How does URL length in an email href affect email delivery and rendering?

Email marketer from Stack Overflow mentions that while HTTP protocol does not enforce maximum URL lengths, various browsers and servers do. Suggests keeping URLs under 2000 characters to avoid potential issues with older browsers and systems.

Email marketer from Email Geeks highlights to be mindful that the maximum length in some browsers is about 2000 characters, others are longer.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog shares that while URL length is not a direct ranking factor, shorter, descriptive URLs are generally better for user experience and can indirectly impact SEO, potentially improving click-through rates from email campaigns.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that besides the length, the reason for the length could be a factor. If your link contains explicit redirections (like, several of them, potentially), with several visible URI embedded into one, then the reputation of those URI may play a role.

Email marketer from Litmus Blog mentions that while there's no hard limit on URL length impacting deliverability directly, overly long URLs can make the email heavier, potentially leading to clipping issues in certain email clients. Clean, concise URLs are always preferable.

Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog advises that while not a primary deliverability factor, excessively long URLs can contribute to larger email sizes, which can lead to clipping in email clients like Gmail. Shortening URLs is recommended to minimize code bloat.

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that proper email design, including keeping code clean and minimizing unnecessary elements, contributes to better deliverability. While they don't specify URL length directly, the principle of lean code applies – shorter URLs contribute to a lighter email.

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog explains that while URL length isn't explicitly mentioned as a core deliverability factor, they recommend keeping emails clean and lightweight to avoid spam filters and clipping. Implies shorter URLs contribute to this.

Email marketer from EmailDiscussions.com forum notes that URL shortening services can help reduce the overall length of URLs in emails, making them more manageable and potentially improving click tracking. However, they caution against using untrustworthy URL shorteners, as they may negatively impact deliverability.

Email marketer from Reddit r/emailmarketing states that long URLs, especially when combined with URL shorteners, can sometimes trigger spam filters. Using clean, direct URLs is generally safer.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that if all URLs are long it could add weight to your email and cause clipping in Gmail, and that they knew of a client that had that as an issue before.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that there is no inherent deliverability issue with long URLs. The real problem lies if there are redirects in the URL or the domain has a poor reputation. In these cases, shortening the URL could help to mask these problems.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that she has not seen anything obvious that indicates URL length, itself, is a factor in delivery. Mentions there was a point where it seemed like long URLs might be a problem, but that was a long time ago. She has stopped looking at URL length in her audits because she found a lot of long URLs weren’t a problem. Mentions one company that still suggests shortening URLs as a way to improve delivery, but there doesn’t seem to be much evidence one way or another.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that while extremely long URLs *can* contribute to an email's overall size, potentially leading to clipping issues, the primary concern with URLs lies in their reputation. Links to known bad sites, or those employing excessive redirects or URL shortening services with questionable reputations, will negatively affect deliverability far more than simply the URL's length.

Documentation from RFC 7230 (HTTP/1.1) specifies that there is no predefined limit to the length of a URI. Servers and user agents should be able to handle URIs of any length, but practical limitations may exist due to system constraints. This relates to how email clients handle links.

Documentation from Mozilla Developer Network states that most browsers support URIs up to 2,000 characters in length. Older browsers, however, may have stricter limits. It is always important to test on older browsers if you support them.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that long messages can be clipped in Gmail. While they don't explicitly mention URL length, excessive HTML code, including long URLs, can contribute to message size and trigger clipping.

Documentation from Microsoft Support indicates that older versions of Internet Explorer had URL length limitations (around 2048 characters). While this is less relevant today, it's a historical consideration for older systems.