URL Guidance for DHHS Programs

The department home URL has become www.ncdhhs.gov.

Programs will all have home pages within the structure of the new redesign site. Program may obtain alias URLs prior to incorporation into the redesign, by following these guidelines:

The general construction of the alias should be: www.programname.ncdhhs.gov. This URL convention has the advantage of the .gov extension, which lends credence to the webpage more than a .com or .org extension.
Since the redesigned website will be organized by programs/services, not by our organizational structure, departmental programs and departmental facilities can get alias URLs, not sections, or branches within the department. An example of a URL for a departmental facility is murdochcenter.ncdhhs.gov, not stateoperatedservicessection.ncdhhs.gov. Alias division URLs will be assigned as each division is incorporated into the redesign site.
Unless central to the program or service name, the initials “nc” can be left off the program name, since it is specified in the ncdhhs.gov portion of the URL.
If a URL in this convention is requested prior to the redesigned site going live, such a request is appropriate as long as the URL points to a program, not an organizational unit.
In the redesigned site, the alias URL will, in general, point to the information designed for residents. Information designed for researchers, government, or partners and providers can be prominently linked and easily found from resident pages.
Alias URLs must be specific, descriptive and not overly broad. For instance, ‘employmentservices.ncdhhs.gov’ should not be assigned to a certain program since a wide variety of programs within DHHS are devoted to employment services. A more specific URL would be appropriate.

These URL conventions are for programs that will exist on the newly redesigned departmental website. For existing, well-publicized URLs to high profile sites that contain a targeted message (such as eatsmartmovemoreNC.com), a URL change will not be immediately required. However, it is preferable that the URL eventually comply with this convention. Suggested strategies and timeframes for changing URLs will be researched and circulated.

Procedure to Obtain a URL Alias

For current sites on an ITS server:

1. Get Public Affairs signoff on the URL.

2. Send an email to ITS.Incidents@ncmail.net and make a request for DNS service. Sample request: "Add: asthma.ncdhhs.gov pointing directly to 207.192.nnn.nnn

3. Email ITS customer support at ITS.Incidents@ncmail.net and make a request for Web Services to add a virtual redirect site. Provide the actual URL and the new alias or virtual URL. The DHHS website account will be charged $68.50 (one-time setup fee).

For current sites not hosted at ITS:

1. Get Public Affairs signoff on the URL.

2. Send an email to ITS.Incidents@ncmail.net and make a request for DNS service. Sample request: "Add: asthma.ncdhhs.gov pointing directly to 207.192.nnn.nnn

3. Communicate with the server admin requesting a new virtual redirect site. Provide the actual URL and the new alias or virtual URL.

Questions? Contact Lois Nilsen.

Last Modified: May 21, 2008