OVERVIEW
Target audience: Site Administrators, Site Managers
A redirect can be used to forward your site visitors as well as search engines from one URL to a different URL. This article describes a variety of cases for the use of redirects within the Web Management System (WMS) and other web publishing services.
In this article:
What is a redirect?
A redirect forwards visitors from one URL to a different URL. There are several possible types of redirects including permanent and temporary redirects. By default, redirects created in the WMS are permanent (HTTP status code 301) and in most cases this is appropriate and recommended.
When would I typically want a redirect?
- if you’ve moved a page and want to avoid broken links or want to guide users who’ve bookmarked the former URL;
- if you’re shortening a long URL into a more user-friendly or memorable one for marketing and advertising purposes.
NOTE - Shortened URLs can be:
- Customized for specific marketing campaigns and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. These should not be overly generic if the subject matter applies only to a specific audience segment. For example, mcgill.ca/welcome is too generic because it applies to the entire University vs. mcgill.ca/math-welcome.
OR
- Randomly-generated McGill-branded short URLs in the format: mcgill.ca/x/Zkd. These are short links that are trustworthy and recommended over third-party link shortening services because links with external domains can be perceived as phishing attempts. Additionally, you can apply for self-service access to create and manage your own short links.
- Customized for specific marketing campaigns and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. These should not be overly generic if the subject matter applies only to a specific audience segment. For example, mcgill.ca/welcome is too generic because it applies to the entire University vs. mcgill.ca/math-welcome.
How do I create redirects for reorganized pages?
Redirects are created automatically in the WMS whenever the URL of a page changes.
A redirect to the new URL will be automatically created each time you:
- reorganize and move pages;
- change a menu link title; or
- add/edit a custom alias.
NOTE:
The page visibility settings of blocks need to be manually updated if the page where they were set to display has changed. The automated redirects do not take blocks into account. It is recommended that you use node IDs to set the page visibility so that you won’t need to update this whenever the page URL changes.
How do I redirect from a shorter URL?
If you plan to advertise a shorter URL for your web page, you can submit the request form: URL redirect.
Note: There is no need for a redirect if you simply want a shorter URL for any web page on your site. For example: www.mcgill.ca/mysite/this-is-my-page shortened to www.mcgill.ca/mysite/mypage. This can be done by applying a custom alias.
All requests for a redirect are considered on a case-by-case basis:
- Redirects that are approved are typically those that are internal to the WMS, i.e., going from one WMS page (www.mcgill.ca/url1) to another WMS page (www.mcgill.ca/url2).
- External redirects, i.e., going from the WMS to an external site such as mysite.research.com, are usually not approved or recommended. This is due to security and user experience concerns. Redirecting visitors to an external site can be seen as a phishing attempt and search engines may also flag these redirects if they suspect that the other site is malicious in nature. It’s recommended instead that you include a link to the external site on your web page.
- Some external redirects are approved if they’re going from the WMS to a McGill-affiliated domain for University-related business.
How long do redirects last?
The URL redirect request form allows you to choose an expiry of either six months or one year. Redirects such as those for marketing campaigns are typically only required for limited time periods; if an extension is needed, a new request should be submitted.
All redirects created automatically in the WMS following a URL change expire automatically after one year. This is usually more than enough time for site visitors to have learned the new navigation or to update their bookmarks.
