# Unsubscribe link validation

Unsubscribe links are a key consideration when building your email campaigns and it’s important to know when your promotional emails need one.

- Requirements differ based on the type of template you choose
- Transactional templates don’t include an unsubscribe link by default, they are optional

Marketing templates always include an unsubscribe link that you cannot remove.

Although you can still send a transactional campaign without an unsubscribe link, Orbit displays a clear message to indicate its absence.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Understanding and implementing these validation measures is essential for maintaining compliance and user transparency in your email campaigns.

## Link validation message

Orbit warns you there is a missing unsubscribe link in a transactional email in the journey builder.

To see this warning message:

1. Check that your transactional template does not include an unsubscribe link.
2. Open your campaign, then click **Journey** to open the journey builder.
3. On your email step, click the **Option** menu, then **Edit**.
4. Select your **Email Channel** from the drop down menu.
5. Select your **Email Template** from the drop down menu.

   If your transactional template is missing an unsubscribe link, then a warning message appears.

   You now have two options:

   - Ignore the warning and click **Apply**. Apteco doesn't stop you publishing a campaign without an unsubscribe link.
   - Add an unsubscribe link to your template before publishing. You can edit the template by clicking the **Option** menu next to the template drop down menu.