The Best 2021 Guide for HTML Emails In Gmail

It is amazing to know that Gmail has over 1.5 billion accounts worldwide, and it is still going up. And so you might be one of the account holders, and so am I. After the test in 2004, it has come up with various updates and changes. 

One of the best changes is simplifying the composing windows and erasing all the old HTML editors with the good ones. But this doesn’t say that HTML is not supporting Gmail; rather, we can say that it has become a bit trickier than before when sending HTML emails in Gmail. 

After simplifying the UI and hiding the good old HTML editor can show some benefits like without it

• We can now add banners
• We can put images 
• We can put tables 
• We can give any visual media as per our need

And all these together build a good-looking screen for any device. 

The areas which we are Going to cover in this guide are

• Is it necessary to put HTML into Gmail?
• Importing HTML emails in Gmail? 
• Look closely when writing HTML emails in Gmail?
• Utilizing HTML editors
• How to test your HTML emails in Gmail? 
• Final thought

Now we can get into the depth of each point

Is it necessary to put HTML into Gmail?

Gmail will give you a WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get), and that will be in default; this is the best way of any communication. You get the privilege of choosing the fonts, colors, and sizes, alignment of a document, add bullet points, and even putting pictures or emojis.

But the main challenge comes when you start using complex editing or want to put your company branding. Inserting a banner or a logo can be achievable.

You might rent an expert for doing it or if you want a cheaper way – use any of the logo maker tools. For example, you can check the tools like Designhill logo Maker, Zyro, or any other. 

But are you able to align those visuals properly with text and check that they appear fine on any screen size?

In such things, you have to use external tools or write your own HTML and inserting it into a compose window.

Importing HTML emails in Gmail

When you try to copy the HTML code and paste it into Gmail’s compose window, the receiver will be getting the same raw HTML.

In short, Gmail wouldn’t work and respond to it. So when you are going to exchange emails with a web developer, they might be appreciating such ways of communication. Most people won’t know this way of communication. And so, you need to use a simple workaround to insert HTML.

• Outside of Gmail, built an HTML emails in Gmail coding and saved it as a .html file on any of your device. Check if your editor saves files as plain text, with no extra info. It cannot take .txt or the other extensions to the file name. If not, then the HTML email in gmails coding will not be rendering properly. 

• Next, you have to save it. If you put the .txt extension by default, making the file useless. Be sure to use File -> Save on your system and use .html extension.

• Next, make a Right-click on the file and open it with a browser of your selection. It ought to render for sure. If you see raw HTML, open the file, and your editor depends on plain text. 

• Next, try to copy the entire whole content of a page, and insert it into your Gmail compose window and send it.
• By this, the email will be coming exactly in the same shape as it has shown before.

Look closely when writing HTML emails in Gmail?

You might find it easy while developing your HTML emails in Gmail but there are some limitation and features which is to be known by you.

Try to make the images online and available publicly

Pictures got to be uploaded elsewhere on the web, and refer to a link in the code.

Try to store pictures on your own devices or use Google Drive. Later, when you are uploading, try to make sure that the link is public, not private. Once uploading to image sharing services like Imgur or Tinypic, certify you acquire a direct link to the image and not a folder wherever it’s keep.

External style sheets won’t work

Gmail doesn’t provide support for external designs. Use the embedded CSS in addition to Inline styles. A perfect response email usually consists of a good share of Inline CSS, used primarily to take care of the correct structure and styling of a message. Embedded CSS is utilized for adding CSS Reset styles and make it email responsive.

You can’t use web fonts

It is unfortunate to know that Gmail doesn’t let us use any web fonts, and we can’t import them into your HTML. So, try to use your own available fonts for the emails. 

Utilizing HTML editors

Is it essential to put a complete HTML email code from scratch or to check on different screens?

No, there are free and paid email editors which we can get online or download.

There are many tools which are having many templates for any occasion. You have to select the right template, make it per your wants, preview, and download the complete HTML email code.

You then follow the directions shown before for your HTML emails in Gmail or email service provider (ESP) like eSputnik, GetResponse etc. Most of these tools are free and give you the experience of trying some basic templates without any cost. 

Some of these platforms give the best responsive HTML emails in Gmail templates that will look great on any of the devices. Having a higher budget, we will suggest you pick the best responsive template and use the correct banner, logo, and designs to better user experience.

How to test your HTML emails in Gmail?

By now, your email is probably going composed and prepared for sending. But we are not finished! Before you press the ‘send’ button, you may need to check and test your template on different clients and devices.

You might be finding some issues when you perform your test on different devices. So, try to work on those and make a totally perfect email.

You could send such HTML emails in gmails to different email accounts of yours or your team or friends. You can resize the screen, check into the devices like mobile or tablet and get a better view. This will help you in locating the faults.

Also, you can now check every message in the spam folder and make the appropriate changes.

Final Thoughts

Now you can get an idea that sending HTML emails in Gmail isn’t difficult at all. The only challenging part is to display HTML email properly in the browsers and on the client’s devices. However, with experience and the appropriate toolset, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Check out the other blogs where we cover email marketing strategies and best practices on your Optimite website and let us know your views. We will love to hear from you!