Gmail and Outlook has set a character limit on their signature settings of 10,000 characters for Gmail and 8,000 for Outlook. Exceeding these limits triggers the error message when you attempt to save your signature. This character count is the characters used in the HTML code behind the signature design.
Shorten Links in Your Signature
Start by simplifying your signature. “Minifying” involves reducing the length of your signature by eliminating any superfluous elements. This includes:
Shortening Links : Links can be very long and take up a lot of space in code. You can either remove unnecessary links, or use programs like https://tinylink.net/ or https://bitly.com/ to shorten your links.
Removing Redundant Text : Omit unnecessary details such as extensive disclaimers or verbose contact information.
Trimming Add-ons : Cut out any non-essential graphics, icons, or social media links that contribute to the bulk of the character count.
The rationale behind minifying is not merely to fit within Gmail’s character limit but also to enhance the clarity and professionalism of your email correspondence. A cleaner, more straightforward signature is less likely to distract or confuse the recipient.
Clear the Signature Box Completely Before Inserting a New One
It’s crucial to start with a clean slate when inserting a new signature to prevent any remnants of old signatures from contributing to the total character count.
Select and Delete Existing Signature : Click inside the signature text box, use
Ctrl + A(orCommand + Aon Mac) to select all existing content, and press delete. This action ensures that you are not leaving behind any invisible HTML code or stray characters that could take up part of your 10,000 character limit.
Remove your Google Analytics Tracking Codes
UTM codes which are used by Google to track link links and engagement add a lot of extra code into the signature. These UTM tags can add up to 800 characters to your signature.
You can remove the Google Analytics UTM tags from your signature by going to the Analytics dashboard and unchecking the analytics option.
If your team is using a Google domain the signature will update in Gmail automatically for your users without the UTM tags.
If your team is using a different domain provider you will have to re-invite your users to copy the updated signature into their emails.