How do I set up a vanity url?

Whenever content (or anything really) is saved to a database it is given what is called a unique ID.  What this means is you can't have two row 20's.  Because everything is given a unique ID you will often find that websites take you to pages that display a funny url like: content/index.php?pid=10. While this is functionally correct it can be a marketing nightmare.  Who wants to print "Learn more at www.myorg.org/content/index.php?pid=10."  Instead we want to use a vanity URL, meaning a user friendly naming structure.  This will allow us to send people to something more like "www.myorg.org/mycoolcampaign" where "mycoolcampaign" is your vanity url.

To create a vanity URL, you must have access to onContent.

• Login at www.44fish.com.
• On the left, under the dashboard, click once on onContent.  From the drop down menu you can now edit an exsisting page or add a new page.
• To set a vanity URL, we have to go to the Options tab. 
• From the Options tab, look for Page Options.  Under page options look for the field titled: "Vanity URL".
• In the Vanity URL enter the user-friendly name (no spaces, avoid any special characters) that you want to use.  Be sure you end the name with a "/".  For example, entering "dogs/" would create a vanity URL for the page like www.myorg.org/dogs.
• When you are done entering your information, click Save & Reload to save your work and reload the page itself.  Then check your work live by opening a browser and typing in your new url. 

 

When should you use a vanity URL?

• Because you want to link to a specific page on your website in your print marketing. This is the number one reason to create a vanity url.

• You may also want to create a vanity url for pages that you know you will often refer people to verbally. For example, "Oh, you're interested in learning about vanity urls? Go to antharia.com/vanity. We have a great user guide."
• When sending out email blasts in onDelivery, using vanity urls in the plain-text version makes it easier for people to quickly navigate to the page you're linking to.
  

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