What is Fixed Width in Email Marketing?
In the context of
email marketing, fixed width refers to setting a specific width for your email layout. This is typically done using pixels (px) and ensures that the email appears the same across different devices and email clients. A common fixed width for emails is between 600px to 800px.
Why Use Fixed Widths?
Using a fixed width for your email design helps in maintaining
consistency and
predictability in how your email will appear. It avoids the issues that can arise with fluid or responsive designs, such as elements not aligning properly or text becoming unreadable.
Advantages of Fixed Widths
Control Over Design: You have complete control over how your email looks, ensuring that your
branding elements appear as intended.
Simplified Coding: Fixed widths simplify the coding process, making it easier to create and test your
email templates.
Reliable Rendering: Fixed widths are less likely to break across different email clients, ensuring a consistent
user experience.
Challenges of Fixed Widths
Mobile Compatibility: Fixed widths can be less adaptable to different screen sizes, especially smaller ones like
smartphones.
Lack of Flexibility: Fixed widths don't adjust dynamically, which can cause issues with content overflow or white space on larger screens.
How to Implement Fixed Widths
Implementing fixed widths in your email design is relatively straightforward. You typically set the width of the main container or table in your email template. Here’s a basic example:<table width="600" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center">
<tr>
<td>
Your email content here.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
Best Practices
While using fixed widths, it’s important to keep these best practices in mind: Test Across Clients: Always test your emails on multiple
email clients to ensure they render correctly.
Use Media Queries: For better mobile compatibility, incorporate
media queries to adjust the layout for smaller screens.
Avoid Overly Wide Designs: Stick to the 600px to 800px range to ensure better readability and compatibility.
Conclusion
Using fixed widths in email marketing has its pros and cons. It offers control and consistency but can be challenging for mobile compatibility. By following best practices and testing across different platforms, you can effectively utilize fixed widths to enhance your email campaigns.