What are the deliverability concerns of found mails that did not contain URLs in HTML tags within quoted-printable MIME-parts?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that using plain text URLs without <a href> tags can increase spam scores. Spam filters analyze email content for various factors, and improperly formatted URLs can contribute to a higher spam score, reducing deliverability. Use proper HTML tags to present URLs correctly and avoid spam filters.
Email marketer from Constant Contact shares that ensuring all urls are properly formatted with HTML is crucial to email deliverability. If the URLs are not formatted correctly, the content may not render as intended or may be flagged as suspicious.
Email marketer from GMass explains that using proper HTML in emails, including the use of <a href> tags for URLs, is essential for avoiding deliverability issues. It can negatively impact deliverability if emails contain URLs not wrapped in HTML, and it can be seen as less professional. Proper HTML formatting increases trust and deliverability.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that improper URL formatting can trigger spam filters. Messages containing URLs without proper <a href> tags are more likely to be flagged as spam. This is because spammers often try to obfuscate URLs to bypass filters. Always ensure that URLs are correctly formatted within HTML to maintain good deliverability.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that improper URL encoding can negatively impact deliverability. When URLs are not correctly formatted within HTML, they might be flagged as suspicious by spam filters or email clients. This is especially relevant in quoted-printable MIME parts, where encoding issues can further complicate the URL structure. Ensure all URLs are properly encoded and formatted within <a href> tags to avoid deliverability problems.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares three ways an address can be represented as a URL, and his guess is that Fabian is doing the first in the html. If you need to actually show the URL to the reader, do the second, otherwise the third.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that highlighting the URL and clicking the make link button/icon should fix it. When you include URLs in HTML content without using the <a href... HTML tags, the recipient sees the whole URL - not a word that is clickable.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that following email design best practices, including proper URL formatting, is crucial for maintaining good deliverability. Messages that deviate from standard HTML practices are more likely to be flagged as suspicious. Always use <a href> tags for URLs and ensure they are correctly encoded to avoid deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that the absence of proper HTML <a href> tags around URLs can lead to email clients not recognizing and rendering them as clickable links. This can reduce user engagement and might also impact deliverability if email clients flag messages with poorly formatted HTML.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that including a URL without <A HREF... shouldn't be a problem as the MUA will typically make it clickable.
Email marketer from Hubspot shares that including URLs without the use of anchor text and HTML, and including the full URL are both poor practices that can negatively impact deliverability. Wrapping urls in anchor text and only including the anchor text prevents negative impacts on deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that without knowing the specifics he can't say for sure, but in general, it shouldn't by itself cause a problem. In theory, not enclosing URL in proper tags could be an attack vector as a method to defeat URL security proxying. Unless you have good reason not to include them in tags, he'd say put them in and move on.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that the use of quoted-printable encoding without proper URL formatting can lead to deliverability issues. When URLs within quoted-printable sections are not correctly formatted (e.g., missing <a href> tags or encoding errors), they may be misinterpreted or flagged as suspicious by email clients and spam filters.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that one of the ways to get your mail delivered is to not act like a spammer. Spammers often use URL shorteners or link redirects. You should use real URLs that include HTML tags, not link redirects, for better deliverability.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that messages with URLs not properly enclosed in HTML <a href> tags might be viewed as less legitimate by spam filters. Spammers often attempt to obfuscate URLs or insert plain text URLs to bypass filters, so legitimate emails should adhere to proper HTML formatting.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Litmus explains that email rendering inconsistencies across different email clients can exacerbate issues related to URLs without proper HTML tags. Some clients may automatically convert plain text URLs into clickable links, while others may not, leading to a fragmented user experience. It is important to use proper HTML tags to ensure consistent rendering and avoid deliverability concerns.
Documentation from RFC Editor explains that quoted-printable encoding is used to represent data that mainly consists of printable ASCII characters but also includes non-ASCII characters or control characters. If URLs are not properly encoded within quoted-printable sections, especially if they contain special characters or non-ASCII characters, it can lead to misinterpretation by email clients and spam filters, affecting deliverability.
Email marketer from Sendgrid explains that email design guidelines include ensuring all URLs are properly formatted within HTML <a href> tags. Improperly formatted URLs can lead to deliverability issues and reduce user engagement. Sendgrid recommends using proper HTML to avoid deliverability concerns.
Documentation from Mozilla Developer Network explains the importance of the <a> element in HTML. It states that the <a> element (anchor element) with the href attribute creates a hyperlink to web pages, files, email addresses, locations in the same page, or anything else a URL can address. If a URL is present in an email without being enclosed in <a href="URL">...</a> then its functionality, and therefore deliverability is reduced. The <a> tag ensures proper user navigation and reduces the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.