Warning. Graphic content.
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
“I’m worried my emails are being blocked. Apparently there’s too much graphical content in them.”
In the last month I’ve responded to this deliverability query from a couple of clients. The argument is, of course, not without substance. Containing text within a graphic so it can’t be read by an ESP is an established spammer’s trick. Conventional wisdom holds that our ESPs are therefore merrily shredding anything with an image-text ratio which trips over their threshold. But is this really what’s happening?
Looking at the figures, I can’t see a good argument for it. There’s no obvious direct correlation between deliverability and graphical content in an email. And the reality is that it’s just one of a number of factors considered in the ESPs’ increasingly complicated spam-scoring algorithms.
ESPs have mastered the art of revealing absolutely nothing about the way in which their algorithms work - as if they’ve signed the official secrets act. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that message content is no longer the make-or-break deliverability issue we were once led to believe. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be given due regard. But let’s give it more balanced consideration in the wider context of email best practises.
