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Publishing

How do I shorten my URL?

There are a number of options to shorten your URL. These are:
  1. Output URI field
  2. QUB GO Short URL Service
  3. URL Redirect
 
1. Output URI field
 
By default, the CMS will publish out URL's based on section names. So, if you have a really long section name, your URL will be impacted by that.

To combat this, the CMS has an Output URI field for each section.  
 
This field allows you to create a smaller URL. 
 
A good example is the URL https://www.qub.ac.uk/alumni/. The full Alumni section name is 'Development and Alumni Relations Office' but it has an Output URI which has shortened the URL from 'Development and Alumni Relations Office' to 'alumni'.
 
It is important to note that it is best to add an Output URI when you are first creating a new section. You can add an Output URI at any time, but adding an Output URI to shorten the URL on a section that has been live for a while will affect any Google links, external links or bookmarks pointing to the old URL.
 
Tip: The current recommended format when entering a value into the Output URI field is to use hyphens to separate words, and to use lowercase.  For example, 'My Section Title', would be written in the Output URI field as 'my-section-title'. This format has benefits for readability and for Search Engine results/rankings. 
 
 
2. QUB GO Short URL Service
 
Please note that this is not a CMS service. This service is at the discretion of the service operators.
 
Accessing the service
You can access the QUB GO service at http://go.qub.ac.uk.
 
Important: Please make sure you are on the QUB VPN or using a QUB networked machine to access. Also, make sure you use your staff credentials to login). This service allows you to create short URL's.
 
Example Short URL: http://go.qub.ac.uk/my-short-url
 
 
3. URL Redirect
 
Please note that this is not a CMS service. This service is at the discretion of the service operators.
 
A URL redirect requires the involvement of the Web Infrastructure team to create a redirect that points to your web page. You can contact them via the Site Help Desk ticketing system.
 
You would need to discuss your short URL and other options with the Web Infrastructure team before this.

  • Last updated

    16/11/2023
  • Category

    IT Support
  • Service Area

    CMS