How does including email addresses in URL links affect deliverability at Gmail?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that placing an email inside a url requires the email address to be correctly encoded. This is so that the url is a valid and that it functions as expected.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that using email addresses in URLs can damage sender reputation and increase the likelihood of emails landing in the spam folder. Litmus recommends avoiding this practice for better deliverability.
Email marketer from Mailgun explains that including email addresses in URL links is not a recommended practice as it can raise privacy concerns and may trigger spam filters. Mailgun advises keeping URLs clean and relevant to the content.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus shares that using email addresses in URL links for tracking purposes is discouraged. They recommend using dedicated tracking parameters and URL shorteners to maintain deliverability and avoid spam flags.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Pros Forum says that using email addresses directly in URLs for tracking is a red flag for spam filters and can severely impact deliverability. They suggest using a proper email marketing platform for tracking clicks.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that including personal details like email addresses in the URL can trigger spam filters and is generally bad practice for user privacy. Best to keep URLs clean and generic.
Email marketer from GMass explains that embedding email addresses in URLs for personalization is a poor practice that can harm deliverability and trigger privacy warnings. GMass advises using merge tags within the email body instead.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares another link that mentions email links: <https://support.google.com/platformspolicy/answer/6156630?hl=en-GB>
Expert from Email Geeks shares a further link to Google Ads policy that mentions email links: <https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6389382?hl=en-419>
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that the previous link is for Google Analytics and that there are many docs on the topic of analytics and adsense.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that embedding email addresses within URLs can negatively affect domain reputation, leading to deliverability issues at Gmail. Links should be clear and redirect to safe, expected destinations. They advise against using complex or obfuscated links.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that unusual URL formatting, including those containing email addresses, can trigger spam filters and negatively impact deliverability at Gmail. They recommend using clean, standard URL structures.
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that the previous link from Laura Atkins is the correct document.
Expert from Email Geeks shares a link to Google Analytics support that mentions email links: <https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6366371?hl=en#zippy=%2Cin-this-article>
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Google Platform Policies specifies that passing personally identifiable information (PII) such as email addresses through URL parameters is prohibited. It can result in policy violations.
Documentation from Google Ads Help explains that Google prohibits the use of personalized information in ad URLs, including email addresses, due to privacy concerns and policy violations. Using email addresses in URLs can lead to ad disapproval.
Documentation from Google Analytics Help advises against passing PII, including email addresses, to Google Analytics through URL parameters. This is due to Google's policy against storing such data.