Have you ever opened an email only to find typos, images that don’t load, or links that lead nowhere?

You’re not alone. Around 80% of emails suffer from these issues, which can seriously harm a company’s reputation, regardless of size.

If these errors persist in your company’s emails, you risk being marked as spam and potentially blocklisted — a situation every business wants to avoid.

That’s why sending error-free emails is crucial. Whether a quick update or a marketing message, every email should display perfectly across all devices. This means thoroughly checking your email system, from sending to delivery.

We’ll guide you through simple, effective ways to test your emails and ensure they arrive in inboxes looking perfect, free from spam triggers and blacklist risks.

Let’s dive in!

Why You Need to Test Your Emails

Why is email testing so crucial? Let’s break it down.

Email testing is like a final check before your message hits the inbox. It’s not just about catching typos in your message or subject line. It’s about ensuring your marketing emails work seamlessly and effectively, whether for customer follow-ups, invoices, job applications, or other types.

Using email testing tools means you can launch flawless email campaigns. More than just fixing errors, these tools help craft emails that enhance customer experience, boost conversions, and grow your customer base.

The more effort you put into fine-tuning your emails, the better your chances of reaching and engaging your customers or leads. This, in turn, fosters brand loyalty.

But what if you skip through email testing? Well, you might face issues like:

• Emails not being delivered
• Emails ending up in spam folders
• HTML emails not displaying correctly
• Images not loading
• Broken or misleading links and call-to-action buttons
• Sending the wrong emails to the wrong people
• Harm to your domain and IP reputation

These seemingly minor issues can have big repercussions, like damaging your brand’s reputation, poor customer experiences, and, ultimately, loss of revenue.

Sample 1: Image rendering

The best way to show the importance of image rendering is to compare two emails that seem identical:

versus

Ever wondered why an email that looks great on one device might look off on another?

This is because emails render differently across various devices and email services, which can impact the recipient’s experience.

To ensure that everyone sees your email just as you intended, it’s crucial to test and tweak each message for compatibility with popular email clients like Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and Yahoo! Mail. This includes making sure all those carefully chosen images are displayed correctly.

A key tip for working with images: start simple. Avoid overwhelming your email with too many images or complex features right off the bat. It’s easier to identify and fix display issues when you add elements gradually, testing after each addition.

Remember, what looks good on a desktop might not translate well to a mobile device. That’s why it’s essential not just to check image rendering but also to ensure your emails are responsive.

By focusing on both visuals and responsiveness, you ensure that your emails look perfect, no matter the client or device your customers are using.

Sample 2: Email Deliverability and Spam

Chances are, you’ve encountered this frustrating scenario at least once: receiving a ‘Message Not Delivered’ error response in your inbox.

Even if your email looks ideal for your customers, without proper testing, you can’t be sure it will reach their inboxes. To enhance your chances of successful delivery and avoid spam traps, here are some key tips:

1. Avoid using words typically associated with spam, like “%off”, “FREE”, “PROOF”, as well as excessive use of exclamation marks (!!!) or dollar signs ($$$) in both your email body and subject line.

2. Balance your content: Aim for 60% text and 40% images in your email body. Templates heavy with images are often flagged as spam.

3. Warm up your domain by properly configuring your DNS and email authentication records.

4. Only include trustworthy links in your email. Limit the number of links you use, and utilize an email header analyzer to confirm all email security protocols are active.

By following these guidelines, you can significantly improve the chances of your emails reaching their intended destinations.

Example of spam test

It is true that you can check the above elements on your own but doing it with special tools doing spam testing and blacklisting analysis will have a better result. All your emails will be then sent to spam filters and a spam score.

You can fix your test emails and get rid of those elements that might lead your emails to spam folders and improve the delivery of your emails to recipients.

Sample 3: Email Copy and Links

Imagine receiving an email that’s just a dense block of text:

Or clicking on a link that leads nowhere but to a “404 Error” page:

These are prime examples of what to avoid in your email campaigns.

Two crucial elements to check before you press ‘send’ are the email copy and the links included. While many marketers rightly focus on these areas, remember that the technical aspects of your emails are just as vital.

First, your email text should be well-crafted, error-free, and easy on the eyes with appropriate fonts and spacing.

It’s not just about avoiding typos; your message should be clear, easy to digest, and structured in a way that guides the reader to action through clear calls to action (CTAs). The goal is to evoke emotion and prompt action, not confuse your readers.

Next, scrutinize every link in your email. Broken, misleading, or questionable links can ruin the user experience and harm your brand’s reputation.

For example, if you’re running a Shopify store and send an abandoned cart email with a misleading link, your potential customers can’t complete their purchases. This isn’t just a problem for one customer — imagine it happening to hundreds.