Legacy email builder transition


This article applies to:

Updates to this transition will be available here

[4.11.2024] Shut down the legacy email builder for free trial and net new apps

[3.11.2024] Second email to to customers

[8.30.2023] Initial email to customers

[7.10.2023] Updated this document based on the revised transition plan

[5.1.2023] The legacy email builder is in maintenance mode: This means that only critical bugs will be addressed moving forward.

We have exciting updates planned for 2024: We will be consolidating the various email builders into one single, unified builder. The new builder provides a better user experience thanks to cutting-edge technology and a modern email experience with our new drag-and-drop editor for designing mobile responsive emails and landing pages, new features, and additional security.

The legacy builder was built using an older framework that is no longer actively developed or supported by the development community. Browser support for this framework will eventually go away, and the legacy builder will no longer be available.

It’s our goal to make this transition as easy as possible, and to make that happen, we are doing the following three things:

  1. Automatically transitioning previously sent legacy emails and saved legacy templates to the new email builder.
  2.  Timing is flexible: All you need to do is review them in the new builder whenever you’d like to make sure everything is correct and make adjustments if needed.
  3. Prioritizing feedback and suggestions to provide a robust email builder and make this transition painless.

Note: The legacy email builder described in this article is currently in maintenance mode - this means that only critical issues will be addressed moving forward.

Where is the legacy email builder?

The legacy email builder can be found when setting up an Email Broadcast or Automation in Pro, Max, and Ultimate:

When sending a broadcast

When setting up an Advanced Automation


The New Email Builder

The legacy builder's replacement is a more sophisticated and feature-rich tool for creating beautiful custom emails. Pro and Max users have been using the new email builder since 2021 and have enjoyed features like multi-column support, a vast stock image library, a bigger selection of starter templates, much more customization options, more content blocks like a countdown timer, and much more.


Email Consolidation Plan

Consolidating all of the various email builders into one single, unified tool will require a phased approach throughout 2024.


(DONE) Phase 1: Getting started

  • [Max Classic] Introduce the new email builder to Campaign Builder
  • [Max Classic] Introduce the new email builder for creating an Email Broadcast
  • [Pro/Max/Max Classic] Fully supports the new email builder with content publishing
  • Pro/Max/Max Classic] Bring critical features to the new email builder to be at parity with the legacy email builder
  • [Pro/Max] Collect feedback on the new email broadcast flow
  • [Max Classic] Collect feedback on the new email builder


(IN PROGRESS) Phase 2: New On-demand Editing Experience

[Pro/Max/Ultimate]

Turn off the legacy email builder for net new customers and free trials. Note that legacy emails shared through Solution Launchpad won't be affected.

To help you transition to the new builder, we’ll automatically move your legacy emails (campaign and broadcast emails) to the new builder. All you’ll need to do is review them to ensure everything is correct and make adjustments if needed.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • We’ll automatically move all your legacy emails to the new builder—no date-range limitations.
  • This option applies to saved templates and emails not saved as templates.
  • We will provide an option to “Try new email experience”. After selecting this option, users can edit their emails using the new email builder editor.
  • Please note that Drafts will not be added to the new builder.
  • This update does not affect scheduled broadcasts.
  • This update does not affect published campaigns.
  • The timing is flexible. There’s no hard transition date, so you can review and update your emails and templates whenever you like as an on-demand experience.


(NOT YET STARTED) Phase 3: Other email builders

We will replace other low-usage email builders with the new email builder. Our end goal is to provide a consistent experience and reduce the learning curve in understanding and using multiple email builders.

Note: All legacy emails are currently in maintenance mode so we can focus entirely on providing a great user experience in the new builder. Please check our maintenance plan here.


General FAQs

Does the new builder support sending emails from a custom address?
Yes. you can add any address from a domain that you have validated.

Will there be any charges involved in this process?
No, Keap isn’t planning to charge anyone when updating their emails or templates.

When should I start using the new builder?
We strongly encourage you to use the new email builder for all new emails and templates from now on.

Why is the legacy builder being removed?
The goal is to consolidate the different email builders and create a single, unified experience for all users. This transition will improve your experience when creating and sending emails and allow us to focus on developing new features you'll love.

Will legacy email templates be automatically added to the new email builder?
Yes. We will add all previously Sent legacy emails and saved legacy templates to the new builder—no date-range limitations. Please note that Drafts will not be added to the new builder.

I don't save my emails inside automation. Do I need to recreate them in the new builder or save them as templates?
No. We will provide an option to “Try new email experience.” We will add this option to the dropdown menu when you click on a legacy email inside automation. This option applies to saved templates and emails not saved as templates.

Will I need to update my templates manually?
It depends. Our main goal is to add all the features included in the templates (hyperlinks, tags, videos, forms, images, etc.). Some features require an update (e.g., links with > 10 tags. The new builder supports 10 tags per link). Once we have more details about each feature, we will share them.

Which features will be carried over from legacy emails to the new builder?


Exiting features in the Legacy builder

Features that will be carried over to the New builder

Details

Action required

Editor Tools

Content (blocks)

Yes

All blocks will be carried over

No

Groups block

Yes

The Group block will be split into individual blocks (image, text, and button)

No

Body/Design

Yes

It includes font color, font name, and background color

No

Button

Yes

It includes style and links

No

Divider

Yes

Divider will be carried over

No

Heading

Yes

The Heading will be split into a Heading block

No

HTML code

Yes

In the legacy email, the HTML is center-aligned. In the new builder, it's left-aligned

No

Images

Yes

It includes links, tags, Alt text, size, and alignment

No

Social icons

Yes

Standard size only. It might not have the same size as in the legacy builder, but it will be very similar

No

Text block

Yes

It includes style, hyperlinks, tags, merge fields, campaign links, and tags.

Fonts available only in the legacy builder will fallback to these fonts:

Baskerville -> Arial

Garamond -> Arial

Lucida sans -> Arial

Merriweather -> Georgia

Palatino -> Book Antiqua

Georgia -> Global font

Review fonts

Video

Yes

Tags are not supported 

Review any tags that were applied to the video

Appointments (only available in Pro and Max)

Yes

The links will be carried over

No

File download

Yes

The links will be carried over

No

Signature

Yes

Single and multiple signatures will be carried over

No

Spacer

Yes

The spacer will be carried over

No

Spam checks

Yes

The new builder has spam check

No

Gallery

My Templates

Yes

All saved templates will be added to the new builder

Delete any legacy template you don't use before they are added to the new builder

Previously sent

Yes

All sent emails will be added to the new builder

No

Drafts

No

Drafts will not be added in the new builder

No

Features

Merge fields
YesMerge fields will be carried over. Any merge fields in the legacy email will continue to work after being converted to the new builder. Post conversion, Merge fields only available in the legacy builder will not be supported (available to select in the Merge fields dropdown) in the new builder, i.e., Company name
No
File download
YesThe files will be carried over. File download added to hyperlinks will be carried over, but it won’t be possible to edit as this feature is not supported in the new builder
Review File download in hyperlinks

Dynamic Content

Yes

Dynamic content will be carried over 

No

Custom merge fields

Yes

Custom merge fields will be carried over

No

Tags

Yes

Tags will be carried over

No

Multiple tags per link

Yes

Up to 10 tags per link will be carried over

Review links with > 10 tags 

Campaign links

Yes

Campaigns links will be carried over

No

Hyperlinks

Yes

Hyperlinks will be carried over

No

Legacy Order forms

Yes

Legacy Order forms URLs will be carried over

No

Legacy Web forms

Yes

Legacy Web forms URLs will be carried over

No

Legacy Landing Pages

Yes

Legacy Lading pages URLs will be carried over

No


Will there be features not available in the new email builder that were available in the legacy email builder?
Yes. Not all features in the legacy builder are available in the new builder. Our team is working on bringing critical features to the new builder. Feature requests can be submitted via the Keap app. Check out this document to see the features included in the new builder and what’s coming soon!

Will the New Editing Experience affect published automations?
No. We will keep the templates and emails "as-is" in published automation. You will have time to gradually update your templates or emails from the legacy builder to the new builder inside automation. There is no timeline for updating your emails. You can do it at your convenience as an on-demand experience.

If I used Code Builder in the legacy email builder to build my emails from scratch, would they migrate over to the new builder?
No. Our main focus is the legacy email builder. Emails created using any other builder will not be added to the new builder and will need to be created in the new email builder.

Will my emails still work after the legacy builder is no longer maintained?
Yes. Published campaigns will still work, and scheduled broadcasts will still send with the legacy builder. You will have time to gradually update your templates or emails from the legacy builder to the new builder inside campaigns. There is no timeline for updating your emails. You can do it at your convenience as an on-demand experience.