Give your contacts a clear, compliant way to opt out of specific lists or update their marketing preferences instead of unsubscribing from all email. Learn about the default platform behaviour, the options you can choose, how to configure your account and email templates, and how to troubleshoot common issues.
Before you start
Things you need to know:
Every marketing email must include an unsubscribe option to remain compliant with regulations in your region.
Your account includes a default Unsubscribe page and a default preference centre. You can switch between them or use custom options.
If you use a customised unsubscribe form hosted on your site, our team must review and approve it before it replaces the default page.
Unsubscribes completed on a customised form don’t appear in campaign‑level unsubscribe reporting. They still suppress the contact at the account level.
If your account is part of a multi-brand setup, unsubscribe and preference centre settings may be inherited from a parent account. In this case, you can’t edit them directly. Contact your Customer Success Manager to change or revert to default.
Understand your options
Default Unsubscribe page
A Dotdigital‑hosted page that immediately unsubscribes a contact from all email.
Default preference centre
A Dotdigital‑hosted page where contacts can:
Update public contact data fields.
Update public marketing preferences.
Join/leave public lists.
Unsubscribe from specific communications or all email.
The platform displays only fields, preferences, and lists set to Public. Ensure names are user-friendly.
Set data fields to public:
Navigate to User menu > Settings > Contacts > Contact data fields > Custom data fields.
Select data field, go to Properties > Access and change to Public.
If you send contacts to the preference centre when they click Unsubscribe, you cannot also add a separate preference centre link in your email.
Custom preference centre (Surveys, pages, and forms)
A branded page you build yourself. Best for showing preferences and data fields. Lists aren’t supported here; you can use automation to map responses to lists.
Custom Unsubscribe form (on your website)
A form you host on your website by embedding the generated code. You can unsubscribe email, SMS, or both and optionally include a subscribe option for new contacts. Requires Dotdigital compliance approval before activation.
To activate a custom unsubscribe form:
Submit the request using the form in Use a customised unsubscribe form.
Sign the waiver provided by Dotdigital.
Wait for compliance approval. Until then, the default unsubscribe page remains active.
Creative‑built custom
If you want a fully branded experience similar to another brand’s unsubscribe page, this is a chargeable service handled by our Creative team. Contact your Customer Success Manager to start the process.
Decide what to use
Goal | Use this |
Fast, automatically compliant one‑click opt‑out | Default Unsubscribe page |
Let contacts choose what they opt in for and update details | Default preference centre |
Branded preferences without lists | Custom preference centre using Surveys, pages, and forms |
Host on your domain and manage email/SMS unsubscribe | Customised unsubscribe form |
Fully bespoke experience | Creative‑built custom |
Configure unsubscribe and preference centre behaviour
You can control what contacts see when they unsubscribe or update their marketing preferences.
Learn more in Set up a preference centre.
Set default behaviour in Account settings
Go to Settings > General > Account settings >Unsubscribe and preference centre settings.
Choose:
Show the unsubscribe page (default one-click opt-out).
Show the preference centre (opt-down option).
Show a custom preference centre on a URL (for branded pages).
Save changes.
Use the default preference centre
You can use Dotdigital’s default preference centre to let contacts manage their data, preferences, and list subscriptions.
Learn more in Set up a preference centre.
Create a custom preference centre
You can create a custom preference centre using a survey, page, or form to let contacts manage their marketing preferences and data fields.
Learn more in Set up a preference centre.
Use a customised unsubscribe form
You can create a customised unsubscribe form and embed it on your website to give contacts more control over how they unsubscribe.
Learn more in Use a customised unsubscribe form.
Troubleshoot unsubscribe behaviour
Unsubscribe link points to the wrong brand
If your unsubscribe link opens a different brand’s page, such as a parent brand, you can fix it by updating your email template and account settings.
To fix the unsubscribe link:
Check the link in your email template
Open your campaign in EasyEditor.
Select the unsubscribe text or button.
If the link is hard-coded, remove it and add a Text block and create a link to the desired destination.
Check your account settings
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > General > Account settings.
Under Unsubscribe and preference centre settings, choose the correct destination, then select SAVE SETTINGS at the bottom of the page.
Check for parent-child inheritance
If you're using a child account, the unsubscribe destination may be inherited from the parent account.
Ask your Customer Success representative to switch the child account to default or to your own custom destination.
Test your changes
Send yourself a test email, and click the unsubscribe link to confirm it goes to the correct page.
I can’t add a separate preference centre link in the editor.
This is only available when Unsubscribe is set to Show the unsubscribe page.
My Unsubscribe link still opens another brand’s page.
Replace hard‑coded URLs with the system Unsubscribe link, check Account settings, and confirm whether a parent account is enforcing a custom destination.
If the link points to a parent brand’s page and your account inherits settings from a parent account, you can’t change this in the app. Contact your Customer Success Manager to switch the child account to default or apply your own custom destination.
My custom form is live, but isn’t used yet.
Until compliance approval is complete, contacts see the default page. We’ll notify you when approved.
I want to show lists on a custom page.
Lists aren’t supported on Surveys, pages, and forms preference pages. Use the default preference centre for lists, or map responses to lists with automation.
Add an unsubscribe option to a landing page
If you’re using Surveys, pages, and forms for a landing page, you can add an unsubscribe option with generated code.
Learn more in Add an unsubscribe option to your page.
Best practices for unsubscribe links
Always insert the system Unsubscribe link in emails (don’t paste raw URLs).
Test unsubscribe and preference links before every send.
Use friendly names for public fields, preferences, and lists.
Offer an opt‑down route to reduce full unsubscribes.
Document who owns each destination - Marketing, Web, or Creative - and keep URLs handy.
Keep the default Unsubscribe page active until a customised form is approved.
SMS: Click to unsubscribe (Public preview)
Make it easy for contacts to opt out of SMS by tapping a personalised link.
Learn more in Use SMS click to unsubscribe.
This feature is in Public preview and may require a specific package. Contact your Customer Success representative.
Language support
The default Unsubscribe page and preference centre automatically display in the contact’s browser language, the platform supports 21 languages.
Learn more in Unsubscribe and Preferences page languages.