How to create an email signature: Your quick guide to a professional, clickable signature

An email signature is more than a name and job title at the bottom of an email. It's your digital business card, working quietly on your behalf with every message you send. A well-crafted signature tells recipients who you are, how to contact you, and can even guide them toward a next step like booking a call or visiting your website.

Despite this, many professionals still send emails without signatures. Others use signatures that are cluttered with information, out of date, or completely unreadable on mobile devices. Each of these scenarios wastes an opportunity to build credibility and make it easy for people to take action.

Our guide takes you through what to include in your signature, how to design something clean and professional, and the exact steps for creating signatures in both Gmail and Outlook. Along the way you'll find examples, tips for brand consistency, and answers to the most common signature questions.

What an Effective Email Signature Includes

A useful signature balances helpful detail with a clean, uncluttered layout. Aim for three to six lines when possible. Here's what to consider including:

• Full name - your professional name as you want to be addressed
• Job title and company - establish credibility and context
• Primary contact - either your email address or phone number (or both if space allows)
• Company website - a single link to your main landing page
• Social links - one or two at most (LinkedIn is the safest choice for professionals)
• Optional additions - a small headshot or company logo, and a short call-to-action like "Book a 15-minute call"
• Legal text - only if your organization requires it

Keep the signature readable across all devices. Use a single, system-friendly font like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica in 10 to 12 point size. Left alignment is easiest to scan and displays consistently whether someone's reading on a laptop or checking email on their phone during a commute.

Step 1: Decide Your Number One Goal

Before you start designing, choose the main purpose of your signature. What do you want it to achieve? This could be:

• Making it easy for people to contact you
• Sharing your professional identity and role
• Driving traffic to a scheduling link or portfolio
• Reinforcing brand identity with a logo and color accent

The most important thing: limit yourself to one call-to-action. Multiple CTAs dilute attention. If you ask someone to visit your website and book a call and connect on LinkedIn all at once, you'll likely get none of those outcomes. Pick one clear next step.

Step 2: Build the Layout and Hierarchy

Design with hierarchy in mind. The most important information should be easiest to see. Forbes recommends putting effort into the visuals for your email signature so that whoever sees it will want to know more about you.

Start with your name on the first line. Put your title and company on the second line. Contact details come after that. Use smaller text or a muted color for secondary items like a tagline or personal motto.

If you want to include a logo or photo, keep it small and square. PNGs with transparent backgrounds work best and won't leave awkward white boxes in dark mode email clients. Avoid heavy images or banners that slow loading times or break in certain email programs.

Tip: Make sure every image has alt text and that your color contrast is suitable for readability. Not everyone views emails the same way, and a signature that's unreadable for some recipients isn’t doing its job.

Step 3: Create a Signature in Gmail

Follow these steps for the web version of Gmail:

1. Open Gmail in a browser
2. Click the gear icon at the top right and select "See all settings"
3. Scroll to the "Signature" section under the "General" tab
4. Click "Create new" and give the signature a name
5. Enter your signature content in the editor. Use the toolbar to add images or links
6. Assign the signature to new emails and/or replies using the dropdown choices
7. Scroll down and click "Save changes"

Tip: Send messages to yourself and view the results on both desktop and mobile to confirm that images and links display correctly. What looks perfect on your laptop might be a jumbled mess on a phone screen.

Step 4: Create a Signature in Outlook

Outlook has slightly different processes depending on whether you're using the desktop app or Outlook on the web. Here's how to handle both.

Outlook desktop:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Options → Mail
3. Click "Signatures"
4. Click "New" and name the signature
5. Compose your signature in the editor. You can add logos and format text
6. Set defaults for new messages and replies
7. Click OK to save

Outlook on the web:

1. Click the settings gear and then "View all Outlook settings"
2. Go to Mail → Compose and reply
3. Create or edit your signature in the editor
4. Choose whether to automatically include it on new messages and replies
5. Save the changes

Tip: Outlook can behave differently across versions and devices. If you manage email on multiple platforms, test each environment to make sure your signature displays consistently.

Step 5: Add Social Links and One CTA

When you add social media icons, use small, standard icons and link directly to your profiles. For your call-to-action, choose one clear next step like "Schedule a demo" or "View my portfolio." Make sure the CTA link opens in a new tab and points to a mobile-friendly page.

Step 6: Test, Iterate, and Maintain

Creating your signature isn't a one-and-done task. Here's how to keep it working effectively:

• Send test emails to Gmail, Outlook, and at least one mobile client
• Open messages in dark mode if possible to ensure contrast remains readable
• Verify that all links are clickable and images load properly
• Review the signature quarterly or whenever your role, phone number, or company branding changes

If you've added a scheduling link or other CTA, check your analytics after a month or two. If engagement is low, try adjusting the copy or testing a different action. Small tweaks can make a surprising difference.

Signature Examples You Can Steal

Professional (Formal)

Jane Carter
Director of Product | Fyxer
jane.carter@fyxer.com | (555) 321-9876
www.fyxer.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/<janecarter>

Customer-Facing (Conversational)

Thanks,

Sam Torres
Customer Success | Fyxer
sam.t@fyxer.com
Book time: calendly.com/sam-torres

Minimal (Short)

Laura Kim
Fyxer | www.fyxer.com

Brand-Forward (With CTA)

Marcus Lee
Head of Partnerships | Fyxer
m.lee@fyxer.com | (555) 654-3210
See our latest case study → www.fyxer.com/case-study

Design and Formatting Recommendations

Keep these guidelines in mind as you build your signature:

• Use no more than two font sizes to maintain visual clarity
• Keep color accents subtle and aligned with your brand colors
• Use icons rather than long text for social links where space is tight
• Avoid decorative characters like ► or ★ which can may not show up across different email platforms
• Link text instead of embedding images for crucial contact details, since images can be blocked by strict mail clients
• Test your signature in on different devices to catch formatting issues early

Time to Create Your Email Signature

A concise, well-structured email signature does the heavy lifting of professional communication with very little effort from you. It tells recipients who you are, gives them a reliable way to reach you, and can guide them toward the next step like booking a call or visiting your website. Keep the design simple, prioritize the most useful details, and test across the environments your audience actually uses. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my email signature be?
Aim for three to six lines. Keep it short enough to scan quickly but long enough to provide essential information. If you're stretching beyond six lines, you're probably including too much.

Can I use images or GIFs in my signature?
You can, but use them sparingly. A small logo or professional headshot is fine. Avoid large GIFs or banners that slow loading times or trigger spam filters. Remember that some email clients block images by default, so test your signature across devices and, ideally, multiple email platforms. If in doubt, don’t add an image.

Should replies include the full signature?
Not always. For long email threads, consider using a shorter signature for replies. Most email clients let you set one default signature for new messages and another for replies, which helps keep ongoing conversations tidy.

Is it okay to include personal social profiles?
Yes, if they're professional and relevant to your work. LinkedIn is generally the safest choice. Avoid personal platforms unless they actively support your professional identity.

Do signatures affect deliverability?
They can. Poorly formatted signatures or heavy image usage can increase the chance of landing in spam folders. Stick to simple HTML, avoid excessive links, and test deliverability if you're sending high volumes of email.

How do I make the signature mobile-friendly?
Use a single-column, left-aligned layout and avoid tiny font sizes that require zooming. Test on both iOS and Android mail apps since they can display content differently.

Can I track clicks in my email signature?
Yes. Use a UTM-tagged link or a URL shortener with tracking for your call-to-action. Monitor performance over time and adjust the CTA copy or destination page if engagement is lower than expected.

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