Adding an anchor (internal) link: What you need to know

Anchor links let your readers jump to specific sections within your email with a single click. Think of it like a table of contents in a long document - click a link at the top, and you're instantly taken to that section further down.

This can be really handy for longer newsletters, product catalogs, or event agendas. But before you dive in, there are some important things to know about how anchor links work in email.

⚠️ Limited email client support

Anchor links work in some email clients but not others. While they work great in web browsers and apps like Apple Mail, many popular email clients (including Outlook on Windows and most mobile apps) don't support them at all.

We strongly suggest testing anchor links with your specific audience before using them in important campaigns.

Our recommendation:

Use anchor links as a nice bonus feature, not as essential navigation. Always design your email to work perfectly even if the anchor links don't function - because for many of your recipients, they won't.

Email client compatibility

Here's what to expect across different email clients:

What happens when anchor links don't work?

When someone's email client doesn't support anchor links, clicking the link typically does nothing - or in some cases, it might try to open the link in a web browser. The email itself will still display normally, the links just won't navigate within the email.

How to add anchor links in Flexmail

Using the E-mail builder

Adding anchor links in the builder is simple - we handle all the technical stuff for you.

Step 1: Add headings to your email

First, make sure you've added heading elements (H1, H2, H3, or H4) to your email wherever you want people to be able to jump to. These headings will automatically become available as anchor points.

Step 2: Create a link and select "Anchor"

1. Select the text or button you want to turn into an anchor link
2. Click the link icon in the toolbar
3. In the link type dropdown, select "Anchor"

Step 3: Choose which heading to link to

Once you've selected "Anchor" as the link type, you'll see a list of all the headings in your email. Simply click the heading you want to link to.

The headings are listed in the order they appear in your email, making it easy to find the right one. Each heading shows both the visible title and its auto-generated anchor name (like #welcome-newsletter or #featured-products).

Step 4: Insert the link

Click "Insert link" and you're done! The anchor link is now active in your email.

Notes:

• The anchor list updates automatically when you add, remove, or edit headings
• Empty headings won't appear in the list
• Each heading gets a unique anchor name to avoid duplicates
• You can't customize the anchor names - we generate them automatically to ensure they work properly across email clients

Using the HTML editor (advanced)

If you're working in the HTML editor, you'll need to create anchor links manually:

Step 1: Creating the anchor target:

Add an empty link element with both id     and name     attributes to an empty link element where you want people to land:

<a id="section1" name="section1"></a>

Step 2: Creating the link:

Use a hash symbol (#    ) followed by your anchor ID:

<a href="#section1">Jump to Section 1</a>

Important technical notes:

• Keep anchor IDs short (max 20 alphanumeric characters) for Outlook compatibility
• Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens in anchor IDs
• Always include both id      and name     attributes for maximum compatibility
• Always use an empty link element for maximum compatibility
• Make sure each anchor ID is unique within your email

Best practices for using anchor links

Design for graceful degradation

Always assume anchor links might not work for some recipients:

• Keep your most important content easily accessible without navigation
• Don't hide critical information behind anchor links
• Make sure your email reads well as a normal, scrollable document
• Consider anchor links a "nice to have" rather than essential

When anchor links work well

Anchor links can be really helpful for:

• Long newsletters with multiple articles or sections
• Product catalogs where you want to create category navigation
• Event invitations with detailed agendas
• Emails primarily viewed on desktop where anchor support is better

When to avoid anchor links

Skip anchor links if:

• Your audience is mostly mobile - mobile email apps have very poor support
• Your email is relatively short - if people can scroll through it easily, navigation isn't necessary
• You're sending to corporate audiences - many corporate email systems block anchor links for security
• The functionality is critical - never depend on anchor links working for everyone

Testing before you send

Before sending a campaign with anchor links to your full list:

1. Send test emails to yourself using different email clients
2. Check the anchor links on both desktop and mobile
3. Pay special attention to the email clients your audience uses most (check your reporting to see what's popular)
4. Consider sending to a small test segment first
5. Have a backup plan if the links don't work as expected

Alternative approaches

If anchor links don't seem like the right fit for your campaign, here are some other options:

Send shorter, more focused emails

Instead of one long email with lots of content, consider breaking it into multiple shorter emails. Each email can focus on a single topic, making them easier to read and more engaging.

Use segmentation

Send different content to different groups based on their interests. This way, each person gets a shorter, more relevant email without needing internal navigation.

Link to landing pages

Keep your email content brief and link to your website for the full story. This approach also gives you better tracking - you can see exactly which topics your audience clicks on through your campaign reporting.

Use clear section headers

Make your email easy to scan with prominent section headings, spacing, and visual breaks. People can quickly scroll to what interests them without needing clickable navigation.

Why don't more email clients support anchor links?

Many email clients strip or disable anchor links as a security measure. They treat them as potentially suspicious navigation attempts, similar to how they handle JavaScript or certain other HTML elements.

Additionally, mobile email apps often don't support anchor links because:

• Limited screen space makes in-email navigation less practical
• Mobile platforms have stricter security restrictions
• Each email app implements standards differently

Troubleshooting common issues

The anchor list is empty

If you don't see any anchors available when creating a link:

• Make sure you've added heading blocks (H1, H2, H3, or H4) to your email
• Check that your headings have text content - empty headings won't appear
• The anchor list only shows headings from the current email

The anchor link doesn't work in testing

If your anchor link isn't working:

• Check which email client you're testing in (see the compatibility table above)
• Make sure you've actually inserted the link (not just previewed it)
• Try testing in Apple Mail or Thunderbird, which have reliable support
• Remember: if it doesn't work in certain clients, that's expected behavior

I want to use custom anchor names

Currently, we generate anchor names automatically based on your heading text. This ensures they're properly formatted and compatible with email clients. You can't customize the anchor names in the drag and drop builder.

If you need custom anchor names, you'll need to use the HTML editor instead.

Accessibility considerations

When using anchor links, keep accessibility in mind:

• Use clear, descriptive link text that tells people where they'll go ("Jump to Product Features" rather than "Click here")
• Ensure sufficient color contrast between link text and background
• Test with a screen reader if possible to ensure navigation makes sense

Final recommendations

Anchor links can enhance the experience for readers whose email clients support them, but they shouldn't be the backbone of your email's navigation. Think of them as a progressive enhancement - a nice bonus for compatible clients.

The golden rule: Design your email to work perfectly without anchor links, then add them as extra functionality for those who can use them.

A functional email that works everywhere beats a feature-rich email that breaks in many clients every time.