If you are using a webmail client such as Gmail or Yahoo, you probably know that none of these services support HTML signatures. In Gmail and Yahoo, you can create RTF signatures with images and so on, but you can’t start typing HTML directly into the signature field.
The default signature settings are enough for most people, but for truly unique and professional looking signatures, HTML is best. Using HTML, you can create beautiful layouts, add icons for social media profiles, and more. If you think you need to know HTML in order to create an HTML signature, you are wrong.
There are many websites, some of which I will mention in this article, that allow you to create your own HTML signature or download one of the hundreds of templates for free or for a small fee.
You will also notice that I did not mention Outlook.com because it is the only web client that allows you to create HTML signatures natively. All you have to do is copy your HTML and paste it directly into the signature field, which I will explain below. Let’s start with Gmail.
Gmail HTML Signature
Gmail has two ways to add HTML signatures to your emails. First, if you want it to be appended to every email you send, your best bet is to use the signature field under Settings – General.
In the upper right corner of your Gmail screen, click on the gear icon, and then select Settings.
You will automatically be taken to the General tab where you will need to scroll almost all the way down before you see the signature field.
Even if you cannot enter HTML into this field, you can copy and paste it! This simple workaround works great. Scroll down to the Find or Create HTML Signatures section to get your favorite HTML signature. If there are any images in the HTML signature, you need to make sure that they are posted on the web and that you change the URL of the link in the HTML code first before copying and pasting in Gmail, otherwise you will see broken images.
Open HTML signature in your browser, select all and copy. You don’t need to select the HTML itself, but the actual result displayed in your browser.
Go back to the Gmail window and paste the content into the signature field. Please note that my images are not working because they are stored locally on my computer.
This is the first way to include HTML in your Gmail signature. If you don’t want to include a signature in every email, or if you need more than one signature for one Gmail account, another option is to use templated responses. This is an experimental Gmail feature that you can enable and use to add blocks of content to an email.
First, let’s turn it on. Go to “Settings” and click “Laboratory”. Scroll down to Ready Answers and click on the Enable field. Be sure to scroll down the page and click Save Changes before leaving the lab screen.
Now compose a new email and click the little down arrow in the lower right corner of the compose window. Click on “Premade Answers” and then click on “New Template Answer” under the “Save” heading.
Name the template response, for example, “Email Signature” or whatever you like, and click OK. You will now see an empty compose window. In the body text area, copy and paste the HTML signature.
Now we need to save it. Click the arrow, then Ready Answers, and then click the name of the prepared answer under the Save heading. You will receive a message asking if you want to overwrite the template response, for which you should click OK. Your boilerplate response has been saved. Now open a new compose window and hit the down arrow again and then Ready Answers.
You will now see a couple of new titles. To insert a previously saved template response, click the response name under the Insert heading. The finished HTML response will be inserted wherever the cursor was.
That’s pretty much everything about Gmail. Both methods work well for different purposes, so feel free to use the one that’s right for you.
Yahoo HTML signature
The procedure for Yahoo Mail is very similar to the first method I wrote about in Gmail. The first step is to open the settings screen. Sign in to Yahoo Mail and click the gear icon in the upper right corner, then click Settings.
Now click on Accounts on the left and then click on the email account listed on the right.
Scroll down a bit and check the Add signature to sent emails box. Now just copy and paste your HTML signature in the box.
It should preserve all HTML formatting and look exactly as it displays in a web browser, except for the image issue I mentioned above. Yahoo does not support ready-to-reply, so you will have to add a signature to all of your emails as soon as you enable them.
HTML Signing in Outlook
Outlook is great because it allows you to directly add HTML to sign your email. You can do this by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner and then clicking Options.
Under the Email Writing heading, click Formatting, Font, and Signature.
Under the heading Personal Signature, you will see that formatted text is set in the signature field by default.
Just click on the dropdown and select Edit to HTML to enter your HTML signature. Please note that here you want to copy and paste the actual HTML this time instead of the web browser version.
Find or create HTML signatures
Finally, you don’t have to worry about writing your own HTML signature because luckily, many programmers and designers have done all the hard work for us. You can download ready-made HTML signatures or use some online tools to create your own from scratch. I will mention both below.
Create HTML Signature
Create an HTML signature
To create your own, you can use several of the sites mentioned below, some are free and some are paid. Depending on how professional and unique you want your signature to be, your cost will range from $ 5 to $ 7.
htmlsig is a popular site where you can create an email signature for free that will expire after 30 days. They have several paid subscription options, but I only recommend these guys if you need to create multiple e-signatures for a company, etc. If you only need to create one personal signature, it’s expensive.
NewWorldStamp has a free online HTML signature generator that allows you to choose from several pretty designs.
Email Signature Templates
Email signature templates
If you prefer to just download a template and enter your information, there are many sites from which you can download templates. Here are a few:
http: //emilesignaturerescuue.com/emilesignature-templates
http: //www.mile-signature.com/articles/signature-templates/
https: //www.template.net/business/emile/free-emile-signature-template/
Hopefully, you can now create a beautiful email signature that will surprise your friends, family and customers when they see it. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave comments. Enjoy!
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