Choosing a domain is an important step in the website launch process – and one that often gets massively overlooked. Thought and care should be given to the domain naming process prior to filling out the launch request form. Why? A domain is not only a reflection of your group’s identity, but it also could have impacts on your search engine rank and user’s ability to recall your URL. Additionally, now that all new WiscWeb sites publish to wisc.edu domains, the name you choose is a reflection of our University brand.
Here’s some considerations for the dos and don’ts of domain naming here at UW-Madison:
Things you should be doing
- Keep your domain short and descriptive:
The goal is to find an easy to remember domain name that makes it clear who you are. Many groups think that a flashy domains with punny acronyms make them more memorable. In reality, those can be contributing to confusion over what you do. Choose a domain that describes your website/your group/your work. - Vet the domain with your overarching division:
Folks in your division may have policy or guidance around domain naming. Consider getting approval for your domain from your divisional or departmental IT group. Don’t have one? We’re more than happy to chat domains with you and steer you in the right direction! - Reference your overarching division/college/school/dept in a fourth level domain:
Many groups are cautious to use fourth level domains because they can make the URL longer. It’s smart to be cautious about long domain names. However, referencing the divisional or departmental sub-domain in your URL can also provide helpful context. For example: inclusion.wisc.edu could look like a site involved with a campus-wide diversity and inclusion effort, which is already accommodated by the diversity.wisc.edu website. Inclusion.departmentname.wisc.edu shows that the effort is specific to that division. - Give yourself time to choose a domain:
Choosing a domain is something that merits some thought. If you’re not confident about the domain, don’t submit the launch request. Wait until you know for sure that you have something that accurately depicts what your website is about. Share with a few folks to make sure it makes sense, is descriptive, and is memorable. Requesting the wrong domain initially can result in delays in your launch process, complicated redirect setups, SEO impacts, etc.
Things you should avoid
- Avoid use of acronyms and abbreviations:
In the past few years, we’ve seen a shift from acronym-based domains to spelled out divisions and departments. This shift makes sense. Consider that prospective students and the general public may not be familiar with a term your group uses to brand yourselves internally. And, it can be so easy to accidentally switch letters in acronyms when typed. Instead, make it clear in your domain who you are. Here’s a couple of groups who have moved away from acronym-based or abbreviated domains recently and their URLs are so much easier to remember:-
- Business Services went from bussvc.wisc.edu to businessservices.wisc.edu
- School of Business went from wsb.wisc.edu to business.wisc.edu
- Engineering went from engr.wisc.edu to engineering.wisc.edu
- School of Human Ecology went from sohe.wisc.edu to humanecology.wisc.edu
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- Avoid hyphens and numbers:
Hyphens in domains are not expected so they can often be forgotten when attempting to recall your URL. Numbers can also be jarring to type in a domain name. Both are also challenging to relay verbally. Consider avoiding these, if possible. - The “uw” is likely not needed:
Some groups try adding “uw” or “uw-madison” somewhere in their site URL. This is often unnecessary as the relationship to UW-Madison is implied by the base “wisc.edu” text in the domain. It’s ok to omit this, which has the added benefit of shortening the domain. - Don’t request third level domains for lab/research use:
Lab and research sites are nearly always associated with a single, specific department or division. They are also commonly aligned with a PI’s last name. Third level domains for proper names are not allowed per the DoIT DNS Name Selection Policy (e.g., johnsmith.wisc.edu). Instead, cite the division in the domain and make sure to include that it is a lab site (e.g., johnsmithlab.vetmed.wisc.edu).Note: If your lab works with more than one division, we can accommodate that! We have a third level domain of labs.wisc.edu that can be built from so that your domain isn’t tied to a specific division (e.g., johnsmith.labs.wisc.edu).
Helpful examples
- Rather than uw-bursar-office.wisc.edu, use bursar.wisc.edu
- Rather than ooa.wisc.edu (for Office of Admissions), use admissions.wisc.edu
- Rather than agronomydept.wisc.edu, use agronomy.wisc.edu
- Rather than arthist.wisc.edu, use arthistory.wisc.edu