Summary
For email unsubscribes, industry consensus strongly favors a one-click process over a two-click approach. While some marketers initially adopted two-click to prevent accidental opt-outs or bot-triggered unsubscriptions, this method often backfires by frustrating users, leading them to mark emails as spam. A single-click unsubscribe, especially via the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, is now considered a foundational best practice for enhancing user experience, boosting deliverability, and complying with stringent legal requirements and new ISP mandates from Google and Yahoo!.
Key findings
- User Preference & Deliverability: A one-click unsubscribe is overwhelmingly preferred by users, significantly reducing the likelihood of spam complaints, enhancing sender reputation, and improving inbox placement. Conversely, complex unsubscribe processes frustrate recipients, often leading them to mark emails as spam.
- Legal & Technical Mandates: Regulations like GDPR and the CAN-SPAM Act imply or explicitly support an easy unsubscribe process. Technically, RFC 8058 standardizes the 'List-Unsubscribe' header for true one-click functionality, a standard now mandated by Google and Yahoo! for bulk senders.
- Risk of Friction: Multi-step unsubscribe processes, including complex two-click methods or requiring logins, surveys, or extra information, create friction that frustrates recipients and prompts them to report emails as spam, severely damaging deliverability. More than two clicks can violate legal 'easy to access and execute' requirements.
- Two-Click Nuances: Some marketers initially adopted two-click to minimize false positives from security devices or accidental unsubscribes, but this approach often backfires. If used, a two-click process must be truly simple, requiring only one click to land on a confirmation page and a second click to confirm, with no requests for additional information or login.
Key considerations
- Prioritize One-Click: Implement a true one-click unsubscribe, ideally utilizing the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, to meet new industry standards and optimize user experience and deliverability.
- Legal Compliance: Ensure your unsubscribe process adheres to global regulations like CAN-SPAM, which requires a clear opt-out honored within 10 days without fees or extra info, and GDPR, which mandates that withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it.
- Avoid Friction Points: Do not require users to log in, fill out surveys, or provide more information than their email address to unsubscribe, as such hurdles lead to frustration and increased spam complaints.
- Monitor Spam Complaints: Understand that a cumbersome unsubscribe process directly correlates with higher spam complaint rates, which negatively impact your sender reputation and overall email deliverability.
- Strategic Two-Click Use: If a two-click process is absolutely necessary, ensure it is limited to two simple clicks- a click to a landing page and a prominent confirm button- with no extraneous questions or hurdles. Auto-filling the email address on the unsubscribe form can improve user experience.
What email marketers say
15 marketer opinions
Establishing an efficient unsubscribe method is crucial for email marketing, with a strong consensus favoring the one-click approach. While some proponents of a two-click process suggest it mitigates accidental opt-outs or bot-driven unsubscribes, this benefit is often outweighed by the significant drawbacks. A streamlined, single-click unsubscribe, particularly when facilitated by the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, is recognized as a cornerstone of excellent user experience and robust deliverability. Such a frictionless process not only reduces the incidence of spam complaints but also reinforces sender reputation and helps meet evolving regulatory expectations.
Key opinions
- User Frustration and Spam Complaints: Forcing users through multiple steps, such as a two-click unsubscribe or requiring logins, surveys, or extra information, generally leads to frustration. This frustration often results in recipients marking emails as spam rather than completing a complex unsubscribe process, which severely damages sender reputation and deliverability.
- Deliverability and Sender Reputation: A clear and prominent one-click unsubscribe option is a foundational best practice for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and improving inbox placement. ISPs and email providers penalize senders with high spam complaint rates, jeopardizing deliverability across all subscribers.
- Compliance and Best Practice Alignment: Regulations like CAN-SPAM and GDPR advocate for an unsubscribe process that is as easy to execute as it was to opt-in. A one-click unsubscribe, especially when implemented via the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, aligns with these legal requirements and demonstrates good sending practices to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
- Limited Justification for Two-Click: While some marketers initially adopted a two-click process to prevent accidental unsubscribes or automated security scanner actions, this approach carries substantial risks. If a two-click process is used, it must be exceptionally simple- a single click to a confirmation page and a second click to confirm, with no requests for login credentials, email input (unless autofilled), or additional questions.
Key considerations
- Prioritize a Seamless Opt-Out: Always aim for a one-click unsubscribe experience to optimize user satisfaction and minimize the risk of spam complaints. This demonstrates respect for the subscriber's choice and positively impacts deliverability.
- Adhere to Legal Requirements: Ensure your unsubscribe mechanism complies with relevant anti-spam laws like CAN-SPAM, which mandates an easy, no-cost, and timely opt-out, and GDPR, which emphasizes that revoking consent should be as straightforward as giving it.
- Avoid Unnecessary Friction: Refrain from implementing any hurdles in the unsubscribe process, such as requiring logins, complex surveys, or collecting additional data beyond the email address itself. Such friction points increase the likelihood of spam reports.
- Leverage Technical Standards: Utilize the 'List-Unsubscribe' header to facilitate true one-click functionality directly from the email client, as this is increasingly expected by major mailbox providers and enhances deliverability.
- Careful Consideration for Two-Click: If there's a strong perceived need for a two-click process, ensure it is limited to precisely two clicks and provides an extremely prominent, clear confirmation button. Consider auto-filling the user's email address on the confirmation page to improve the user experience and prevent errors.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that they moved to two-click unsubscribes to minimize false positives from security devices following links and emphasizes that asking questions or additional info goes beyond a two-click process.
6 Aug 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their strong preference for two-click unsubscribes to prevent unwanted unsubscriptions, stressing that the process should require only two clicks with no requests for login or email input, as revoking consent must be as easy as giving it.
8 Sep 2021 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
The landscape of email unsubscribes has definitively shifted towards a single-click standard, now mandated by major mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo! for bulk senders. This evolution, codified by RFC 9207, requires a truly immediate, frictionless opt-out, eliminating the need for logins or further steps. While a simple two-click process (click to page, then confirm) was previously deemed acceptable, more complex multi-step methods are now explicitly non-compliant with laws such as CAN-SPAM and CASL, which demand ease of execution. This shift is paramount for enhancing user experience and, critically, for maintaining robust email deliverability.
Key opinions
- Mandatory One-Click for Bulk Senders: Google and Yahoo! now require a true one-click unsubscribe via RFC 9207 for bulk senders, specifically those sending over 5,000 promotional emails daily, making it a critical standard for deliverability.
- Legal Compliance and Ease of Execution: Laws like CAN-SPAM and CASL necessitate an 'easy to access and execute' unsubscribe process. While a simple two-click confirmation (one click to a page, one to confirm) was previously acceptable, processes requiring more clicks or additional hurdles risk violating these legal requirements.
- Immediate and Frictionless Process: The mandated one-click unsubscribe must be immediate and should not require any further steps, logins, or additional information from the user. This improves user experience and is crucial for meeting new deliverability standards.
Key considerations
- Comply with ISP Mandates: Implement a true one-click unsubscribe, particularly utilizing the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, to meet the new requirements from Google and Yahoo! for bulk senders, especially those sending over 5,000 emails per day.
- Ensure Immediacy and Simplicity: Design the unsubscribe process to be immediate and completely frictionless, avoiding any requirements for logins, surveys, or extra steps beyond the single click, in alignment with RFC 9207.
- Review Legal Interpretations: Be aware that multi-step unsubscribe processes, especially those extending beyond a simple two-click confirmation, can be deemed non-compliant with 'easy to access and execute' provisions in anti-spam laws like CAN-SPAM and CASL.
- Prioritize Deliverability: Recognize that adherence to the one-click standard is now a critical factor for maintaining high deliverability and avoiding spam complaints, directly impacting sender reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that a two-click unsubscribe process, involving one click to the page and one to confirm, has always been acceptable, but more clicks can violate the "Easy to access and execute" requirements of laws like CASL and CAN-SPAM.
13 Dec 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that the one-click unsubscribe is now a standard, mandated by Google and Yahoo! through RFC 9207, requiring bulk senders to provide a true one-click opt-out without requiring logins or additional steps. This new requirement is crucial for email deliverability and aims to improve user experience.
20 May 2024 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
The shift towards one-click email unsubscribes is firmly supported by both technical standards and global legal frameworks. The IETF's RFC 8058 standardizes the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, enabling a seamless one-click process directly from email clients, a feature often automatically included by ESPs like Mailchimp. This technical enablement is crucial for enhancing user experience, reducing spam complaints, and preserving sender reputation. Legally, the CAN-SPAM Act requires clear, simple opt-out mechanisms, while GDPR explicitly mandates that withdrawing consent be as easy as providing it, further reinforcing the necessity of a frictionless unsubscribe.
Key findings
- Technical One-Click Standard: The IETF's RFC 8058 standardizes the 'List-Unsubscribe' header, facilitating a true one-click unsubscribe process directly through email clients, which simplifies user opt-out and helps prevent spam complaints.
- CAN-SPAM Compliance: The CAN-SPAM Act mandates a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism for commercial emails, requiring that requests be honored within 10 business days without fees or additional information beyond an email address.
- GDPR Consent Withdrawal: GDPR Article 7(3) stipulates that withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it, providing strong legal support for single-click or very straightforward unsubscribe processes to avoid making withdrawal difficult.
- Industry Adoption: Email Service Providers such as Mailchimp integrate one-click unsubscribe links via the 'List-Unsubscribe' header as a standard feature, recognizing it as a best practice for improving email deliverability and reducing spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Implement RFC 8058: Actively implement the 'List-Unsubscribe' header field (RFC 8058) to enable true one-click unsubscribe functionality, allowing email clients to display a direct opt-out button.
- Ensure CAN-SPAM Adherence: Verify that your unsubscribe process meets CAN-SPAM requirements by being clear, conspicuous, honoring requests within 10 business days, and not requiring fees or excessive information beyond the email address.
- Align with GDPR Principles: Design your unsubscribe flow to ensure that withdrawing consent is as straightforward and easy as it was to grant it, in compliance with GDPR Article 7(3), avoiding any multi-step complexities.
- Utilize ESP Best Practices: Leverage your Email Service Provider's built-in one-click unsubscribe features, like Mailchimp's automatic 'List-Unsubscribe' header inclusion, to simplify compliance and enhance user experience.
Technical article
Documentation from IETF.org specifies RFC 8058, which standardizes the 'List-Unsubscribe' header field to enable a true one-click unsubscribe process. This technical standard allows email clients to provide a direct unsubscribe button, significantly simplifying the opt-out for users and thereby helping senders avoid spam complaints and maintain a good reputation.
3 Apr 2024 - IETF.org (RFC Editor)
Technical article
Documentation from FTC.gov explains that the CAN-SPAM Act mandates a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism for commercial emails. While not explicitly requiring one-click, it implies a simple process, stating that opt-out requests must be honored within 10 business days, without charging a fee or requiring information beyond an email address.
12 May 2025 - FTC.gov
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