A vanity URL is a short, easy to read and easy to remember URL that redirects to a specific location at a deeper level within a Brock website, which would be very cumbersome to relay otherwise.
Brock vanity URLs typically use a brocku.ca/xyz format, but may also be set up at the site level, e.g. brocku.ca/brand/drfs
Vanity URLs are primarily used in print or digital media to support promotional or marketing campaigns; where space is an issue; and where the target audience will be required to type the URL into a browser manually, especially on a mobile device.
Guidelines
Effective vanity URLs should meet these criteria:
- Must be short — 6-8 characters maximum
- Should use full, simple words whenever possible, and avoid complicated acronyms that are more difficult to remember
- Must be unique and avoid conflicts or confusion with existing Brock entities or URLs
- Should not include a year or numerical reference, to avoid tying the URL to a specific time period or version number
- Should point to a stable URL that is unlikely to change in the medium to long-term
- Follow these URL standards:
- Brock URLs are all lowercase
- Avoid dashes unless absolutely necessary
- Never include “http://” or “www” when printed or promoted
- Don’t include a trailing slash — for example, use brocku.ca/mars instead of brocku.ca/mars/
Please note that vanity URLs cannot be used in the following instances:
- Redirects to non-Brock websites (sites that are not on the brocku.ca domain)
- Social media accounts
- If the destination page is not mobile friendly
- For individual profiles, e.g. for use on business cards
- Links to documents, e.g. PDF, Doc, XLS, or other media files
Examples
| Vanity URL | Destination |
| brocku.ca/mars | brocku.ca/humanities/medieval-and-renaissance-studies |
| brocku.ca/smokefree | brocku.ca/human-resources/smoke-free-corridor |
| brocku.ca/brand/drfs | brocku.ca/brand/submit-a-request/digital |