Emails are back in a big way!
A recent Mailjet report, The Path to Email Engagement 2024, echoes this! It unveils that email is now the most popular channel for receiving promotional messages, with 75.4% of consumers favoring it—a 33% jump since 2021!
This means more people are opening their inboxes, waiting for that perfect email from their favorite brands (hopefully, that’s yours!).
While the surge in email popularity is undoubtedly good news, it intensifies competition in marketers’ inboxes. You can write the most engaging content and craft the catchiest subject lines, but all that effort goes to waste if your emails get stuck in spam filters.
In short, email design and deliverability are the big factors that can influence the success of your email marketing campaigns.
If you use Klaviyo as your ESP, its average inbox placement rate for the first quarter 2024 is 59%. Plus, the design of your Klvaiyo email templates directly impacts your email deliverability rate.
This means there’s still room for improvement to ensure that more of your emails reach your subscribers’ inboxes.
In this blog, we’ll uncover common email design and deliverability mistakes that can sabotage your personalized email campaigns. By the end, you’ll be well-equipped to craft high-performing Klaviyo email templates that land squarely in inboxes, not spam folders, propelling your eCommerce campaigns to new heights.
Top 5 Design And Deliverability Pitfalls To Avoid In Klaviyo Email Templates
Email clients and spam filters use various techniques to block unwanted or harmful emails from reaching subscribers’ inboxes. They often scan emails for specific design elements or email template formatting issues that might indicate spam or phishing attempts.
For example, emails that contain an excessive number of images, use particular color combinations, or feature specific fonts can activate spam filters, causing the email to be flagged as spam. Also, if your IP address is listed on an email provider’s blocklist or has a poor reputation, your Klaviyo email template may end up in the spam folder.
Whether you’re using pre-built or custom templates in Klaviyo, several factors can impact your deliverability reputation. Here are the top factors that can kill your email deliverability factors if not optimized:
1. Image Overload
While visuals can boost engagement, emails crammed with images can significantly hurt your deliverability rates. Spammers previously exploited this by sending emails with just one big image or tons of images and barely any text to slip past keyword-based spam filters.
Today, spam filters are smarter and focus more on your sending reputation. However, the image-to-text ratio still holds weight. Emails overflowing with images and lacking text raise red flags.
2. Difficult Unsubscription
Hiding your unsubscribe link is a surefire way to frustrate subscribers and lead to higher spam complaints. Remember, a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe option is not just good practice; it’s mandatory as per regulations like CAN-SPAM.
Burying it in a wall of text with a tiny font can cause recipients to mark your email as spam, leading to deliverability challenges for your personalized email campaigns.
3. Spammy Subject Lines
If your subject lines look spam, people and spam filters will likely treat it as such.
For instance, ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation (!!!), and irrelevant symbols ($pec!al Ch@ract£rs ) scream spam, trigger spam filters and deter recipients. Plus, clickbait subject lines that don’t match the email content, such as false promises or unnecessary “RE” or “FWD” prefixes, can frustrate subscribers and harm your credibility.
4. URL Shorteners
Spammers love URL shorteners because they mask where a link truly leads. This is a big red flag for spam filters, potentially sending your email to the junk folder even if the linked website is legitimate.
5. Lower Sending Domain Reputation
Your sending domain reputation is crucial for email deliverability. This is the domain that follows the “@” after the sender’s name. For example, in the email header below, Burberry’s sending domain is “email.burberry.com.”
Just like a bad reputation in real life can make it hard to get things done, a poor sender reputation in email can land your messages in the spam folder. Here’s what hurts your sending domain reputation:
- High Spam Complaint Rate: If many recipients mark your emails as spam, it raises a red flag for email providers.
- Spammy Content: Emails with misleading subject lines, excessive images, or irrelevant content can be flagged as spam.
- Missing Authentication Protocols: Protocols like DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) verify your identity as the sender, building trust with email providers. Klaviyo can help you set these up.
By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can optimize your email templates for Klaviyo, ensuring better deliverability and engagement for your eCommerce email templates. Partnering with a reputable email marketing agency can provide expert guidance and support to enhance your personalized email campaigns.
Suggested Read: Best Email Marketing Tools for Ecommerce
5 Best Practices to Troubleshoot Deliverability Issues in Email Templates in Klaviyo
Now that you better understand deliverability challenges for your Klaviyo email templates, let’s talk about the specific steps you can take to improve yours.
1. Optimize Your Email Design
While crafting stunning, high-converting emails is crucial, don’t overlook the power of deliverability optimization. Here are key design strategies to ensure your Klaviyo email templates land in inboxes, not spam folders–
Embrace Simplicity
A clean, minimalist design is the cornerstone of deliverability. Ditch the flashy elements and overwhelming visuals. Industry experts like Taylor Raffa (Mass Email Team Lead at Semrush) even cite simplified designs as one of the top email marketing trends for 2025.
Mailjet recommends a 60/40 text-to-image ratio as a golden rule. This balance ensures your message remains clear even if images are blocked and keeps file sizes under 200KB for faster loading times.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is no longer optional. Emails that display perfectly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones offer a seamless user experience for subscribers.
Klaviyo’s responsive design features ensure your emails display beautifully on any device, reducing the chances of being flagged as spam.
Text-based CTAs
Some email clients block image-based CTAs. So opt for text-based CTAs.They improve accessibility and increase engagement by ensuring that recipients can easily interact with your email content.
Bonus Tip: Maintain a Healthy Image Diet!
Visuals enhance engagement but use them strategically. Large files can slow down loading times and trigger spam filters. Klaviyo allows you to optimize image size for email delivery. Prioritize high-quality images but ensure they are lightweight to maintain a healthy balance.
By implementing these design strategies, you can optimize your Klaviyo email templates for peak deliverability, ensuring your email marketing campaigns reach their full potential. Remember, a well-designed email is not just visually appealing; it effectively reaches your target audience and drives results.
2. Offer Clear Unsubscribe Options
Respect your subscribers’ right to choose. An unsubscribe shouldn’t be a hidden option buried deep within your email. Here’s how to promote clarity and build trust–
Clear and Prominent Unsubscribe
Make it easy for subscribers to opt-out. Include clear “Unsubscribe” call-to-action (CTA) buttons in at least two locations within your email, with one placed above the fold for immediate visibility.
Permission Reminder with Unsubscribe
Emphasize transparency alongside your unsubscribe CTA. Briefly remind subscribers where they signed up to receive your emails.
Add a message like “No longer interested? You can unsubscribe here” to encourage them to manage their preferences if they no longer wish to receive your content.
Following these best practices can optimize your Klaviyo email design for peak deliverability. Ensuring your messages reach only engaged subscribers also saves you time cleaning your email list later.
3. Use Clear Hyperlinks
Avoid using URL shorteners and inserting the full URL link as plain text in your email body. Both practices can raise red flags for spam filters and look unprofessional. Instead–
- Instead of URL shorteners or raw URLs, use the text to create clear and enticing CTAs that tell subscribers exactly what to expect when they click.
- Ensure the text you hyperlink directly reflects the content users will land on.
- Regularly validate all your links to confirm they lead to legitimate and functional domains. Broken links not only frustrate subscribers but also damage your sender’s reputation.
4. Improve Your Sender Reputation
Several components determine your sender reputation. These include your sending history, the quality of your email list, the content of your emails, and the rate of abuse complaints you receive.
Optimizing them will help you overcome deliverability challenges for your Klaviyo email templates.
- Maintain mailing list hygiene. Regularly verify your email list to remove invalid addresses and disengaged subscribers. You can also use Klaviyo’s list-cleaning features to identify and eliminate potential spam traps.
- Make unsubscribing easy to avoid spam complaints.
- Use double opt-ins to verify emails and confirm subscribers’ interest.
- Check if you’ve been blocklisted.
- Have authentication protocols in place. Set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI. These act like email IDs, proving you’re a legitimate sender and helping your messages get past spam filters.
5. Take Help from Email Marketing Specialists
Email deliverability is a complex landscape. If you’re facing persistent deliverability issues, consider seeking assistance from email marketing specialists. Here’s why:
Deep Expertise
Email marketing specialists possess in-depth knowledge of deliverability best practices, spam filters, and industry trends. They can diagnose your deliverability problems, develop a fix, and improve your sender reputation.
Strategic Guidance
These specialists can help you craft an email marketing strategy prioritizing deliverability. They can advise on list segmentation, content optimization, and campaign cadence to ensure your messages reach the right audience and avoid spam filters.
Time-Saving Solutions
Troubleshooting deliverability issues can be time-consuming. Email marketing specialists can take the burden off your plate, allowing you to focus on creating compelling content and managing other marketing initiatives.
While Klaviyo offers valuable resources for intricate deliverability problems, consulting with email marketing specialists can be a strategic investment that significantly improves your email marketing performance.
Wrapping Up
And that’s troubleshooting Klaviyo email templates in a nutshell. Now, it’s time to take action! Schedule some dedicated time to ensure all these elements are implemented within your Klaviyo setup. By optimizing design and deliverability, you’ll witness a significant boost in your email marketing performance, both in the short and long term.
