Choosing a URL
Like your site title, the url helps orient the visitor to your content. Your url should be:
- Brief
Avoid overly long urls. They are hard for visitors to remember, and can usually be shortened into something more concise. - Descriptive
Accurately describe site content, and be specific in order to more clearly communicate your site’s purpose. - Appropriate to the scope of your site
Make sure your url is not overly broad or vague – things like life.usc.edu doesn’t really tell the visitor what the site is about.
Final approval of urls is the purview of University Communications – here are the USC Identity Guidelines they use to make determinations of appropriate urls, there is also information here on the suggested syntax for common use cases, like labs, centers, research projects, and personal names.
Standard URL Structure
All sites on this service are set up with the standard url syntax: sites.usc.edu/xyz.
Specialty URL Structure
If you already have or want a url with the syntax xyz.usc.edu url, you can request that url point to your Sites at USC site when you are ready to publish. Note that your new site must be ready to go – it will be reviewed to make sure it meets guidelines before your url can be activated.
Setting up a specialty URL is a 5 step process:
Get the necessary configuration information
- Make sure your site content is complete and open to the public (Settings > Reading > Visibility)
- Click the Need Help tab (the blue tab in the lower right corner of the window) from your dashboard to email support and request your url (I’d like to use xyz.usc.edu as my new site’s url)
- Wait for a response (24-48 hours), with the CNAME code to use in step 4.
Request your URL from USC ITS
- Using this request form, enter your requested url as the “New Address” and the CNAME code as the “Server IP Address”. This will open a USC ITS support ticket. You should receive two updates, one when your request is approved (based on the guidelines) and another closing the ticket when the url has been setup. If you are already using the url on your old site – migrating it to this service – follow the same instructions with new address and CNAME, and add a note in the additional details section that you want your url to point to the new site.
Activate your URL
- When your ticket is closed (NOTE: you need to wait for this! It usually happens 1-3 days after your request has been approved), log back into your site dashboard, click the Help & Support tab, and let the support team know that your URL is ready for activation! Your url should start working within the next 12-16 hours.
