Unsubscribe Link: Why showing at the top is best.

ISPs want to ensure it is easy for their customers to unsubscribe from your messages. For this reason, they prefer that List Owners include the unsubscribe link at the top of the message.

Yes. In the U.S., it is required by law.

For more details, please see CAN-SPAM Act Requirements.

Yes!

Most ISPs are looking for this link. An unsubscribe link improves deliverability. Any emails without it have a greater risk of not reaching your Subscriber's Inbox.

Why would I put it at the top, instead of the bottom?

Placing an unsubscribe link at the top reduces the chance of Subscribers clicking the Report as Spam button, when they really just want to unsubscribe.

Marking email as Spam can create deliverability issues with your messages. When a user marks an email as Spam, their software "learns" that this sender is not welcome. In the case of large providers like Gmail, that can cause all your mailing list emails to be sent to Spam for other list Subscribers using Gmail.

Best Practice: Have the unsubscribe option easy to find.

Log into your mail-list account at https://database.mail-list.com.

  • Click Customize Your List
  • Click Unsubscribe Settings.
  • Click Put Unsubscribe Link At Top or Bottom of Messages.
  • Choose Top, Bottom or Both.
  • Click Save.