View as a Webpage

[Diane_LoBiond11]

We have been experiencing issues with the “View as a Webpage” link when sending internal test emails. We have not received much help from Marketo support. We have sent them numerous examples and links to our programs – and they cannot replicate the issue we have. They did request that we check if our security software blocks redirects for web pages. We have confirmed from our IT department that our security software does not block redirects for web pages. As well, through research on Community, we found this potential cause and tested it:

…to have the link always work is to send the sample and use the view as webpage link only from an approved email.  Please keep that in mind as it is the key, the email must be in an approved state before you send the test.  If you send a test w/ a draft or approved w/ draft, your link will stop working once you discard or approve that draft. 

We also found this post on community:

https://nation.marketo.com/t5/Product-Discussions/View-email-as-web-page-error-Cannot-get-email-cont...

Is this the solution? And if correct, why would Marketo Support not know this nor is it is any documentation?

[SanfordWhiteman]

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They did request that we check if our security software blocks redirects for web pages. 

If your security software did do so, then none of the tracked links in Marketo emails would work, as they always use a JS redirect. View As Web Page links are no different from other links in this regard.

However, VAWP links are otherwise different beasts — they use a different kind of mkt_tok from other links.

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And if correct, why would Marketo Support not know this nor is it is any documentation?

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Because Support is not Engineering. 🙂

[Steven_Vanderb3]

Can you go into more detail about what issue is? Is there an HTTP error? Some other type of error that gets displayed on the page? If Support cannot replicate by taking the same steps, I would hesitate to assume it's caused by a draft issue.

[Diane_LoBiond11]

Hi, Steven and Sanford. Thank you for reviewing and providing feedback. Steven, here is an example of the error page that pops up is attached. When we click on "VAWP" link on the test sample sent this is the message we receive. "Content not found" is the message on all.  

[Natalie_Kremer]

Anecdotally I've found that in Marketo test emails, the View as Webpage links will only work for a short period of time and then become deactivated.

As a work around, we'll send an actual live version of the email to ourselves (select lead in the database, right click, select Marketing Activities and Send Email). We have not found that the View as a Webpage link in the live email has an expiration date.