design, ensuring that single column layouts are used for modern email development.
The rise of mobile email opens has led to this shift in design approach. With more people checking their emails on smaller screens, it's essential to prioritize mobile displays.
A media query can be used to change the appearance of buttons on smaller screens. For example, a media query can be set to apply specific styles when the screen width is less than 530px.
This can be achieved using CSS media queries, such as the one shown below:
```css
@media screen and (max-width: 530px) {
.unsub {
display: block;
padding: 8px;
margin-top: 14px;
border-radius: 6px;
background-color: #555555;
text-decoration: none !important;
font-weight: bold;
}
}
```
By using a media query, you can create a button that is easily tappable on smaller screens, making it more user-friendly.
Explore further: Css in Html File
Don't: Shorthand CSS
Shorthand CSS can cause significant rendering problems across email clients. Most of them simply won't interpret shorthand declarations.
Cutting out elements from your CSS can lead to these issues. It's better to write the full CSS every time, as this will save you trouble.
Many email clients are finicky when it comes to shorthand CSS. Writing the full CSS is a safer bet, even if it takes a bit more time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to code email in HTML?
To code an email in HTML, start by opening an HTML editor and setting up the basic document structure, including the body and main table. From there, you can design the email template, add content, and style the text and footer for a professional look.
Sources
- safe fonts (mailchimp.com)
- 1550+ Free HTML Email Templates & Newsletters (stripo.email)
- How to Create a Responsive HTML Email Template (freecodecamp.org)
- Free HTML Email Templates by Designmodo (designmodo.com)
- media queries are not supported (caniemail.com)
- Mark Robbin’s template for links styled as buttons (goodemailcode.com)
- Email on Acid (emailonacid.com)
- Litmus (litmus.com)
- responsive email templates (envato.com)
Featured Images: pexels.com