How does using multiple GIFs in emails affect deliverability and user experience?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that using multiple GIFs can cause accessibility issues for visually impaired users. They should be used sparingly or accompanied by descriptive alt text.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that ISPs often flag emails with large file sizes, which multiple GIFs can exacerbate. Monitoring email deliverability metrics can help determine if GIF usage is affecting performance.
Email marketer from GIPHY explains that GIFs can enhance brand identity and engagement but advises marketers to use GIFs strategically to avoid overwhelming recipients with excessive animation and ensure GIFs do not negatively impact user experience.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that while GIFs can enhance engagement, excessive use can distract users and increase email loading times, affecting user experience. They recommend using GIFs sparingly and ensuring they serve a clear purpose within the email.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that using GIFs should align with the brand voice and customer expectations. Too many GIFs can be perceived as unprofessional and diminish user experience.
Email marketer from Email Uplers explains that using too many GIFs can lead to email fatigue and reduced click-through rates. They advise marketers to use GIFs strategically to highlight key messages and offers, rather than overwhelming recipients with excessive animation.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that multiple GIFs can increase file size, potentially causing deliverability issues if the email exceeds 3MB. He suggests using file compression services to reduce GIF size.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that using multiple GIFs can increase email size, impacting deliverability. They suggest optimizing GIF file sizes and considering the overall user experience to ensure the email remains engaging without being overwhelming.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from SpamResource explains that embedding multiple large images, including GIFs, can significantly increase the overall size of an email, potentially triggering spam filters and reducing deliverability. Optimization is key.
Expert from SpamResource responds that large images are often a red flag for spam filters because spammers commonly use images to hide text. Keep the overall email size small.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that using many images (including GIFs) without sufficient text can be problematic. Email clients can't 'read' images and may mark emails with a high image-to-text ratio as suspicious.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that file size and recipient distaste are two potential issues with multiple animated GIFs. File size is only a concern if the GIF is attached rather than linked remotely.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from MDN Web Docs explains that optimizing animated GIFs involves reducing the number of colors, frame rate, and overall dimensions to minimize file size. Efficient optimization is crucial for ensuring fast loading times and a positive user experience.
Documentation from Campaign Monitor explains that using multiple animated GIFs can create accessibility issues for users with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities. They recommend providing alternative text descriptions and ensuring GIFs do not cause seizures or disorientation.
Documentation from W3C highlights the importance of optimizing GIFs for accessibility, ensuring that they do not cause seizures or disorientation, and providing text alternatives for screen readers.
Documentation from Google Developers explains that large image file sizes, including GIFs, can negatively impact email loading times and user engagement. They recommend compressing images and using appropriate file formats to ensure optimal performance.