Best Practices Using Images in Emails

Overview

Even the best copy won't succeed without strong visual design, and images can actually lead to significantly better email performance. Images allow you to strengthen your message and include information that can't be communicated through text.

In this guide, we will show you how to use images in emails in AVADA, as well as some best practices for using images effectively.

How to use images in emails in AVADA

AVADA supports PNG, JPG, and GIF image files. In general, PNG image files will display best across devices, especially for images that contain text. We recommend using images that are 1MB or smaller, as larger images can load slowly, leading to a poor user experience.

Across the web, it is often recommended to use 72dpi. Try to keep your images to 600px or less in width and less than 2000px in height, in order to balance image quality and loading speeds.

In AVADA, you add images in emails by simply choosing Basic > Image in the left panel. Drag and drop it to the position you want to add images in your email.




For more information, head to our guide on How to Insert an Image into Email.

Best practices for using images in emails

- Always add Alt text. It is always recommended to use Alt text. Although email clients are constantly updated and improving, some email providers don't display images by default. In this case, recipients only see the Alt text (short for "alternative text") attached to each image. This text explains to your recipients what the image is about. You can use a descriptive Alt text, or get more creative and use this piece of text as a CTA.

- Follow image size best practices. Email clients have restrictions when it comes to the width of each email template, namely 600px. Therefore, it is best to fit the  image to the email and stick with a maximum width of 600px. Keep eac image size under 1MB, but aim for as low as possible (100KB or less). This makes sure that you don't take up much of your reader's data.

- Use a mobile-first approach. Today, the majority of people read their emails on a mobile phone. That's why you should choose your images for this device first. When your images are easy to read and see on mobile, you can rest assured that it will also look good on desktop. For example, one practice is to make the fonts on pictures large enough so they are readable when scaled down to a mobile screen.

- Keep a good balance between images and text. As much as we love using images to enhance a message, it should not take over the entire email. Make sure that there is a good balance between images and text. A good rule of thumb is to make the ratio ⅓ - 1 part of your email images, and 2 parts text. This is not only more pleasant for readers, but also makes your email look more professional. You can also use background emails in your emails, but they should be no larger than 1MB, and they should be responsive for different screen sizes.

- Place your CTA text on a button, not on an image. CTAs are the most important thing of an email because it is the action you want your reader to take (or, the link to click). In order to avoid the rare chance of your CTA image not being shown, ensure to insert a CTA button, not an image.

- Watch out for images that scream stock photos. When choosing the right image, you want your photo to comprehend the text. Though stock images can be used copyright-free, you don't want your email to look too much like a stock website. Stock images can come across as spammy and make your brand appear less authentic.

- Keep your images concise. Don't use too much empty space because it looks aesthetically nice, or make them too big. While the design is vital, this can be annoying for mobile readers. They will need to scroll a long time before coming across your message, which makes them lose interest. This will diminish your effort to boost your click-through rate.

Updated on: 07/09/2021