What causes SparkPost link branding issues and how to fix them?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that an easy way to check HSTS is to toss your domain into GF.dev and see if it comes with it on. If it does and it says, “IncludeSubDomain” you would need to setup some sort of a Reverse Proxy to handle the SSL.
Email marketer from Cloudflare suggests using Cloudflare to manage SSL certificates and act as a reverse proxy. Cloudflare can automatically handle SSL encryption and decryption, resolving issues related to SSL mismatches and HSTS. Point your branded link domain's DNS to Cloudflare and enable SSL.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that the linked documentation is the right way to think about the problem.
Email marketer from Reddit recommends checking HSTS settings for your domain. If HSTS is enabled with the `includeSubDomains` directive, you need to ensure that all subdomains, including your branded link domain, have valid SSL certificates. Use tools like GF.dev to verify HSTS settings.
Marketer from Email Geeks suspects the SparkPost link branding issue is related to SSL being turned on with the link or maybe HSTS.
Email marketer from Email on Acid discusses ensuring DKIM alignment for your branded links. Proper DKIM alignment verifies that the links in your email are associated with your domain, improving deliverability. Check your DKIM records and alignment settings in SparkPost.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares sparkpost documentation for SSL Reverse Proxy and that this can be accomplished with a CDN provider as well such as Cloudflare, Cloudfront, or Azure.
Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that an 'SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer certificate' error indicates that the SSL certificate chain is incomplete. Ensure that the certificate includes all intermediate certificates provided by the Certificate Authority (CA).
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum explains that incorrect SPF records can lead to deliverability issues, indirectly affecting link branding. Ensure that your SPF record includes SparkPost's sending IPs or domain. Use tools like `mxtoolbox.com` to check your SPF record.
What the experts say1Expert opinion
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes monitoring your sender reputation as a crucial aspect. A poor sender reputation can impact deliverability and, indirectly, link branding effectiveness. Regularly check your IP and domain reputation to ensure they remain positive.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from SparkPost explains that to resolve SSL issues with link branding, setting up a reverse proxy to handle SSL for your tracking domain is required. This involves configuring a proxy server to forward HTTPS requests to SparkPost while maintaining the SSL certificate on your end.
Documentation from Amazon Web Services suggests using CloudFront as a CDN and reverse proxy. Configuring CloudFront to serve your branded links with SSL/TLS can resolve issues related to HSTS and SSL mismatches. You need to set up a CloudFront distribution that forwards requests to SparkPost's tracking domain.
Documentation from SparkPost highlights that incorrect CNAME configuration can lead to link branding issues. Ensure that the CNAME record for your branded link points to the correct SparkPost tracking domain (e.g., eu.spgo.io for European accounts).