Testing emails before sending them to customers or users is crucial. It ensures they display correctly, pass security checks, and reach the inbox instead of spam.
I’ve collated a few tools I’ve used to help test emails.
Tools for testing:
Check email authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM)
Ensuring your emails pass authentication checks is essential for improving deliverability. It can also protect your brand in phishing or spoofing attacks. If your emails fail authentication, they may sent to spam folders or rejected.
The three key checks are:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Ensures that only authorised mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to emails, verifying they weren’t altered in transit
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Tells receiving mail servers what to do if SPF or DKIM fail
To test email authentication I use learndmarc.com. It’s a super simple free service.
The site generates a new email address for you to send a test email to. It will then analyse your email and highlight any security failures.
Test email rendering and accessibility
Different email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) display emails differently. Testing for emails is infinitely more complex when compared to a website browser.
There are only 5 major browsers to test. Compare this to email clients where there are a lot more variations and differences between themselves.
I use Litmus to test email rendering. It allows you to preview emails on various devices and clients. It also offers accessibility features such as testing:
- dark mode
- screen reader compatibility
- colour contrast checks
There is a free trial available. I’ve not found a completely free tool.
Use throwaway email accounts for testing
Sometimes, you need different email addresses to test sign-up flows. I use a free service called temp-mail.org. It provides disposable email addresses that expire after a certain period.
