What Does “View This Email in Your Browser” Mean?
One instruction commonly found at the bottom of emails is the directive to “View This Email in Your Browser.”
But what does this actually mean for recipients? And why would senders want their emails viewed outside of the recipient’s regular email client or service?
As email technology advances, email marketers now have more options to format and display their messages. This guide aims to explore the purpose and functionality behind the “View in Browser” feature. We’ll examine how it helps address challenges with email formatting, discuss the technical implementation, and guide you on properly utilizing this option.
We’ll also examine real-world examples that demonstrate the practical applications and benefits of directing recipients to view email content in a web browser. By the end, you will have a comprehensive understanding of this important best practice and when it should be employed.
Explaining “View This Email in Your Browser”
“View This Email in Your Browser” is a common feature in email marketing that allows recipients to open an email in a web browser.
Emails can be formatted using HTML, which allows for more advanced layouts, fonts, colors, and the inclusion of images/multimedia. However, not all email clients and programs can properly display this rich HTML formatting.
When an email client cannot properly render the HTML formatting, the “View in Browser” link allows the recipient to open it in a web browser.
When recipients click this link, they are directed to a web-hosted version of the email, which retains the original formatting, images, and links, regardless of their email client or device. Browsers are generally better equipped to display the full HTML content as the email sender intended.
This link helps email marketing subscribers view emails as intended by the sender.
7 Reasons to Include a “View This Email in Your Browser” Link
The “View This Email in Your Browser” function is an essential feature in email marketing that enhances the readability, accessibility, and overall user experience of your email campaigns. Here’s why this function is necessary and the core benefits it offers:
1. It Improves Accessibility Across Devices
Not all email clients support advanced HTML or CSS styles, and some may block images, fonts, or other design elements. By offering a browser-based link, you ensure recipients can view your email as intended, regardless of client limitations.
This function particularly benefits recipients who use email clients with limited design support, like older versions of Outlook, ensuring they can access the full email content.
2. It Ensures Consistency of Design
Emails are often crafted to reflect a brand’s identity, including custom layouts, colors, and images. Display issues in various email clients can disrupt this experience.
While email design best practices can help you avoid such problems, a “View in Browser” link is better. It allows recipients to view your email as a consistent, cohesive design, preserving your email branding.
This consistency is especially valuable for visually driven campaigns, such as
3. It Provides a Solution for Rendering Errors
Display issues are common, whether due to device types, screen sizes, or email client variations.
Users can quickly access a clean, readable version by clicking the “View in Browser” link when encountering problems like misaligned text, missing images, or broken links.
This feature reduces user frustration and helps retain email engagement from those who might otherwise ignore emails with display problems.
4. Such Links Help Reduce Spam Complaints
An email with display issues or broken elements can be mistaken for spam or appear untrustworthy, increasing the likelihood of recipients marking it as spam.
By providing a browser alternative, you avoid looking like a spam email sender. You can increase the chances that your email will be seen as legitimate. This helps maintain a strong email sender reputation and improves email deliverability rates over time, which is crucial for keeping your campaigns effective.
5. It Supports Mobile Optimization
On mobile devices, display issues are even more common, especially for image-heavy emails or complex designs. As you cannot afford to ignore mobile email marketing basics, the “View in Browser” link provides a fallback option for mobile users. It enables them to access the web version with better scaling and readability on small screens.
This feature ensures you don’t lose engagement with mobile users due to display constraints.
6. It Facilitates Sharing and Extended Reach
Recipients who want to share your email content with others can easily do so by sharing the browser-based link, extending your email’s reach.
7. Browser Links Assist With Tracking and Analytics
Many email marketing platforms provide analytics for web-hosted versions, allowing you to track clicks on the “View in Browser” link. This data can reveal how often recipients encounter display issues or how frequently they prefer a browser version, helping you optimize future campaigns.
Insights from this data can guide your design choices, ensuring your emails meet technical requirements.
Next up, we look at how to add these links to different types of email campaigns.
How to Include a “View This Email in Your Browser” Link
The specific steps to include a “View This Email in Your Browser” link will vary depending on the email service provider (ESP) you’re using. However, the general process involves using a special code or tag provided by your ESP.
Here’s a general approach.
- Identify the tag: Consult your ESP’s documentation to find the specific tag or code for the “View This Email in Your Browser” link.
- Insert the tag: In your email template, create a text block where you want the link to appear. Insert the identified tag into the text block. Style the text as a link to make it clickable.
- Customize the link text: You can customize the text of the link; below, you can read a section with alternative text you can use.
Where to Add the Link
Now that we’ve established how to include browser links, the next step is understanding where to actually include them. The three primary locations to consider are the email header, footer, and body, each with its own advantages and considerations.
| Placement | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Email header | The link will have prominent visibility and it will be easy to access | It might clutter the header, especially in visually heavy designs |
| Email footer | It will have consistent placement and is easily accessible | The link will be less prominent and might be overlooked |
| Email content | The link can be placed strategically within the email content | It could disrupt the flow of the email, especially if placed too frequently |
Examples of View This Email in Your Browser
If you’re curious to know how to add a link to the online version in your email, we’ve compiled 4 examples below that can inspire you.
View in Browser Link With Alternate Text
Adding a View Email Link in the Footer
Adding a View in Browser Link at the Top
This View in Your Browser Link is Non-Obtrusive
Alternatives to “View This Email in Your Browser”
Here are phrases you can use instead of “View this email in your browser”:
- View Online,
- Read Online,
- See Online,
- View in Browser,
- View the Full Version,
- See the Complete Email,
- Access the Full Email,
- Explore the Full Email,
- Dive Deeper,
- Get the Full Story,
- Unfold the Full Experience,
- Discover More.
Become a Better Email Marketer With These Resources
The more you learn about email marketing, the better results you will achieve.
Check out these insightful articles from our blog:
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