What are the deliverability drawbacks of using redirects in email links?

Email marketer from Quora shares that if your redirect domain has a poor reputation (e.g., due to previous association with spam), it can negatively impact your email deliverability. It's important to monitor the reputation of your redirect domain and take steps to improve it if necessary.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that redirects are common for tracking and generally "priced in" by email receivers. The problematic redirects are those that lead to obfuscated final destinations. Recommends branding redirects with your own domain.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that using branded links (custom redirect domains) builds trust with recipients and improves deliverability, because it demonstrates that you are a legitimate sender. Generic link shorteners can hurt your reputation.

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that link cloaking, which is sometimes achieved via redirects, can be a red flag for spam filters. They recommend using clear, direct links to avoid being flagged as suspicious.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that using generic URL shorteners like bit.ly can hurt your deliverability because they are often used by spammers. ESPs and spam filters may flag emails containing these links as suspicious. Custom, branded URL shorteners are a safer option.

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that long redirect chains can negatively impact email deliverability. Each redirect adds latency and increases the chance of something going wrong, such as a timeout or a broken link. Spam filters may also penalize emails with excessive redirect chains.

Email marketer from Gmass shares that adding too many tracking parameters to URLs (e.g., UTM codes) can make them look suspicious to spam filters, especially if the parameters are unusually long or complex. It is important to strike a balance between tracking and URL clarity to avoid triggering spam filters.

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that using too many redirects can negatively impact your SEO and potentially your email deliverability. Search engines and spam filters might see it as a cloaking technique, which can hurt your sender reputation.

Email marketer from Litmus responds that using redirects for personalization purposes (e.g., redirecting users to different landing pages based on their profile) can be beneficial but adds complexity. Ensure your redirects are reliable and don't introduce unnecessary latency, as slow redirects can frustrate users and impact conversion rates.

Email marketer from EmailonAcid shares that time-sensitive offers or limited-time promotions, the links may expire or redirect to an error page, leading to a frustrating user experience. It is important to test and monitor links regularly to ensure they are working correctly.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that utilizing link cloaking, for example via redirects, negatively affects deliverability because it obscures the true destination, causing concern for spam filters and recipients.

Expert from Email Geeks points out that editable redirect URLs pose a security risk as they can be exploited by bad actors to redirect to spam content, damaging the reputation of the redirect domain. Recommends using custom domains, customizable services like bitly, or the ISP's default click tracking domain to mitigate risks. Using random shared domain services should be avoided.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that certain redirects, like those from bit.ly, are viewed with suspicion. Deliverability decisions are often made before examining links, but the risk increases with domains having strict policies regarding links and redirects.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that implementing best practices around redirects is critical, as redirect chains can harm deliverability. They recommend avoiding overly long redirect paths and ensuring each redirect step is necessary.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that if your redirect domain is associated with spam, it damages your sender reputation and reduces deliverability, because the reputation of the redirect domain is inherited.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that ESPs use redirects for tracking and spam checkers follow them, which can cause issues. Each additional redirect increases the chance of failure. He questions the purpose behind the redirect, whether it's for analytics or changing the destination after sending.

Documentation from Google Search Central explains that cloaking, which can be implemented with redirects, is a violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines. Cloaking is showing different content to users and search engines, and this can lead to penalties, potentially affecting visibility from Google and other spam checkers.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that Safe Links in Microsoft Defender for Office 365 rewrites URLs in incoming email messages. When a user clicks a URL in the message, they are taken to the target URL after it's checked for malicious content. This can cause a delay and, if the check fails, block access to the site, potentially impacting user experience.

Documentation from SparkPost explains that while link tracking (often implemented with redirects) is essential for email marketing, it's important to use a reputable link tracking service and avoid practices that could be perceived as suspicious, such as cloaking or using generic URL shorteners. Proper implementation will help preserve sender reputation.

Documentation from RFC outlines the standard for HTTP redirects, noting that excessive or poorly implemented redirects can lead to poor user experience and potential security concerns, although not directly related to email, the principles apply as email clients use similar systems.

Documentation from IETF explains that, while not specific to email, redirects (using URIs) can introduce security risks if not handled properly. Open redirects, where a website redirects users to an arbitrary URL specified in the request, can be exploited by attackers to phish for credentials or spread malware.