Website Domain Name Procedures

Before initiating a domain name request, verify the need for a new website with the marketing/communication lead within your school, college, or division. You are responsible for complying with any policies or guidance your unit may have around creating or selecting domains for new websites. Your marketing/communication lead should be able to advise on whether content fits best within an existing website or warrants a new website domain.

New domain names are not appropriate for the following:

• Personal websites (including faculty and student bio websites). If representing the work of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, these should exist as subpages within school/college/division websites.
• Courses. Course materials should be hosted as subpages within school/college/division websites, in Guide, or in Canvas.
• Vanity URLs. If groups wishes to create a URL for the sole purpose of pointing to another URL, they should use the go.wisc.edu link shortener.
• Student organizations.
  • Registered Student Organization (RSO) websites should be hosted through the Wisconsin Involvement Network and adhere to all applicable restrictions on the use of UW brand and marks.
  • Non-registered student organizations are entirely prohibited from hosting web content on the wisc.edu domain or using UW branding in any way.

Decide whether to create a third-level wisc.edu domain, a fourth-level wisc.edu domain, or a non-wisc.edu domain. This decision should be based on the scope and purpose of your website.

Third-level wisc.edu domains (e.g., brand.wisc.edu)

Appropriate for:

• Academic units, departments, or divisions (e.g., admissions.wisc.edu, students.wisc.edu, arts.wisc.edu, continuingstudies.wisc.edu)
• Administrative units, departments, or divisions (e.g., businessservices.wisc.edu, uwpd.wisc.edu)
• Schools and colleges (e.g., business.wisc.edu, cals.wisc.edu, engineering.wisc.edu)
• Well-established research centers (e.g., waisman.wisc.edu, wid.wisc.edu)
• Functional names (e.g., news.wisc.edu, today.wisc.edu)
• Large-scale annual events (e.g., commencement.wisc.edu)

Third-level domains are not appropriate for:

• Specific projects or localized services. This is true even in cases where the project or service involves multiple units of the university. Instead, use a fourth-level domain under sites.wisc.edu, labs.wisc.edu, or studies.wisc.edu.

Fourth-level wisc.edu domains (e.g., something.brand.wisc.edu)

Recommended for:

• Specific projects or services that operate within your school/college/division.
  • These should be fourth-level domains under your unit’s third-level domain to provide context on the website’s scope.
  • Example: outreach.departmentname.wisc.edu (rather than outreach.wisc.edu, which could imply a campus-wide outreach initiative).
• Specific projects or services that operate across multiple university units.
  • These can use a fourth-level domain under sites.wisc.edu.
• Specific labs.
  • These can either reference the larger school/college/division (e.g., mylab.smph.wisc.edu) or be published as a fourth-level domain under labs.wisc.edu.
• Specific studies or research groups.
  • These can either reference the larger school/college/division (e.g., mystudy.smph.wisc.edu) or be published as a fourth-level domain under studies.wisc.edu.

Non-wisc.edu domains

• Non-wisc.edu domains may be appropriate in some cases where non-UW branding is required.
• Requests for non-wisc.edu domains are reviewed by the Office of Strategic Communication on a case-by-case basis.
• .org, .net, .com – May be allowed when the website’s mission includes and exceeds UW-Madison’s mission.
• .edu – Eligibility is defined by Educause and is more restrictive than other domains. Most groups will be ineligible.
• Hosting restrictions – DoIT services may have rules about hosting non-wisc.edu domains. For example, WiscWeb requires redirecting/forwarding the non-wisc.edu domain to a wisc.edu domain.

Third-level domains require a rationale for use. Include the following information when requesting a third-level domain:

• The scope of the website.
• The intended audience.
• A list of groups or departments with ownership over the site contents.
• A link to the existing website (if applicable).
• A justification for why a third-level domain is required rather than a fourth-level domain.

Choose a domain name that aligns with university guidelines:

• Keep your domain clear and descriptive.
  • The domain name should be recognizable to campus. It should accurately describe the group or activity to which it refers.
• Vet the domain with your school/college/division.
  • You are responsible for complying with any policies or guidance your school/college/division may have around creating or selecting domains for new websites.
• Avoid use of acronyms and abbreviations when possible:
  • Consider that prospective students and the general public may not be familiar with a term your group uses to brand ourselves internally. Make it clear in your domain who you are by avoiding acronyms.
• Avoid hyphens and numbers when possible:
  • Hyphens in domains are not expected so they can often be forgotten when attempting to recall your URL. Numbers can also be jarring to type in a domain name. Both are also challenging to relay verbally.
• Avoid using “uw” when possible:
  • Adding “uw” or “uw-madison” to your domain is unnecessary as the relationship to UW–Madison is implied by having “wisc.edu” as the root domain.
• Unacceptable domains
  • Offensive phrases – It is unacceptable to include a word or combination of words that are considered offensive.
    • Offensive words or phrases include those that are: obscene, sexist, racist, sarcastic or otherwise disrespectful of persons, groups of persons, or the units and activities of the university.
    • This includes not just words or phrases in English, but in other languages as well.
  • Inappropriate references – It is unacceptable to include any words or phrases that are inappropriately humorous or ones which may confuse the user.
    • A name should accurately represent content or purpose, and should not adversely affect the perception of the unit or the university as a whole.
  • Inaccurate depictions – It is unacceptable for the domain to imply a function which the unit or service does not perform, or a function which other units or services also perform.
    • As an example, learn.wisc.edu would be out-of-scope for any single department, school or college, because all academic units of the university are engaged in “learning.”
  • Proper names – It is unacceptable for the domain to use a person’s proper name by itself in a third level domain.
    • A proper name used together with another phrase may be acceptable. (e.g., mosseprogram.wisc.edu)
    • A proper name used to reference a historical person within a fourth level domain may be acceptable (e.g., goldberg.history.wisc.edu)
    • A proper name used to reference a campus building may be acceptable (e.g., morgridge.wisc.edu)
  • Domains already in use – it is not possible to reserve a domain that is already actively in use by another group.
    • Test to make sure your desired domain is not already in use by typing the domain into the address bar of your browser. (Note that this method is not 100% accurate, as some domains could be reserved but do not yet have existing DNS records.)

Requesting a new domain will vary depending on how you are hosting your website:

• Domains for DoIT supported hosting services:
  • Each DoIT supported service has their own process for requesting new domains within their service. Please connect with the service to learn more about their desired processes.
    • Web Hosting – Submit a New Account Request form with your desired domain. Or, for existing accounts, use the Request an Additional Domain form.
    • WiscWeb – Submit a Launch Request Form with your desired domain.
• Self-hosted and vendor-hosted websites:
  • Email hostmaster@doit.wisc.edu to request your new domain. For third level domains, include a rationale for use.
• Approval process
  • Submitted domains are vetted through the related stakeholder or service. This is the general approval process that they follow:
    • The domain request is reviewed to confirm that it meets the requirements outlined in this procedure and related policies.
    • If it meets the requirements, a domain is configured in Infoblox.
    • If it does not meet the requirements or if the service cannot support the domain, the requestor is contacted with a rationale for the denial.
    • In cases where an alternative domain is suggested, this is communicated to the requestor.
  • This process helps ensure that domains are configured consistently across campus. It also helps to enforce web and university brand standards.
  • The timeline for approvals depends on the group or service configuring the domain.