Images in email templates best practices

Follow these best practices to make sure your images are effective and enhance the overall user experience.

See also: Image optimisation for email

File format

Using the right format can help preserve the sharpness of your images. 

JPEG is best for photographs, while PNG is better for graphics/illustrations and GIF for short animations. 

High-quality images

Low-quality images can make your email look unprofessional and detract from the overall user experience. 

Make sure to use high-quality images that are clear, crisp, and visually appealing.

Optimise for Retina displays

Retina displays have higher pixel density than traditional displays, which can make images appear sharper. 

To optimise your images for Retina displays, use images with twice the resolution you would normally use and then scale them down to the appropriate size.

Optimise image size

Images that are too large can slow down email loading times and increase data usage, which is frustrating for subscribers. 

See also: Image optimisation for email

Use alt text 

Alt text is a brief description of the image that displays in place of the image if it doesn't load. 

This is important for subscribers who have images disabled in their email client, as well as those using assistive technology to access content. 

Make sure to include descriptive alt text that accurately describes the image.

See also: Accessibility in email templates

Use images sparingly and strategically

While images can enhance the visual appeal of your emails, too many images can also make your emails look cluttered and unprofessional. 

Use images strategically and only where they:

• break up text
• create visual interest
• add value to your content. 

Use images that are relevant to your content and place them strategically to enhance the overall flow and structure of your email.

Test your images

Before sending your email, test your images in different email clients to make sure they load correctly and look good. 

You should also test how email looks with images disabled, as some subscribers may have images turned off by default. 

For example, you might find that with images turned off the context of the email has been lost. 

In this case, consider moving key messaging into a section of the template that contains live text.

See also: Testing your email template

More best practice guides

• Email template layout best practices
• Accessibility in email templates
• Email fonts best practices
• Calls to action (CTAs) in email templates
• Email footers best practices
• Testing your email template