URLs
How URLs work on SF.gov
URLs on SF.gov are structured to show users where they are and how they got there. They reassure our users that they are on a single, consistent website.
URL names prioritize what San Franciscans need from the City, so the shortest URLs are given to services.
URLs use the title of the page, with dashes between words. Small words, like and, the, or are skipped. We add structure to the URL for non-service content.
Page title
URL
Wear a face covering
Buy a home with City help
Principles
User and SEO friendly
Consistent and predictable
Short and simple
Memorable
easy to type
everything a user can reach on your site should have a distinct URL that a user can bookmark and use later to reach that same location
Services-oriented
We spell things out rather than use acronyms in long/full URLs. Short URLs may use acronyms.
URL structure by content type
About - sf.gov/about-[department name]
Agency - sf.gov/department-[slug]
Campaign - sf.gov/[slug]
Data Story - sf.gov/[slug]
Event - sf.gov/events-yyyymmdd-[slug]
Form - sf.gov/form-[slug]
Information - sf.gov/[slug]
Location - sf.gov/[slug]
Meeting - sf.gov/meeting-yyyymmdd-[slug]
News - sf.gov/news-[slug]
Profile - sf.gov/[slug]
Report - sf.gov/[slug]
Resource Collection - sf.gov/[slug]
Step by step - sf.gov/[slug]
Topic - sf.gov/topic-[slug]
Transaction - sf.gov/[slug]
Agency pages
Agency pages are the home pages for any government department, agency or public body.
Agency pages are within the /departments directory. The full title of the department is turned into the URL.
sf.gov/department-treasurer-and-tax-collector
sf.gov/department-office-of-the-mayor
Sub-departments are nested within their parent departments.
sf.gov/department-office-of-the-mayor-mayors-office-of-housing-and-community-development
Short URLs for departments
Departments can have a single short URL. By default, this is the shortest version of the organization’s name in common use (which may be an acronym).
sf.gov/ttx for the Treasurer and Tax Collector
sf.gov/mayor for the Office of the Mayor
You can request to get a short URL for your page.
Topics
sf.gov/topic-[name-of-topic]
Topic pages gather transactions, services, policies, departments, news, events related to a theme or “tag”.
Topic pages are within the /topics directory.
sf.gov/topic-taxes
sf.gov/topic-marriage-partnerships
Transaction start pages
Transaction start pages come right after the top-level domain, with no subdirectory. The URL uses the name of the service, including the verb. Note that “a” would be removed from “Apply for a cannabis equity permit”
sf.gov/apply-for-cannabis-equity-permit
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