In order to create a cohesive web identity and to ensure the integrity of the Institute’s commitment to a unified web presence, the Institute has established the Brand Identity Standards Policy and these website domain name standards.

For questions about these criteria or general vanity URL consultation, please email vanityurls@lists.gatech.edu. 

Domain Name Formats

All websites that are funded and/or sponsored by the Institute are required to have a gatech.edu-based web address. Any campus unit can request a gatech domain name at no charge; however, there are differences in domain formats based on the unit's function and visibility.

Website Types and Domain Name Formats

1. Official Georgia Tech website
   The internet domain name assigned to the Georgia Institute of Technology is gatech.edu. The Institute recognizes gatech.edu as its official domain name; it is legally registered to the Institute and, like other marks of the institution, is subject to the Institute’s use, policies, and guidelines.
    
2. Institute-wide or multi-unit collaborative initiative websites
   Top-level domain aliases are generally reserved for units and initiatives that serve or represent the entire Institute and for multi-unit collaborative initiatives. A top-level domain alias is formatted as: [requestedname].gatech.edu.
    
3. Registered Student organizations (RSO) and Departmental Registered Student Organizations (DRSO)
   RSO and DRSO websites are assigned a “gtorg” alias. Student organization domains are formatted as: [requestedname].gtorg.gatech.edu.
    
4. All other Georgia Tech websites
   All other academic, administrative, laboratories, and/or other organizational units within the Institute that do not fit in the categories above are assigned sub-domains. This also includes personal websites that are hosted by the Institute. Sub-domains are formatted as: [requestedname].[gtunit].gatech.edu.

Vanity Alias Criteria

1. As stated in the "Domain Name Formats" section, top-level domain names ([requestedname].gatech.edu) are reserved for Institute-wide or multi-unit collaborative initiatives.
2. All vanity domain names (vanity aliases) must be specific to a campus unit, program, initiative, or group/entity. 
3. All vanity aliases which include a Georgia Tech trademark must also be approved by Licensing. 
4. Vanity aliases may not:
   • Include the names of trademarks, products, services, organizations, or entities not affiliated with Georgia Tech. 
   • Conflict with existing campus unit, program, initiative, or group/entity identities.
   • Create potential confusion among key audiences.
     Example: careers.gatech.edu and career.gatech.edu lead to different websites. This is confusing to visitors.
5. Vanity aliases should not include abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms. Such requests will be evaluated case-by-case, based on alignment with the brand.
6. Certain terms may be reserved for broader Institute digital initiatives. Institute Communications will recommend alternate solutions in such cases.

Vanity Alias Exceptions  

The Institute may consider granting — on a case-by-case basis and in unique circumstances — an exception to vanity alias requirements in these cases:

External organizations that are not wholly owned or controlled by the Institute and have been approved to be hosted by the Institute. Examples include:

• Non-Georgia Tech organizations
• Professional affiliations
• Consortia
• Cooperatives in which Georgia Tech is a member institution.

Legacy vanity aliases that were assigned prior to the establishment of the Brand Identity Standards Policy and these website domain name standards. Examples include:

• gtms.gatech.edu
• solarracing.gatech.edu
• hyperjackets.gatech.edu
• wreckracing.gatech.edu

Legacy vanity aliases may be scheduled for deprecation to better serve audiences, emphasize the brand, and evolve with technology changes. Institute Communications will work closely with unit personnel to strategically identify such domain names and determine appropriate timelines for necessary changes.

URL Best Practices

1. Make sure the URL is human-readable. 
2. Make it short. 
3. Choose words that are easy to remember and spell. 
4. Always use lowercase letters. Never capitalize words in a URL.