Choosing a Website URL

Human-Readable URLs

When choosing a subdomain or slug for your website or webpage, write it so that it is as human-readable as possible. Human-readable URLs will give users a good idea of what they will find when visiting that URL. And choosing URLs with this in mind also improves search engine optimization (SEO) for that website or webpage.

For page slugs or for the slugs for sites on a multisite using subdirectories, it is best to separate words with dashes. This ensures the best readability. And it should be limited to one or two words, if possible. Acronyms and abbreviations should be avoided, unless that particular acronym is commonly used by the public (example: HR, DIY, RSVP).

For subdomains (“foo” in foo.uams.edu), it is best to not include dashes, as it can appear spammy and can be harder to convey verbally.

Brief URLs

You should also strive to keep your URLs short. A shorter URL is also good for SEO. It is recommended that the full URL should be less than 60 characters.

However, a website with a robust page hierarchy will result in multiple folders/slugs represented in your final URL. A page with the slug “baz” may be nested below two other levels of pages, represented by “foo” and “bar” in the URL https://uams.edu/foo/bar/baz. And so, you must write your page slugs with the understanding that they will contribute to the length of URLs for pages nested beneath them.

Vanity URLs

If you need an even shorter URL that can be more easily shared verbally or in marketing (e.g., uams.info/foo or uams.health/bar), you can request that Web Services create a marketing redirect.