Summary
Embedding interactive forms directly in emails or using AMP can significantly impact deliverability, but careful planning and execution can mitigate risks. Direct HTML forms are often flagged as phishing attempts and blocked by email clients, while AMP, although offering increased engagement, requires registration, has client support limitations and increased complexity. Maintaining deliverability depends on subscriber engagement, avoiding spam complaints, and ensuring consistent rendering across different email clients. Providing fallback HTML versions, testing emails thoroughly, and carefully monitoring subscriber behavior are crucial.
Key findings
- Forms & Phishing: Direct HTML forms in emails are frequently mistaken for phishing attempts and are often blocked, thereby harming deliverability.
- AMP Client Support: AMP emails, although engaging, are not universally supported, requiring fallback versions.
- AMP Registration: AMP emails need Google registration and adherence to guidelines to prevent spam flagging.
- Engagement Is Key: Subscriber engagement is a vital factor; poor engagement hurts sender reputation and deliverability.
- Rendering Issues: Inconsistent rendering across different email clients can lead to deliverability problems.
- Increased Spam Complaints: Poorly designed or implemented interactive elements in emails can increase spam complaints
Key considerations
- Alternative Linking: Use images with serialized links redirecting to pre-populated web forms as an alternative to direct HTML forms.
- Fallback HTML: Provide fallback HTML versions for interactive emails to accommodate clients lacking support for interactive elements.
- Thorough Testing: Extensively test interactive emails across different email clients and devices to ensure consistent rendering.
- Monitor Subscriber Behavior: Continuously monitor subscriber behavior, as it significantly influences deliverability and sender reputation.
- Complexity Planning: Plan for increased complexity in email creation, testing, and maintenance when utilizing AMP
- Domain Authentication: Ensure domain authentication to meet Google's sender guidelines to prevent spam
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Embedding interactive forms directly in emails or using AMP can significantly impact deliverability. Direct HTML forms are often flagged as phishing attempts and blocked by email clients. AMP offers enhanced engagement but requires registration and has client support limitations, necessitating fallback HTML versions. Deliverability is influenced by engagement metrics, subscriber behavior, and consistent rendering across various email clients. Complexity in creation and testing, especially with AMP, also plays a crucial role in maintaining deliverability.
Key opinions
- HTML Forms Risk: Direct HTML forms in emails are often flagged as phishing and blocked by clients, harming deliverability.
- AMP Engagement: AMP can increase engagement but has client support limitations; fallback versions are essential.
- Registration Required: Sending AMP emails requires registration with Google and adherence to specific guidelines.
- Engagement Matters: Deliverability is closely tied to subscriber engagement metrics; poor engagement negatively impacts sender reputation.
- Rendering Issues: Inconsistent rendering of interactive elements across email clients can lead to deliverability problems.
Key considerations
- Alternative Solutions: Consider using images with serialized links to pre-populated website forms instead of direct HTML forms.
- Client Support: Always provide a fallback HTML version for interactive emails due to varying client support.
- Testing is Crucial: Thoroughly test interactive emails across different clients and devices to ensure consistent rendering.
- List Size Impact: Evaluate the cost-benefit of AMP implementation based on email list size and available resources.
- Complexity Overhead: Be prepared for increased complexity in email creation and testing when using AMP.
Marketer view
Email marketer from SuperOffice explains that AMP for Email allows users to interact with dynamic content without leaving their inbox, improving engagement. However, they also state that it is critical to monitor subscriber behavior because it can impact deliverability and sender reputation.
8 Aug 2024 - SuperOffice
Marketer view
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that when designing interactive emails, it's vital to provide a fallback for email clients that don't support the interactive elements. A standard HTML version ensures that all subscribers can access the core message, even if they can't use the interactive features. This also helps to avoid deliverability problems caused by broken or non-rendering emails.
4 Sep 2023 - Campaign Monitor
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Experts agree that embedded interactive forms can negatively impact email deliverability. Email clients often block forms for security reasons, and poor design or implementation can lead to increased spam complaints, lower engagement, and damage to sender reputation. Linking to forms hosted on a secure website is recommended as a safer alternative.
Key opinions
- Spam Complaints: Interactive elements can increase spam complaints, negatively impacting deliverability.
- Client Blocking: Many email clients block form submissions, leading to rendering issues and reduced functionality.
- Sender Reputation: Poorly designed interactive emails can damage sender reputation, causing filtering issues.
Key considerations
- Engagement Rates: Carefully monitor engagement rates with interactive emails; low engagement can harm deliverability.
- Design Quality: Ensure interactive emails are well-designed and implemented to avoid negative signals to mailbox providers.
- Alternative Linking: Consider linking to forms on a secure website instead of embedding them directly in emails.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com shares that including forms directly in emails poses challenges, with many email clients blocking form submissions as a security measure. This can result in deliverability issues as the email may not render correctly for all recipients. Instead, linking to a form hosted on a secure website is advised.
26 Jul 2022 - Spamresource.com
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that interactive elements like forms can negatively impact deliverability if they lead to increased spam complaints or lower engagement rates. Poorly designed or implemented interactive emails can signal to mailbox providers that the sender is not reputable, leading to filtering issues.
7 Apr 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation highlights the security considerations and technical limitations impacting deliverability when using embedded forms or AMP in email. Sending AMP emails requires registration with Google and adherence to strict guidelines. Microsoft Outlook has limited support for complex HTML forms, potentially blocking advanced features. Security protocols restrict the use of JavaScript and necessitate HTTPS for dynamic content in AMP. Forms in emails can be exploited for phishing, leading email clients to block form functionality.
Key findings
- AMP Registration: Sending AMP emails requires registration with Google and adherence to sender guidelines.
- Outlook Limitations: Microsoft Outlook has limited support for complex HTML forms, potentially blocking features.
- Security Restrictions: AMP enforces security restrictions, such as requiring HTTPS and disallowing custom JavaScript.
- Phishing Risk: Forms in emails can be exploited for phishing, leading to deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Google Guidelines: Adhere to Google's sender guidelines when sending AMP emails to maintain deliverability.
- Feature Support: Consider the limitations of email clients like Outlook when designing emails with interactive elements.
- Security Compliance: Ensure compliance with AMP's security requirements when implementing AMP emails.
- Mitigation Strategies: Implement strategies to mitigate the risk of phishing when using forms in emails.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Developers specifies that to send AMP emails, senders must register with Google. This registration requires authenticating your sending domain(s) and adhering to Google's sender guidelines to ensure a positive user experience and prevent spam.
11 Mar 2025 - Google Developers
Technical article
Documentation from AMP.dev states that AMP emails have specific security requirements. All dynamic content is fetched via HTTPS, and custom JavaScript is not allowed. These restrictions are designed to prevent malicious code and enhance email security, but they also affect how interactive elements can be implemented.
7 Dec 2021 - AMP.dev
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