What are the potential issues with removing HTTP/HTTPS from email deeplinks to prevent ESP wrapping?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 30 May 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
6 min read
Email service providers (ESPs) often wrap links in your emails for tracking and analytics, which can sometimes interfere with deep linking functionality. A common workaround some marketers consider is removing the HTTP or HTTPS protocol from the start of deep links to try and bypass this wrapping. While this might seem like a quick fix, it introduces a host of other potential issues.
The intention behind this approach is to make the link less recognizable to the ESP's wrapping mechanism. However, this strategy often creates more problems than it solves, impacting not only user experience but also security, deliverability, and data integrity.
The technical pitfalls for email clients
Without the explicit HTTP or HTTPS prefix, email clients and web browsers may not always recognize the string as a valid, clickable URL. This can lead to a broken user experience, as recipients might find themselves unable to click through to the intended destination. The behavior can be inconsistent across different email clients like Outlook or Gmail, leading to unpredictable results for your recipients.
Some clients might attempt to auto-correct the link by adding a protocol, but there is no guarantee it will be the correct one (e.g., defaulting to HTTP instead of HTTPS). This inconsistency can be frustrating for users and undermine the reliability of your email communications. Ultimately, if the link isn't immediately clickable, many users will simply abandon the action.
Moreover, if a link isn't properly formatted, users might resort to manually copying and pasting it into their browser. This process is prone to errors, such as missing characters or including unwanted spaces, which can prevent the link from resolving correctly. Such friction diminishes the overall effectiveness of your deep links and campaigns.
Security concerns and user trust
Removing the HTTPS protocol from your deep links fundamentally compromises the security of your users. If the destination page is designed to load over HTTPS, but the link is presented without the protocol, the user's browser might first attempt to connect via HTTP, potentially exposing their data to interception. Modern browsers and email clients are increasingly vigilant about security, often displaying warnings for insecure connections.
These warnings, such as "Not Secure" labels in the address bar or pop-up alerts, can significantly erode user trust. When recipients see such warnings, they are far less likely to proceed, fearing their personal information might be at risk. This not only affects conversion rates but can also damage your brand's reputation as a trustworthy sender. For more details, consider our guide on consequences of non-HTTPS links.
Ambiguous link formatting can also inadvertently increase phishing risks. When legitimate links appear less secure or behave unpredictably, it becomes harder for users to distinguish them from malicious links. This lack of clarity can be exploited by bad actors, potentially leading to security incidents and further undermining user confidence in your email communications.
Security best practice
Always prioritize the use of full and explicit HTTPS links. This ensures data encryption and clearly signals trustworthiness to both users and email clients, avoiding potential security warnings and bolstering your brand's reputation. Never sacrifice security for perceived convenience in link handling.
Impact on deliverability and tracking
While removing HTTP/HTTPS might prevent ESP wrapping, it can inadvertently affect your email deliverability. Spam filters and mailbox providers rely on standard URL formatting to assess legitimacy. Non-standard or incomplete links can be perceived as suspicious, potentially triggering spam filters and landing your emails in the junk folder instead of the inbox. This can lead to a blacklisting (or blocklisting) of your domain.
Crucially, if your ESP cannot wrap the links, you may lose valuable click-tracking data. ESPs wrap links to record engagement, which is vital for understanding campaign performance and user behavior. Without this data, your ability to optimize future campaigns is severely hampered, leading to uninformed marketing decisions. This affects the core purpose of email marketing beyond just deliverability. For insights on this, refer to AppsFlyer's integration guide.
The long-term impact on sender reputation should also be considered. Consistent use of unconventional link formats or broken links can subtly degrade how mailbox providers perceive your sending practices. A low sender reputation makes it harder to reach the inbox, impacting all your email campaigns, not just those with deep links. URL alignment also plays a role in this.
Standard HTTPS link behavior
Tracking: Properly wrapped by ESPs for accurate click analytics.
Security: Encrypted connection, instilling user trust and avoiding browser warnings.
Deliverability: Standard format, less likely to trigger spam filters or blocklists (blacklists).
User experience: Reliable clickability across all major email clients.
Protocol-less link issues
Tracking: ESP wrapping bypassed, leading to lost click data and inaccurate analytics.
Security: Potential for insecure connections and browser security warnings.
Deliverability: May raise spam flags due to non-standard formatting.
User experience: Inconsistent or non-clickable links, requiring manual copying.
Alternative approaches to ESP wrapping
Instead of removing protocols, a more sustainable solution involves working directly with your ESP to configure deep linking properly. Many modern ESPs offer dedicated features or workarounds to ensure deep links function correctly even when wrapped. This often involves specific settings within your ESP or special formatting that accommodates their tracking mechanisms without breaking the deep link.
Another robust solution is to implement universal links (for iOS) and app links (for Android). These technologies are designed to handle deep linking seamlessly by creating associations between your website and your mobile application. When properly configured, they allow the operating system to open the app directly from an email link, even if the link is wrapped by an ESP. More information can be found in Branch.io's blog.
For example, here's how a properly formed deep link for a universal or app link might look, ensuring full protocol inclusion for reliability:
Example of a correctly formatted deep linkHTML
<a href="https://www.yourdomain.com/path/to/content?param=value" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Open in App</a>
Remember, the goal is to enhance user experience and ensure reliable tracking, which is best achieved through standard, secure protocols. Prioritizing these practices will lead to better long-term results than attempting to bypass ESP wrapping by stripping critical link components. You can learn more about tracking deep links when ESP wrapping them.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure full HTTPS protocol is used for all deep links to maintain security and user trust.
Work with your ESP to configure their link wrapping behavior for deep links.
Implement universal links or app links to handle deep linking robustly across mobile platforms and ESP wrapping.
Regularly test deep links across various email clients and devices to catch inconsistencies.
Common pitfalls
Removing HTTP/HTTPS protocols will cause inconsistent link behavior across different email clients and browsers.
Sacrificing security by using non-HTTPS links will trigger browser warnings and reduce user trust.
Losing valuable click tracking data from ESPs when their wrapping mechanisms are bypassed.
Potentially harming sender reputation by using non-standard or broken link formats in emails.
Expert tips
Some ESPs, like Iterable, may require specific configurations or even custom solutions for deep links to work without issue when wrapped.
Consider setting up a custom tracking domain with your ESP to improve deliverability and provide a branded experience for wrapped links.
Regularly review DMARC reports to identify any deliverability issues related to link formatting or domain reputation.
Deep linking functionality can be complex, often requiring collaboration between marketing, development, and deliverability teams for optimal setup.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says removing the protocol from the URL means it's no longer a valid URL and may not work properly with email clients.
2023-08-21 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that using an HTML `<a>` tag with a full URL as the href should be fine, even if the visible text is just the domain.
2023-08-21 - Email Geeks
Ensuring reliable and secure deep links
Attempting to prevent ESP link wrapping by removing HTTP or HTTPS from email deep links is a strategy fraught with complications. While it might address the immediate issue of wrapping, it introduces significant risks related to user experience, security, and deliverability.
The long-term repercussions, including inconsistent link behavior, security warnings, loss of valuable tracking data, and potential negative impacts on your sender reputation, far outweigh the perceived benefits. Prioritizing standard, secure URL formatting and leveraging official ESP features or advanced deep linking technologies are the best approaches.
