The WSU Link Management Strategy governs how the University Marketing & Communications team and other key communicators organize, brand, edit, and analyze digital content that is shared publicly for the institution. This ensures that communicators are confidently directing people to the right content and sharing relevant messages to the target audiences.

 

There are four main tactics for managing and modifying links, and they each serve a purpose in a larger communication strategy: 

  • Redirects: maintain Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value between webpages and aid transitions in site architecture
  • Short Links: simplify links to make it easier for people to remember and include in visual designs
  • QR Codes: provide interactivity to bridge an analog (real-world) experience with supplemental digital content
  • UTM Codes: provide enhanced analytics tracking that can tie digital and print marketing efforts into a coordinated campaign

 

Short links are a key tactic for marketing, as are QR codes. These should be used in print materials, digital signage, and videos.

 

UTM codes are an advanced technique and are best used for multi-layered marketing campaigns where engagement analytics need to be closely tracked.

 

Redirects are not used for marketing purposes, as these are a tactic in SEO strategy.

 

Redirects

 

A redirect is a web development technique that sends users and search engines to an alternative destination URL. Redirects are used when URLs are modified, such as when the content has moved, the webpage has been deleted, or the domain name has changed. 

 

It is best to avoid using redirects whenever possible due to the SEO implications.

 

Instead, short links are a method more suitable for marketing purposes—especially as marketing projects often are tied to specific campaigns or need to prioritize user experience over SEO.  

 

MarComm collaborates with IT to maintain a redirects inventory for WSU digital properties. We create redirects as needed when:

  • this is a change that will be in place for 6+ months
  • it’s critical to maintain page authority for SEO value
  • it’s critical to quickly transition a significant level of traffic to a new webpage while direct links are being updated
  • there is a known use on significant print materials that are heavily circulated and cannot be updated quickly

 

Not every webpage will have a specific redirect when it is moved. We may use directory-level redirects to move multiple related pages to a new destination.

 

Redirects cannot be placed for pages that live outside of the winona.edu domain, such as vendor-hosted sites, social media accounts, or other third-party apps.

 

Redirects must point to a destination page within a WSU digital property.  

 

See the full WSU SEO Strategy to learn more.

 

Short Links

 

Webpage URLs are often quite long, and a short link is useful where design space and characters are often limited.

 

Short links are typically used in print materials and videos, so that it’s easier for people to remember the URL and type it into a browser. Short links can also be helpful in social media posts and signage.

 

Short links are not used in a webpage, since hyperlinks are created behind anchor text and you don’t see the URL written out.

 

MarComm has a Bitly account with a branded custom domain. This is the only official method to shorten links for WSU. Short links will typically be customized for a descriptive back-half, but there may be instances where auto-generated characters will suffice.

 

Short links are often used for phishing scams and other fraud, so it’s important to build trust through custom branding features and ensure security measures like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are in place.

 

Short links cannot be created for third-party pages that are not maintained by WSU. MarComm may choose to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

 

QR Codes

 

QR codes are an efficient way to direct people to an online resource—typically a webpage—from a print piece or signage. A QR code functions as a hyperlink, but people scan the code using a personal device camera rather than manually typing a URL into a browser.


Thus, there is no value to using a QR code in a website itself, and it’s more difficult to access the intended destination than a regular hyperlink for people.


A QR code can be static, meaning that the destination URL is locked in. Or it can be dynamic, so that the same QR code can be modified to point to multiple URL destinations over time.

 

The MarComm Bitly account also has a branded QR code generator, which has options for dynamic QR codes. This is the only official method to create QR codes for WSU, as it mitigates security risks from free tools.

 

QR codes have been used for phishing scams and other fraud, so it’s important to present QR codes with consistent formatting and build trust through custom branding features.

 

QR codes cannot be created for third-party pages that are not maintained by WSU. MarComm may choose to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

 

UTM Codes

 

A UTM code adds a series of parameters to the end of a URL to help track how marketing and social media campaigns perform. These can be combined with short links to create a print-friendly URL, or used as is for a hyperlink.

 

MarComm will create UTM codes as required for coordinated marketing campaigns or content strategies.