Is SSL important for tracked links and images in email marketing sender reputation and deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks shares a Chrome update that could impact non-SSL images, convincing leadership to purchase SSL: <https://freshinbox.com/blog/google-chrome-81-will-block-non-https-images-in-email/|https://freshinbox.com/blog/google-chrome-81-will-block-non-https-images-in-email/>
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that SSL encryption, indicated by the padlock icon in the browser, builds trust and protects sensitive customer data, reinforcing brand reputation and customer confidence.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains it's best practice to use HTTPS for all images as some email clients may block HTTP images for security reasons, impacting the user experience.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester explains while SSL/HTTPS does not directly impact email deliverability, it is essential for data security and building trust, both of which indirectly contribute to a positive sender reputation.
Email marketer from Neil Patel states that SSL certificates build trust with users, protect data in transit, and improve search engine rankings, which can indirectly benefit email marketing by improving brand perception.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that mixed content warnings (HTTPS page with HTTP images) can cause concerns for email recipients. They claim it is important to implement HTTPS so that it does not scare people away from clicking on your links.
Email marketer from Gmass suggests using a link checker tool to find unsafe links (HTTP) and update them to HTTPS. They claim it is not directly important to sending, but will impact whether users trust your links.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains the overall importance of email security. Mentions using valid certificates to ensure security to build trust with the subscriber base, increase the brand reputation, and ultimately increase deliverability.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/exampleuser, in response to a discussion about email deliverability, mentions that while direct impact is minimal, using HTTPS for images prevents broken image warnings that negatively affect user experience and brand perception.
Marketer from Email Geeks says warnings from no SSL can be off-putting to people, and the lack of a lock icon makes a site look sketchy. He also shared a blog post related to the topic: <https://www.spamresource.com/2020/09/mixed-content-and-mixed-messages.html|https://www.spamresource.com/2020/09/mixed-content-and-mixed-messages.html>
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks states that non-HTTPS links won't directly cause emails to go to the bulk folder and don't hurt email reputation in the broad sense, but warns that browsers may show warnings to users who click on them. They state it's a bad idea to use non-SSL links.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that using mixed content (HTTPS email loading HTTP images) can lead to reduced open rates as email clients may display warnings or block the content, impacting user trust and engagement.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that HTTP links may have some reputation damage and are generally not recommended as they also expose user data. Switching to HTTPS may have a small positive impact, but that it should be done in conjunction with DKIM and SPF for better overall impact.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Google Search Central Blog explains that Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal, giving a slight ranking boost to secure sites.
Documentation from Mozilla Developer Network explains that mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP resources) is blocked by browsers for security reasons, and suggests migrating all resources to HTTPS to avoid issues.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains the basics of HTTP over TLS (HTTPS) which is an encrypted connection. Describes how it ensures data privacy and integrity between the client and server.
Documentation from Let's Encrypt explains that they are a free, automated, and open certificate authority providing SSL certificates, making it easier for websites to implement HTTPS.
Documentation from Cloudflare details how an SSL handshake is part of how HTTPS works. It also explains the encryption prevents eavesdropping and tampering during data transmission.