Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for growing a business, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Ensuring that your emails comply with regulations and provide an excellent user experience can significantly impact your engagement and deliverability. One crucial element of email marketing is managing unsubscribe links and pages effectively. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about adding unsubscribe links in Klaviyo, customizing unsubscribe pages, and reducing unsubscribe rates, while maintaining compliance with regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act.
Including an unsubscribe link in your emails is not optional—it’s the law. The CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, and other regulations mandate that all commercial emails must include a clear and easy way for recipients to opt out. Failing to do so can lead to penalties and damage your sender reputation. You must also honor unsubscribe requests within 10 business days, ensuring that your recipients are no longer contacted if they choose to opt out.
Beyond compliance, providing a clear unsubscribe option helps protect your sender reputation. When subscribers can’t easily opt out, they’re more likely to mark your emails as spam. Even a small increase in spam complaints can lead to email clients (like Gmail or Yahoo) marking all your messages as spam, severely impacting your deliverability. To avoid this, always ensure that your unsubscribe link is easily accessible in every email you send.
Adding an unsubscribe link to your Klaviyo emails is simple. Klaviyo’s {% unsubscribe %} tag can be placed in any text block in your email template. By default, this tag generates a basic “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of your email. However, you can customize this to better fit your brand’s style.
For more control over your design, you can insert the unsubscribe link directly into HTML using the {% unsubscribe_link %} tag. This allows you to fully customize the text, style, and positioning of the link. Here’s an example:
<a href="{% unsubscribe_link %}" style="color: blue;">Unsubscribe Here</a>
This method gives you flexibility over the appearance and placement of your unsubscribe link.
Klaviyo allows you to choose between global and list-specific unsubscribes. Global unsubscribes suppress a contact from all future emails, regardless of the list. However, you can adjust settings for list-specific unsubscribes, allowing someone to unsubscribe from just one email list while staying subscribed to others. While global unsubscribes are the default and recommended for most businesses, adjusting these settings may be beneficial for more segmented email strategies.
Klaviyo gives you the option to manually unsubscribe individuals or entire lists of contacts. You can also manage suppressed profiles, viewing whether a contact was unsubscribed due to a bounce, a spam complaint, or a manual request. You can even manually resubscribe users who’ve requested it through a simple process within the platform.
Klaviyo automatically generates a basic unsubscribe page for your account. When users click the unsubscribe link in your email, they are taken to this page to confirm their request. While functional, this default page may not reflect your brand’s identity.
You can create custom unsubscribe pages in Klaviyo to match your branding. This includes adding your logo, customizing the messaging, and giving subscribers the option to manage their preferences instead of fully unsubscribing. By offering subscribers the ability to choose email frequency or opt into certain types of content, you may reduce full unsubscribes and retain more engaged contacts.
Many users don’t want to completely unsubscribe from your emails—they just want fewer messages or more relevant content. Including an “Update Preferences” link alongside your unsubscribe link allows subscribers to choose how often they hear from you or what type of content they want to receive. This simple option can reduce your unsubscribe rates significantly.
The most effective way to keep your unsubscribe rates low is to ensure that your emails are relevant to the people receiving them. Using segmentation in Klaviyo allows you to target subscribers based on their behavior, preferences, and past interactions. By sending personalized, targeted content, you’re more likely to keep subscribers engaged and less likely to lose them.
If someone does choose to unsubscribe, use the opportunity to gather feedback. Ask them why they’re leaving and if there’s anything you can improve. Analyzing this data can help you refine your email strategy and address potential issues before more subscribers leave.
Klaviyo automatically adds code to your email headers to comply with Yahoo and Google’s one-click unsubscribe requirements. This means recipients using these email providers can unsubscribe from your emails without even needing to open them. While this may seem like a negative feature, it’s actually a requirement for maintaining good sender reputations with these platforms.
When subscribers click your unsubscribe link, Klaviyo does not count it toward your email click rate. However, it’s essential to monitor your unsubscribe rate over time to ensure that it remains within acceptable limits. High unsubscribe rates can indicate issues with content relevance or email frequency.
Managing suppressed profiles is critical to keeping your list clean and improving deliverability. Profiles may be suppressed due to unsubscribes, bounces, or manual actions. Regularly review your suppression list to understand why subscribers are leaving or failing to receive your messages.
Managing SMS opt-outs in Klaviyo works similarly to email. You can manually unsubscribe users from SMS campaigns, or users can unsubscribe themselves through keywords like “STOP.” It’s crucial to manage SMS consent carefully, as mobile carriers block messages to users who’ve opted out.
Managing unsubscribe links and pages in Klaviyo is essential for maintaining compliance, protecting your sender reputation, and reducing unsubscribe rates. By providing easy-to-find unsubscribe links, offering preferences for email frequency and content, and gathering feedback, you can maintain a healthy and engaged email list. With Klaviyo’s robust tools for customization and list management, businesses can keep their marketing campaigns compliant and relevant, ensuring long-term success.
Giles Thomas
CEOOptimize your Shopify conversion rates. 5 lesson course, learn 51 ecommerce best practices to get more visitors to buy.
