Designing URLs for UCLDan Jackson, Senior Web Architect

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psteichen/3915657914/

Why URLs matter

http://vimeo.com/53317254

If you start at 15.35 you will hear him talk about URLs

“URLs…are the one universal syntax of the web. Don’t take that for granted.”

http://warpspire.com/posts/url-design/

“If the URL looks like garbage people won’t click it.”

http://www.not-implemented.com/urls-are-for-people-not-computers/

SEO!

URL Design Tip #1

Permanent & Unique

“Cool URIs don’t change. It is the the duty of a Webmaster to allocate URIs which you will be able to stand by in 2 years, in 20 years, in 200 years. This needs thought, and organization, and commitment.”

Tim Berners-Lee, 1998http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI.html

“If you need to change the URL of a page…a server-side 301 redirect is the best way to ensure that users and search engines are directed to the correct page.”

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=93633

URL Design Tip #2

Consistent & Hierarchical

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english/prospective/postgraduate/{course}http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dis/taught/pg/{course}

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/graduate/course-list/{course} http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/programmes/postgraduate/{course}

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/{unit}/{award-level}/{course}

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english/postgraduate/{course}http://www.ucl.ac.uk/information-studies/postgraduate/{course}

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/postgraduate/{course} http://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/postgraduate/{course}

“…make recommendations for improving the way that identifiers for .ac.uk domains are planned and managed in higher education institutions.”

Linking You Toolkit http://lncn.eu/toolkit

URL Design Tip #3

Meaningful & Readable

www.ucl.ac.uk/spp ?

www.ucl.ac.uk/gee?

www.ucl.ac.uk/lag ?

www.ucl.ac.uk/mars ?

http://w

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0x010400AEDD8987BB131047946CE467

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https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi

?SID=amNvZGU9MTM0MDQ1NSZ2dF90ZW1wb

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http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Faculty_of_xyz/about_the_Faculty_of_xyz/index.php

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Faculty-of-xyz/about-the-Faculty-of-xyz/index.php

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/xyz/about/index.php

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/faculty-of-xyz/about-the-faculty-of-xyz/index.php

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/xyz/about