The component that you often employ in your email newsletters is the email header. Essential email header design tips set the tone for the whole email, yet we often overlook the fact that it’s more intricate than a simple menu and logo.
The information that is automatically appended to the top of each email message is known as the email header. It contains information like the email address of the sender, the email address of the receiver, the message’s date and time, and the subject line. Because your email is the recipient’s initial exposure to your business, email header design is crucial.
How To Create An Email Header
1. Make Your Header And Footer Stand Out
One of the essential email header design tips is to make the header & footer stand out. Although creating a header and footer with care might be difficult and time-consuming, it’s preferable to have distinct headers and footers.
A start and conclusion to your email may be achieved by differentiating your header and footer, which will make it simpler to read and visually attractive. People could assume you copied and pasted your header onto the bottom of your email if your header and footer seem the same.
It’s not necessary to make any grandiose moves to distinguish your header from your footer. Some of the same details about your business and logo may even appear in your footer. Links to a few key pages on your website, including your terms of service, privacy policy, and an unsubscribe link for emails, are appropriate places to include links in your footer. Links to your social media accounts are also acceptable.
2. Put Your Logo
You may use branding via visual identity in your email by including your logo in the header. Because the emblem is associated with a reputable source, it aids in brand identification and encourages readers to continue reading. Make sure the colors, typefaces, and design style of your brand are reflected in your logo.
In the header, use a transparent PNG of your logo. It will appear fine in dark mode that way. The majority of companies center their logos on emails. But as most people read emails from left to right, you may also add it on the left side.
3. Add A Functional Menu
Using a functional menu is one of the best email header design tips. Adding a useful menu to your header can elevate it to a new level. Retailers who want to make it simple for consumers to take action based on email content often choose this option.
For instance, a clothes shop may provide connections to different sections and categories, such as jeans, shoes, hoodies, and sale merchandise. A consumer may click a link to check out these categories if, after reading the email, they are interested in doing so.
Designing emails with useful menus and visuals is essential. Make sure your emails include a simple menu at the bottom that directs recipients to your terms of service and privacy statement, as well as an unsubscribe option.
4. Use A Versatile Header
Make sure your email header is adaptable since business emails need to be business-like. You don’t want to create a fresh header for every email you send, after all. Long-term time savings may be achieved by making the effort to craft an impeccable email header. Make sure your header is adaptable so you can easily make adjustments if necessary and avoid designing it for a single kind of email.
Not only is a flexible header crucial for various email formats, but additionally, you must ensure that your header appears well in a variety of email clients since you will be sending emails to recipients who use various email clients. This operation may be challenging since various email service providers may display the same email in a different manner, resulting in an unsatisfactory appearance for your email header.
5. Keep It Simple
Simplicity is one of the essential email header design tips. Excessive customization is a common error made by entrepreneurs when creating email designs. There’s a tipping point, however, even if you want your emails to seem professional and showcase your company’s identity.
Although it shouldn’t take up much space in your emails, your email header should be thorough and include your business name and logo. Additionally, your header should not be removed from the email’s main content. Readers need to understand exactly when an email’s real content starts.
Keep in mind that creating an eye-catching email header is far easier said than done. Try experimenting a little bit, and if your header seems too packed or complex, consider making it simpler. A little effort goes a long way toward developing an elegant email header that elevates your correspondence.
6. Make It Colorful
In addition to GIFs and moving logos, color is another effective technique to draw in readers. To add a burst of color to your email, select a color that matches or is representative of your brand.
Choose header colors that contrast well with your logo while enhancing the look of your brand typeface. Think about the feelings you want to arouse. For instance, chilly colors like blue might evoke trust, while warm colors like orange can communicate vitality.
7. Choose Fonts Wisely
Your choice of typefaces will affect how your email headers work and appear overall, just as color does. The following advice may help you choose fonts:
- Keep the fonts to a minimum: you want your design to be legible. Limiting the number of font types in your email header to two will help it stand out more.
- Set priorities. Readability: while some fonts may seem better than others, you should always use legible, well-designed typefaces. Steer clear of extremely whimsical or ornamental typefaces.
- Complement your brand’s fonts: make use of the typefaces you already have on your blog or website. Your reader could get a familiar appearance or feel as a result.
- Recommended fonts: for classic and upscale companies, choose serif fonts like Georgia or Times New Roman. These typefaces are often used on print goods and are seen to be more conventional. For more contemporary companies, you might also choose sans-serif fonts like Helvetica, Verdana, and Arial. These typefaces are more modern and easier to read on screens.
8. Use Animations
If your logo is already in the header, consider adding an animated variation of it. The headers are more visually appealing and draw the reader in with the dynamic version of the layout.
Make sure the image size of your GIF or logo is less than 1 MB to ensure that it loads quickly, especially on mobile devices. Popular SEO tool Semrush uses animation in their email headers in a stylish way. A subtle backdrop of sparkling lights is included to provide a festive feel without overpowering the viewer or detracting from the primary message.
9. Make Your Header Convey Useful Information
Making your header drip with useful information is one of the best email header design tips. Even though we’ve discussed keeping your email header short and to the point, it can be suitable for your company or sector to provide useful resources or pertinent information that your readers will find interesting or necessary. For example, if your company is a brick-and-mortar shop with an online presence, think about adding a store-finding function to the email header.
Additionally, you can utilize your header to provide a value proposition by including information about a current deal or discount. You may want to add a direct login to user accounts if your website offers a user dashboard or gateway.
You may include a lot of relevant information in your newsletter’s header. You may want to think about adding an email preference update link at the top of your header design. It will demonstrate to your readers your concern for their time and tastes.
Consider prominently posting your company’s user account ID or number at the top of your email header so that readers can readily find the information they need. It’s all about presenting the information that your readers will find most meaningful in your email header, not that it has to be minimalistic.
What Should You Never Do When Creating An Email Header?
Having grasped the essential email header design tips, email headers serve as the visual entry point to your email’s content. You should also know what not to do while designing one. Adhere to these:
Don’t Use the Navigation Too Much: Avoid providing the reader with an excessive number of alternatives in the header. So that the reader may swiftly find what he wants, keep the menu brief. Even on smaller screens, such as mobile phones, a clear header looks superior.
Avoid Creating a Large Header: The readers see emails on desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices. Create an eye-catching email header that works well on all screens. For the same viewing experience, make sure the email header size is between 650 and 700 pixels.
Avoid Adding Imprecise Content: Don’t save your best thoughts for the body of the email. To keep readers interested, email headers must also include quality copywriting. Before the reader even reaches the primary topic, they may get disinterested in statements that don’t seem to add anything.
FAQ
Q: How would you design email headers that work?
A: Although it shouldn’t take up much space in your emails, your email header should be thorough and include your business name and logo. The email’s content itself shouldn’t be overshadowed by your heading either. You want readers to be able to tell when an email’s real content starts.
Q: What benefit do email headers offer?
A: The sender of an email may be identified and verified with the help of the email headers. This aids in the detection of the email’s validity and authenticity by receivers, thwarting phishing and spoofing efforts.
Q: What does email header analysis aim to achieve?
A: It aids in recognizing spam or fraudulent emails. Email headers are where spam and valid emails may be distinguished from one another. The email header is examined by the mailbox spam filter to determine the sender’s information, email route, authentication status, etc.