What is a Broken Email? Common Errors and Fixes

When it comes to email marketing, every click is important. But sometimes, even the best campaigns can be hurt by a sneaky problem – broken emails. These emails land in inboxes, but they don't work quite right. Maybe the links don't work, the pictures don't show up, or the whole thing just looks messy. This can make people annoyed and less likely to pay attention to your message. 

The good news is, there are ways to fix this! In this guide, I will help you find and get rid of broken emails. 

We'll look at the things that cause them, show you some cool tools to spot and fix them and make sure your emails work perfectly every time. 

What is a Broken Email?

A broken email is exactly what it sounds like - it just doesn’t work. 

The reason can be anything - from a 404 link to images that just won’t load, or a poorly designed email that appears differently on different devices. 

Don’t confuse broken emails with the standard deliverability issues. The broken emails do reach the inboxes, but the problem is that their critical functionality is compromised. 

This translates to elements that disrupt the user experience and hinder the intended impact of your message. 

In the next section, we'll delve into strategies to identify and eliminate these roadblocks, ensuring your emails deliver a seamless experience and drive recipient engagement.

Causes and Fixes For Broken Emails 

1. Broken Links

A broken link, also known as a dead link, is a hyperlink embedded within your email that doesn't lead to the intended webpage. When a recipient clicks a broken link, they'll likely encounter a "404 Not Found" error message, leaving them frustrated and hindering their engagement with your email's content. 

There are several reasons why a link might be broken:

• Typos: A simple typo in the URL, such as a missing hyphen or an extra space, can render the link unusable.
• Content Relocation: The webpage the link originally pointed to might have been moved or deleted entirely, resulting in a broken link.
• Third-Party Link Changes: If you're linking to an external website, changes made by the website owner could break the link.

How to prevent broken link errors?

Here's how to ensure your email links function properly:

• Double-Check URLs: Before sending, meticulously proofread all URLs in your email to eliminate typos and ensure they're formatted correctly (including "http://" or "https://").
• Test Your Links: Always send a test email to yourself or a colleague to click through all the links and verify they lead to the intended destinations.
• Update Old Links: Regularly review your old emails and update any links that might have become broken due to website changes.

2. Broken Images

Broken images appear as red X's or placeholder icons within your email. These occur when the email client cannot display the images embedded in the message body. This disrupts the visual flow of your email and can negatively impact the recipient's understanding of your message. Image loading issues can be due to a missing or incorrect path, size limitations, or formatting issues. 

How to fix broken images errors in emails?

Here's how to ensure your email images display correctly:

• Verify Image Paths: Double-check that the paths referencing your images are accurate and lead to the exact location of the image files.
• Resize Images: Before embedding images, resize them to appropriate dimensions to avoid exceeding email client size limitations. Tools like online image compressors can help with this.
• Use Supported Formats: Stick to commonly supported image formats like JPEG, PNG, or GIF to ensure compatibility with most email clients.
• Consider Alternative Text: While not a direct fix, adding "alt text" to your images provides a brief description that displays in place of the image if it fails to load. This improves accessibility and ensures recipients understand the context of the image even if it doesn't display.
• Test Your Email: Always send a test email to yourself or a colleague to verify that the images render properly within the email client.

3. Poor Rendering

The dream scenario for any email marketer is to have their email display identically across all email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, etc.). Unfortunately, reality often falls short.  Different email clients utilize varying technologies and rendering engines, leading to inconsistencies in how your email appears on different platforms. This can cause layout issues, font discrepancies, and overall design problems, jeopardizing the professionalism and effectiveness of your email.

How to fix email rendering issues?

Here are some strategies to ensure your emails render consistently across various platforms:

• Embrace Responsive Design: Move away from fixed-width layouts and adopt responsive design principles. This approach ensures your email adapts to different screen sizes and email client configurations, maintaining a more consistent look and feel.
• Use Tables Strategically: While tables are a common email design element, overuse can lead to rendering issues. Employ tables judiciously for layout purposes and explore alternative methods for complex designs.
• Limit Complicated CSS: Complex CSS code can be misinterpreted by certain email clients. Stick to basic CSS styles and avoid using advanced features that might not be universally supported.
• Preheader Text and Plain Text Version: While most recipients view emails in HTML format, some might have it disabled. Always include preheader text (the snippet displayed before the email opens) and a plain text version of your email to ensure your message reaches everyone, regardless of their email client settings.
• Test Across Different Clients: Don't rely solely on one email client for previewing your emails. Utilize email testing tools or send test emails to various email addresses to identify and rectify any rendering inconsistencies before sending the final campaign.

4. Missing Alt Text for Images

Alternative text, often abbreviated as "alt text," is a crucial accessibility feature for emails. It provides a brief description of the image content that displays in two key scenarios:

• When images are blocked: Many email clients block images by default due to security concerns. Alt text ensures recipients understand the context of the image even if it doesn't load.
• For visually impaired users: Screen readers used by blind or visually impaired individuals rely on alt text to convey the meaning of images within an email. Missing alt text creates a gap in their understanding of the message.

The absence of alt text hinders accessibility and can leave recipients in the dark about the purpose of the image.

How to fix the missing alt text error?

Here's how to ensure your email images have informative alt text:

• Prioritize Informative Text: Craft clear and concise alt text that accurately describes the image content. Focus on the image's key message and its relevance to the surrounding text.
• Avoid Overly Generic Text: Don't settle for generic descriptions like "Image of a product" or "Photo of a person." Provide specifics about the product or the action the person is taking.
• Keep it Concise: While informative, aim for alt text that is under 125 characters to ensure it displays fully within most email clients.
• Optimize for Search Engines: While not the primary goal, alt text can also be beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO). Include relevant keywords within the alt text description, but prioritize clarity over keyword stuffing.

5. Excessive Email Size

Large email file sizes can lead to several problems, like delivery delays and can get flagged by spam filters or bounce back due to server limitations. Recipients with slower internet connections might experience delays in downloading and viewing your email.

Some email providers have restrictions on inbox message size. A large email might get truncated or even rejected altogether.

How to optimize your email size?

Here are some strategies to keep your email size under control:

• Resize Images: Before embedding images, resize them to appropriate dimensions using online compression tools or editing software.
• Consider Alternative Formats: Explore using lighter image formats like JPEG for photos and PNG for graphics with transparency, while maintaining acceptable quality.
• Link to Cloud Storage: For large files, consider uploading them to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox and include a link within the email instead of attaching them directly.
• Simplify Email Design: While design is important, avoid unnecessary elements or complex layouts that might inflate the file size.
• Test Your Email Size: Many email marketing platforms have built-in tools to estimate email size. Utilize these tools during the design process to identify areas for optimization.

6. Inconsistent Branding

A cohesive brand identity is crucial for building trust and recognition with your audience. Inconsistent branding within emails can confuse recipients and dilute your brand message. 

How to fix inconsistent branding issues in emails?

Here's how to ensure your email branding reflects a consistent and professional image:

• Develop Brand Guidelines: Create a comprehensive brand guideline document that specifies your brand's logo usage, color palette, font styles, and overall design approach. This document serves as a reference point for all teams involved in email creation.
• Centralize Asset Management: Establish a central repository for approved brand assets like logos, icons, and templates. This ensures everyone has access to the latest and correct branding elements.
• Team Collaboration and Training: Foster communication and collaboration between marketing, design, and sales teams. Provide training on brand guidelines and best practices for incorporating them into email content.
• Utilize Email Templates: Develop pre-designed email templates that incorporate your brand elements. This ensures consistency and reduces the risk of creating emails with off-brand designs.
• Review and Approval Process: Implement a review and approval process for all email campaigns. This ensures brand consistency and adherence to guidelines before sending emails to a wider audience.

7. Faulty Email Address Collection

A faulty email address collection process can lead to a database filled with inaccurate or invalid email addresses. This not only impacts your email marketing efforts but can also damage your sender reputation. 

Buying pre-built email lists is a risky practice. These lists often contain outdated or irrelevant addresses, impacting deliverability and potentially violating anti-spam regulations.

How to fix faulty email address issues?

Here are some strategies to ensure you collect accurate and valid email addresses:

• Double Opt-In: Implement a double opt-in process where users receive a confirmation email after submitting their address. This verifies their intention to subscribe and reduces the likelihood of typos.
• Clear Opt-In Forms: Design clear and concise opt-in forms that prominently display the email address field and its purpose. Utilize clear labels and avoid pre-filling the field with generic text.
• Real-Time Validation: Many email marketing platforms offer real-time email address validation during signup. This helps identify typos or invalid formats before users submit the form.
• Grow Your List Organically: Focus on building your email list organically by offering valuable content, incentives, and a clear value proposition in exchange for signups.
• Regularly Clean Your List: Schedule regular email list cleaning processes to identify and remove inactive, bounced, or invalid email addresses. This keeps your list healthy and improves your sender reputation.

8. Unsubscribes Hidden or Difficult to Find

Hiding or making unsubscribe options difficult to find is a deceptive practice that can backfire. Frustrated recipients who can't unsubscribe are more likely to mark your emails as spam, damaging your sender reputation and potentially leading to stricter filtering by email providers.

How to fix the hidden unsubscribe option error?

Here's how to ensure your emails prioritize user choice and provide clear unsubscribe options:

• Clear and Prominent Unsubscribe Link: Include a clear and easily identifiable unsubscribe link in the footer of every email you send. This link should be readily visible and positioned away from other elements to avoid accidental clicks.
• Compliance with Anti-Spam Laws: Familiarize yourself with anti-spam regulations like CAN-SPAM (US) and GDPR (EU) that mandate clear unsubscribe options within commercial emails.

9. Mobile Unfriendly Design

With the vast majority of emails now opened on mobile devices, neglecting mobile responsiveness in your email design is a recipe for disaster.  Emails that aren't optimized for smaller screens will appear cluttered, have text that's too small to read, and buttons that are difficult to tap. This frustrates recipients and hinders their ability to engage with your content.

How to fix mobile responsiveness issues?

Here's how to ensure your emails render beautifully and function seamlessly across all devices:

• Single-Column Layout: Ditch multi-column layouts that become jumbled on mobile screens. Opt for a single-column design that adapts and stacks content vertically for optimal readability.
• Fluid Images and Scalable Fonts: Utilize images that resize automatically based on the screen size and choose fonts that are scalable to ensure legibility on all devices.
• Clear and Large Buttons: Design clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons with ample space around them for easy tapping on touchscreens.
• Preheader Text Optimization: Since preheader text is often the first thing recipients see on mobile, keep it concise, informative, and compelling to grab their attention.

10. Unsupported HTML or CSS in Email Clients

While HTML and CSS provide flexibility in email design, it's crucial to remember that not all email clients are created equal.  Overly complex coding or using advanced features might not render correctly across different platforms.  This can lead to design inconsistencies, layout issues, and a compromised user experience.

How to fix unsupported HTML issues?

Here's how to ensure your emails render consistently despite email client variations:

• Focus on Basic HTML and CSS: Stick to well-supported HTML tags and CSS properties for optimal compatibility across email clients. Avoid using cutting-edge features that might not be universally recognized.
• Test Across Different Platforms: Don't rely solely on a single email client for testing. Utilize email testing tools or send test emails to various email providers to identify and rectify any rendering inconsistencies caused by unsupported code.
• Consider Alternative Design Approaches: If a specific design element requires advanced coding, explore alternative solutions that achieve a similar outcome using techniques with broader compatibility.
• Implement Fallback Styles: Utilize fallback styles within your CSS to provide a basic layout or design if the preferred styles are not supported by the email client. This ensures some level of consistency even in the face of limited functionality.
• Embrace Tables Strategically: While overuse of tables can create problems, they can still be a valuable tool for certain layouts. Utilize tables strategically and explore alternative methods for complex designs that might rely heavily on unsupported features.

11. Custom Fonts Not Showing Up

While custom fonts can enhance your email's visual appeal and brand identity, there's a catch: not all email clients support them.  This means the fancy font you meticulously chose might not display as intended for many recipients.

How to fix custom fonts issues in emails?

Here's how to ensure your emails maintain readability even if custom fonts aren't displayed:

• Utilize System Fallback Fonts: Always specify fallback font families within your CSS code. These are standard fonts pre-installed on most devices and will be used if the custom font cannot be displayed. Choose fallback fonts that complement your chosen custom font and maintain an aesthetically pleasing design.
• Focus on Brand-Consistent Web-Safe Fonts: While not as unique as custom fonts, consider incorporating web-safe fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. These fonts are widely supported by email clients and ensure consistent readability across different platforms.
• Test with a Range of Email Clients: Don't rely solely on desktop previews or a single email client for testing. Utilize email testing tools or send test emails to various email providers to verify how your custom fonts (and fallback options) render in different environments.

12. Animated GIFs + Video Not Working

While animated GIFs and videos can add dynamism and engagement to your emails, they can also encounter problems. Most email clients don't natively support embedding videos within the email body. Recipients might see a placeholder or still image instead of the actual video playing.

How to fix video/GIFs displaying errors?

Here's how to ensure your animated content displays effectively while maintaining a positive user experience:

• Prioritize GIFs Over Videos: Animated GIFs are generally more compatible with email clients than video embeds. Use them for short, attention-grabbing animations.
• Optimize GIF Size: Compress your GIFs to reduce file size without sacrificing quality excessively. Tools like online image compressors can help with this.
• Consider Still Image with Play Button Overlay: For videos, include a captivating still image from the video with a clear play button overlay. This entices recipients to click a link that directs them to the full video hosted on your website.

13. Syntax Issues

Syntax errors refer to mistakes in the underlying code that structures your email. These errors can be similar to typos in regular writing, but instead of affecting readability, they prevent the email from displaying correctly or even being delivered at all.

How to fix email syntax issues?

• Meticulous Code Review: Before sending, thoroughly proofread your HTML and CSS code for any typos, missing elements, or incorrect syntax.
• Utilize Code Validation Tools: Many email marketing platforms offer built-in code validation tools that can help identify syntax errors before sending your campaign. Alternatively, online code validation tools can be used for manual code checks.
• Test Across Different Platforms: Don't rely solely on a desktop preview. Utilize email testing tools or send test emails to various email providers to identify any rendering issues caused by syntax errors.
• Maintain Consistent Code Structure: Develop and adhere to a consistent coding style guide for your emails. This minimizes the risk of errors and makes future edits or troubleshooting easier.

14. Blue Links (Unexpected Conversions)

Blue links are a standard way to denote hyperlinks within emails. Ideally, clicking a blue link takes the recipient to the intended webpage. However, there are situations where these blue links might convert to unexpected actions like misplaced clickable areas. This occurs when clickable areas extend beyond the intended text or button, causing clicks on unintended elements.

How to fix blue links error?

• Clear and Defined Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons: Utilize well-defined buttons for your primary CTAs. This reduces the risk of users accidentally clicking on nearby text that might also be a blue link.
• Maintain Adequate Padding Around Links: Leave enough space between clickable elements (text links and buttons) to avoid accidental clicks on surrounding areas. This is especially important on mobile layouts.
• Consider Link Hover Effects: While hover effects might not work universally across email clients, they can be helpful for desktop users to visually distinguish clickable links from plain text.
• Test on Mobile Devices: Always preview and test your emails on various mobile devices to identify any layout issues that might lead to accidental link clicks due to touch sensitivity.

Broken Emails vs. Undelivered Emails: Understanding the Difference

While broken emails reach inboxes but malfunction, there's a distinct issue: undelivered emails that never reach their destination at all. It's crucial to understand the difference to diagnose campaign performance accurately.

Broken emails frustrate recipients with their dysfunctional elements. However, undelivered emails vanish into the digital ether, leaving no trace in the recipient's inbox and potentially impacting your campaign's reach.

For a deeper dive into undelivered emails, bounce rates, and error codes, refer to this comprehensive resource.

Tools For Fixing And Preventing Broken Email Errors

• Link-Checking Tools: These automated warriors scan your email for broken links before you hit send. Popular options include MailChimp, Ahrefs, Email on Acid. 

• Email Previews & Testing Tools: Platforms like Litmus, Email on Acid, and Mailtrap allow you to preview your email across a variety of email clients to identify rendering inconsistencies before sending.

• Email Code Validation Tools: Platforms like the W3C Markup Validator and Mailtrap can identify syntax errors in your email code, ensuring proper rendering across different platforms.

Winding-up

With a little know-how and the right tools, you can banish broken emails from your marketing campaigns. Remember, a well-functioning email is a beautiful thing – and a powerful tool for driving clicks and conversions. 

So, what’s next? You can start creating your email campaigns using Smartlead (we have a 14-day free trial to get you started quickly). Set-up everything and ensure that you test your emails for broken links, images, rendering issues, and others we discussed in this article. For large scale checks, you can always take help from email checker tools like Email On Acid, Litmus, etc. 

So, put these tips into action, and watch your email campaigns go from frustrating flops to smooth successes!