Domains and URLs for McGill websites

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but what about domain names? 

McGill’s branded domain name, mcgill.ca, implies authenticity and reliability. It’s something that visitors from around the world can trust when they’re applying for their education or for work, seeking information and news about the institution, or just checking up on events and important dates. This is why McGill manages its domain, the use of the name McGill in other domains, and URLs carefully. Here are a few things you should know...

What's in a name?

Approval must be obtained from the appropriate authorities when registering a new domain name or requesting a new URL that includes 'mcgill.' This is required due to impacts on McGill's brand and reputation as well as costs and resource requirements.

McGill's brand and reputation

Domains are an important part of our online brand. Visitors who arrive on a site with a domain name or URL that includes 'mcgill' (for example, mcgill.ca, reporter.mcgill.ca, juncker.lab.mcgill.ca or mcgillathletics.ca) expect they are visiting an official McGill website that complies with our standards, and policies. However, McGill also allows some non-official, but associated groups, such as student organizations and special outreach projects, to use McGill’s name in the URL.

Although exceptions exist, we strongly encourage official McGill websites to use the McGill.ca domain. This means their URL takes one of the following formats:

• mcgill.ca/sitename (normally reserved for McGill's Web Management System (WMS) websites)
• sitename.mcgill.ca
• sitename.extension.mcgill.ca (common extensions include "lab," "research," and "conference")

The McGill.ca domain belongs exclusively to McGill, so using the domain allows web users to see that a site is legitimately operated by the University. It also simplifies oversight of the URL and makes it easier to access supporting services within McGill IT. 

Anyone can buy a URL that includes the McGill name (for example, mymcgillsite.com), including scammers. We strongly discourage use of purchased URLs for official websites and applications. 

Costs and resources 

The maintenance of McGill subdomains results in ongoing expense and effort. Each subdomain requires a security certificate which must be renewed on an annual basis. 

To minimize cost and use our resources efficiently, we prioritize URLs which:

• Use the McGill.ca/sitename format (where possible), or
• Fit under an existing subdomain (for example, sitename.lab.mcgill.ca)

Use of existing subdomains can also allow for clearer human-readable URLs, because the subdomain adds context to the URL. For example, sport.lab.mcgill.ca is a more informative URL than sport.mcgill.ca.

However, each URL request is evaluated individually to ensure that the final URL meets each site's audience needs and technical constraints. 

Obtaining approval for new domain names or URLs

Things to consider when choosing a new domain or URL

Here are a few important questions to ask when choosing your new domain or URL.

Is the domain name or URL already in use?

The first thing to check is whether the domain name or URL is already in use. You can do this by simply typing the domain name or URL into your browser.

Is the choice of URL too general?

Although the use of some URLs, e.g. www.mcgill.ca/welcome/ may seem important for a special event or message organized by an individual unit, the URL implies that this site is a representative and inclusive 'welcome' from the entire institution. URLs that are general in nature are reserved for use by CER and its partners. Any other URL must be a sub-directory and adjoined specifically to a unit or department URL, e.g. www.mcgill.ca/sitename/welcome.

Are there any negative implications to consider?

Does your domain name or URL have any negative implications? For example, could the URL be misinterpreted or hard to remember? Consider whether the URL will be useful to its desired users and whether it will lend helpful connotations or context to the site. 

Abbreviations, acronyms and jargon

In most cases, abbreviations and acronyms in URLs will not be accepted. This is because:

• Users sometimes fail to connect an acronym with the department or service they are looking for. This makes the URL hard to remember and use. It also makes the URL less helpful when it appears alongside search results. This is of particular concern in situations involving people who are new to McGill, e.g. newly admitted students, community partners, and members of the general public.
• Acronyms are also hard to translate reliably. Differences between the English and French will make the URL harder to use and remember.
• Abbreviations and acronyms may also have unintended negative associations, e.g. a connection to inappropriate slang, a pop culture reference, or a common text abbreviation. You can do an online search of your abbreviation or acronym to find out if there are any related associations to take into consideration.

For similar reasons, the use of jargon in URLs is also discouraged.

Under exceptional circumstances, URLs using abbreviations, acronyms or jargon may be considered. Complete the Non-standard URL request webform to request approval.

Is the domain name or URL an appropriate reflection of your department's purview?

Consider the broad scope implied by your domain name or URL. Could it suggest a breadth of expertise beyond your department's purview? For example, a domain name like medical.research.mcgill.ca might seem like an appropriate choice for a research lab in the Faculty of Medicine, but this domain may imply to some that the site contains details about everything related to medical research at McGill, which is likely not accurate.

When in doubt…

Sometimes the answer to what is appropriate or what can be approved isn’t obvious. Please feel free to reach out with questions about the use of domain names and URLs.

• karl.jarosiewicz [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Question%20concerning%20McGill%20domain%20names%20and%20URLs) (IT Communications, WSG)
• web.communications [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Question%20concerning%20McGill%20domain%20names%20and%20URLs) (Digital Communications, CER)