Manage Syllabus Links with Branded Short URLs Each Semester

Executive Summary

Every term, instructors refresh syllabi, course pages, and resource links—yet the URLs inside often lag behind reality. Readings move, LMS modules change, Zoom links rotate, and library reserves expire. Students end up chasing dead links, instructors spend time fixing them one-by-one, and departments lose insight into what’s actually clicked. The fix is both simple and transformative: use branded short URLs as the permanent, semester-aware front door to every recurring syllabus resource.

This guide shows you how to design, govern, and operate a “single-link strategy” for syllabi using a branded short domain (e.g., learn.yourschool.edu/abc123), so the link on every PDF, slide deck, LMS page, and printed handout never changes, even while the destination updates automatically each semester. We’ll cover naming conventions, analytics with privacy, rollover procedures, caching, accessibility, QR codes, emergency overrides, CSV bulk operations, LMS integration, and a ready-to-run standard operating procedure (SOP) you can adopt today.

Table of Contents

  1. Why Syllabus Links Break—and Why Short URLs Fix It
  2. What Is a Branded Short URL for Higher Ed?
  3. Governance: Roles, Permissions, and Guardrails
  4. Designing a Semester-Aware Link Taxonomy
  5. Redirect Strategy: Default, Versioned, and Archive Targets
  6. Naming Conventions that Scale Across Years and Sections
  7. Analytics without Compromising FERPA or Privacy
  8. QR Codes on Syllabi and Printed Materials
  9. Accessibility: Readable Links and Assistive Tech
  10. LMS Integration (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L)
  11. Bulk Operations: CSV Imports, APIs, and Automation
  12. Security: Phishing Prevention, Domain Controls, and Audits
  13. Semester Rollover SOP (D-60, D-30, D-7, and Week 2)
  14. Emergency Change Management and Incident Playbooks
  15. SEO & Caching: 301 vs 302, TTLs, and Canonicals
  16. Link Packs: Standard Services Every Syllabus Needs
  17. Multi-Campus, Multi-Language, and Accessibility Variants
  18. Data Retention and Compliance (FERPA, GDPR, SOC2)
  19. Worked Example: End-to-End Department Rollout
  20. Templates: CSV Columns, Style Guide, and Policy Snippets
  21. FAQs

1) Why Syllabus Links Break—and Why Short URLs Fix It

Common failure modes:

  • LMS churn: Course shells clone references to last semester’s modules; after migration, deep links change.
  • Library reserves rotate: Licensing windows and resolver URLs expire or move between semesters.
  • Instructor platforms rotate URLs: New Zoom/Teams links each term; office hours calendars shift; Calendly slugs change.
  • Publisher content reorganizes: Vendor platforms adjust structures and invalidate old deep links.
  • PDF syllabi freeze: Once exported and emailed, the link inside a PDF is static—even when resources move.

Operational impact:

  • Student frustration (time lost, reduced engagement).
  • Instructor overhead (reactive support tickets and ad-hoc fixes).
  • Department risk (inaccessible course content; compliance and accessibility issues).
  • No consistent analytics (what resources are actually used?).

The structural fix:
Adopt branded, permanent short URLs as the canonical public interface to every “recurring” syllabus resource. The short link never changes, but the destination does—updated centrally each term, per section, or per cohort. Instructors update targets once; every syllabus, LMS page, email, and slide deck instantly benefits—no document surgery needed.

2) What Is a Branded Short URL for Higher Ed?

A branded short URL is a school-owned domain like go.school.edu/resource that redirects to a longer destination (e.g., a library resolver link, a deep LMS module URL, or a publisher reading page). The short URL:

  • Remains constant across semesters, even as destinations change.
  • Consolidates analytics (you track clicks on the short link).
  • Improves trust (students see an .edu or school-branded domain).
  • Prints cleanly on PDFs and handouts.
  • Has readable slugs (e.g., /econ101-syllabus or /office-hours).
  • Easily generates QR codes for in-room posters, slides, and lab signage.

Key higher-ed advantages:

  • Centralized rollover: update hundreds of syllabus links for the new term in one pass.
  • Role-based control: compliance, disability services, and IT can audit and govern.
  • Vendor-agnostic survivability: keep link continuity even when the LMS or publisher changes.
  • Privacy by default: avoid embedding personally identifiable information (PII) in URLs.

3) Governance: Roles, Permissions, and Guardrails

To make this sustainable, set up clear ownership and controls.

Recommended roles:

  • Program/Department Link Steward (Owner):
    Manages the department namespace and approves conventions.
  • Course Coordinators (Managers):
    Own course-level links (e.g., econ101/*), perform semester rollovers.
  • Instructors & TAs (Editors):
    Propose changes, manage section-specific links within approved patterns.
  • IT/Platform Admin (Admin):
    SSO provisioning, domain, SSL, audit logs, API keys, and webhooks.
  • Accessibility & Compliance (Reviewer):
    Ensures link text, QR usage, and content destinations meet standards.

Guardrails to configure:

  • SSO + RBAC: Provision via SAML/OIDC groups: Faculty, TAs, Coordinators, Dept-Admins.
  • Approval workflow: Require approval for creating top-level course slugs or changing sensitive links (syllabus, safety policies).
  • Namespace reservations: Lock course prefixes: econ101/*, chem201/*.
  • Domain allowlists: Only redirect to trusted domains: LMS, library resolver, school sites, approved vendors.
  • Audit logs: Immutable logs of who changed what, when.
  • Change windows: Freeze critical links during exam weeks unless emergency override.

4) Designing a Semester-Aware Link Taxonomy

A clean taxonomy unlocks scale.

Domain:
Use a short, school-branded domain: go.school.edu, learn.school.edu, or a memorable vanity like syl.school.edu.

Path prefixes:
Organize by department/course:

  • /econ101/ — reusable namespace for the course family.
  • /econ101/syllabus — course-level evergreen slug.
  • /econ101/office-hours — common resources.
  • /econ101/readings — collection link leading to a reading hub.
  • /econ101/week-01-reading-1 — optional deep granularity (only if needed).

Semester tokens (optional in final slugs):
Avoid baking the term directly into the public slug unless you truly need historical public visibility. Prefer keeping /econ101/syllabus permanent, while the destination swaps per term. If you need public archives, use:

  • /econ101/syllabus/2025-fall (archival public record).
  • Keep /econ101/syllabus pointing to “current semester.”

Section routing:
Two patterns:

  1. Separate link per section — /econ101/section-a/syllabus.
  2. Smart redirect — /econ101/syllabus detects authenticated user’s section (via LMS/LTI context) and routes accordingly. (If you don’t integrate SSO/LTI, keep separate explicit links per section to avoid misroutes.)

5) Redirect Strategy: Default, Versioned, and Archive Targets

Think of each short link as a routing rule with three key behaviors:

  1. Default Target (Current Semester):
    The primary destination that changes every term. Example: /econ101/syllabus → Canvas course shell syllabus page (Fall 2025).
  2. Versioned Targets (Optional):
    Store historical URLs for older terms (Spring 2025, Fall 2024) so auditors or late incompletes can access the exact historical syllabus. These can be discoverable via query params or exposed via an “archive” page.
  3. Archive Target:
    A stable, public archive page listing past versions with dates.
    /econ101/syllabus-archive → list of past syllabi, PDFs, and changelog.

Mechanics:

  • Use 302 (Found) during active term if you anticipate frequent updates; switch to 301 (Moved Permanently) only when the target is truly set for the semester and not expected to change.
  • For permanent archive links, use 301 to the archive record.
  • Keep diagnostic tags (UTM or campaign tags) out of the public short URL; append them at the destination.

6) Naming Conventions that Scale Across Years and Sections

Consistency is everything.

Slug style guide:

  • Lowercase, hyphen-separated: econ101-office-hours, week-03-lab-guide.
  • Keep it human-readable and pronounceable (good for lecture hall shout-outs and posters).
  • Avoid semesters in “current” slugs; reserve them for archival slugs only.
  • Reserve course namespaces per department (prevent name collisions):
    /econ101/*, /econ201/*, /chem201/*.

Recommended set for every course:

  • /COURSE/syllabus
  • /COURSE/schedule
  • /COURSE/readings (hub page that can change sources over time)
  • /COURSE/office-hours
  • /COURSE/zoom or /COURSE/live-session
  • /COURSE/announcements (if you publish externally)
  • /COURSE/faq
  • /COURSE/help (tutoring, writing center, academic integrity, disability services)

Sections & instructors:

  • /COURSE/section-a/syllabus
  • /COURSE/section-b/syllabus
  • /COURSE/office-hours-smith (if multiple staff)
  • Alternatively, use a link-in-bio style “course hub” short link per section:
    /COURSE/section-a → mini-page listing all section links (syllabus, Zoom, assignments, calendar).

7) Analytics without Compromising FERPA or Privacy

You want insight without risk.

Measure what matters:

  • Click totals by link, course, department, and date.
  • Hour-of-day/dow-of-week patterns for resource usage.
  • Device category and rough geo (country/region) for capacity planning.
  • Referrer (LMS, PDF syllabus, email newsletter, course site) to learn where students find links.

Avoid capturing PII:

  • Do not embed student IDs or emails in URLs or UTMs.
  • If you need section-level attribution, create separate links per section or use LMS context (LTI launch parameters) server-side without logging PII the URL itself.

Retention and access:

  • Keep only aggregate, course-level metrics.
  • Define a retention window (e.g., 180–365 days) aligned with policy.
  • Restrict raw logs to admins; share only dashboards with faculty.

8) QR Codes on Syllabi and Printed Materials

Why QR:
Speed in class. Post a QR that resolves to /econ101/syllabus on slides, whiteboards, and lab entrances. Students can scan to open the canonical current link.

Best practices:

  • Use a branded short URL as the QR content (not the long destination).
  • Add human-readable text under the QR: go.school.edu/econ101/syllabus.
  • Ensure contrast and quiet zone for reliable scanning.
  • If you rev the destination mid-semester (e.g., room change), the QR remains valid.

9) Accessibility: Readable Links and Assistive Tech

Readable link text:
Rather than pasting raw URLs into syllabi (“https://vendor.com/very/long/path?...”), link descriptive text such as “Course Syllabus (current semester)”. For printed PDFs, also include the short URL in plain text so students can type it.

Screen reader considerations:

  • Avoid repetitive “click here.” Use semantic link text.
  • Ensure the destination pages meet WCAG contrast and heading structure.
  • If QR codes are used, include a text alternative: “Scan for current syllabus: go.school.edu/econ101/syllabus.”

Testing:
Run screen reader checks on the PDF syllabus and key destination pages each term.

10) LMS Integration (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L)

Strategy:
Use the same short link everywhere: inside LMS modules, syllabus pages, announcements, emails, and PDFs. When the destination moves (new LMS shell, archived module), update the short link target once.

LTI or SSO awareness:
If your short-link platform supports LTI/SSO context, you can:

  • Route /econ101/syllabus to the correct section based on LMS context.
  • Gate certain links behind SSO (students only), while keeping other links public.

Cloning courses:
When template courses are cloned semester-to-semester, do not hardcode long deep links. Place only the short links. The next semester, you update the short links in bulk; every cloned shell points to the right place.

11) Bulk Operations: CSV Imports, APIs, and Automation

You can move fast with hundreds of courses.

CSV template (example columns):

slug, title, destination_url, status, visibility, owner, folder, tags
econ101/syllabus,Econ 101 Syllabus (Current),https://lms.school.edu/courses/123/syllabus,active,public,dept-econ,econ101,syllabus,current
econ101/readings,Econ 101 Readings Hub,https://library.school.edu/reserves/econ101-fall-2025,active,public,dept-econ,econ101,readings
econ101/office-hours,Office Hours (Smith),https://cal.school.edu/smith-fall-2025,active,private,dept-econ,econ101,office-hours
econ101/zoom,Live Session,https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/... ,active,private,dept-econ,econ101,live

API workflow (pseudocode):

# Create or update a short link
curl -X POST "https://short.example.edu/api/v1/links" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "slug":"econ101/syllabus",
    "title":"Econ 101 Syllabus (Current)",
    "destination":"https://lms.school.edu/courses/123/syllabus",
    "visibility":"public",
    "folder":"econ101",
    "tags":["syllabus","current","fall-2025"]
  }'

Automation tips:

  • Build a rollover script that reads a mapping from “Old LMS IDs → New LMS IDs” and updates destinations accordingly.
  • Use folders/namespaces per course for tidy bulk updates (e.g., folder=econ101).
  • Apply tags by term (fall-2025) to audit what needs updating next term.

12) Security: Phishing Prevention, Domain Controls, and Audits

Risks to mitigate:

  • Malicious destinations (typosquatting, credential capture).
  • Shadow edits by unauthorized users.
  • Short links posted publicly that should be internal.

Controls to implement:

  • Domain allowlist: Only permit redirects to *.school.edu, LMS, library resolver, and vetted vendors.
  • Link approvals: Changes to “gold” links (syllabus, exam rules, safety policies) require a second reviewer.
  • SSO + MFA: Restrict admin functions; tie permissions to faculty accounts.
  • Audit logs: Nightly reviews during add/drop.
  • Auto-disable triggers: If a destination returns 404/5xx for N hours, auto-route to a fallback message and alert the owner.

13) Semester Rollover SOP (D-60, D-30, D-7, and Week 2)

D-60 (two months before term):

  • Import new course shells and section IDs from SIS/LMS.
  • Generate a Rollover Report listing all course namespaces and their short links.
  • Identify links with external vendors that change each term (library, Zoom/Teams, publisher assignments).

D-30:

  • Update destinations in bulk using CSV/API.
  • Mark links with fall-2025 tag.
  • Validate link health (200 OK, correct landing page).
  • Accessibility review of destination pages.

D-7:

  • Lock “gold” links behind approval.
  • Create QR assets for lecture halls and handouts.
  • Publish a short “course hub” page per course/section if used.

Week 2 (after add/drop):

  • Review analytics for deadweight links (never clicked).
  • Remove or consolidate redundant links.
  • Confirm no legacy destinations remain.

14) Emergency Change Management and Incident Playbooks

Common emergencies:

  • Zoom link compromised — rotate destination immediately; keep the short link constant.
  • Vendor outage — temporarily route to a status page or alternate copy (e.g., PDF mirror).
  • LMS module access issue — redirect to a temporary instructions page.

Playbook essentials:

  • Designate on-call editors with permission to update critical slugs 24/7.
  • Fallback page on your .edu domain that:
    1. states the issue, 2) offers alternatives, 3) sets expectations on restoration.
  • Rollback checkpoints: Keep previous good destination references to restore quickly.

15) SEO & Caching: 301 vs 302, TTLs, and Canonicals

Redirect codes:

  • 302 (Found) during setup and frequent tweaks (search engines won’t cache).
  • 301 (Permanent) once a semester’s target is settled and unlikely to change.
  • For archives, always 301 to the canonical archived syllabus.

Caching and TTL:

  • Short-link redirects can be cached by CDNs for performance.
    Keep low TTL (e.g., 60–300 seconds) for live, changeable “current semester” links.
    Use higher TTL (e.g., hours) for archived, immutable targets.

Canonical hints:

  • Destination pages (syllabus landing pages) should specify canonicals if duplicative content exists across LMS and public site.

16) Link Packs: Standard Services Every Syllabus Needs

Create reusable “packs” so every course ships with a consistent set of support links:

  • Student Support: /support/students
  • Disability Services: /support/accessibility
  • Library Help & Reserves: /library/reserves
  • Academic Integrity: /policies/academic-integrity
  • Writing Center / Math Lab: /support/writing /support/math
  • IT Help Desk: /support/it
  • Mental Health / Wellness: /support/wellbeing
  • Emergency Info: /safety/emergency

Each pack target can change (hours, phone numbers, appointment systems) without touching syllabi.

17) Multi-Campus, Multi-Language, and Accessibility Variants

Campuses & modalities:

  • Namespaces per campus: /nyc/econ101/syllabus, /online/econ101/syllabus.
  • Or dynamic routing based on user selection on a hub page.

Localization:

  • Separate slugs per language:
    /econ101/syllabus (EN) → hub with language toggle
    /econ101/syllabus-es (ES), /econ101/syllabus-vi (VI)
  • Keep language tokens at the end for predictability.

Accessibility variants:

  • /econ101/syllabus-plain → simplified HTML, maximum contrast, keyboard-friendly.

18) Data Retention and Compliance (FERPA, GDPR, SOC2)

Principles:

  • Minimize: collect only aggregate click metrics.
  • Avoid PII in URLs, tags, and logs.
  • Define retention: e.g., 180–365 days for course analytics, 2–3 years for audit logs.
  • Access control: read-only dashboards for instructors; raw logs for admins only.
  • Vendor review: ensure your short-link platform meets your institution’s data processing and security requirements; execute a DPA if applicable.

19) Worked Example: End-to-End Department Rollout

Scenario: The Economics Department manages 12 undergraduate courses each term, with 3–5 sections each, and recurring resources (syllabus, schedule, readings, office hours, live session, help).

Step 1: Domain & SSO

  • Provision go.school.edu with SSL.
  • Connect SSO; set groups: econ-admins, econ-coords, econ-faculty, econ-tas.

Step 2: Namespace Reservation

  • Reserve /econ101, /econ201, /econ301, etc.
  • Set rule: only econ-admins can create top-level under /econ*.

Step 3: Baseline Links per Course

  • For each course, create:
    /COURSE/syllabus, /COURSE/schedule, /COURSE/readings, /COURSE/office-hours, /COURSE/zoom, /COURSE/help.

Step 4: Sectionalization

  • For courses with many instructors, either:
    a) /COURSE/section-a, /COURSE/section-b (hub mini-pages), or
    b) instructor-labeled: /COURSE/office-hours-smith.

Step 5: Populate Fall Destinations

  • Pull LMS course shell IDs (Fall 2025).
  • Upload CSV to set destinations for all /COURSE/syllabus links.
  • Add tags fall-2025.

Step 6: QA & Accessibility

  • Validate 200 OK responses and correct pages.
  • Check screen reader friendly content on syllabus destinations.

Step 7: Distribute

  • Faculty paste only short links in syllabi and LMS content.
  • Generate QR images for lecture slides linking to /COURSE/syllabus.

Step 8: Mid-term Emergency

  • Library rotates a reserve link; the steward updates /econ201/readings once.
  • All syllabi and LMS pages inherit the fix automatically.

Step 9: Post-Term Archive

  • Freeze /econ201/syllabus → Fall 2025 version stored in archive index.
  • /econ201/syllabus then repoints to Spring 2026 during rollover.

Result: students always reach the current resource; faculty stop chasing stale links; admins gain visibility and control.

20) Templates: CSV Columns, Style Guide, and Policy Snippets

A) CSV Columns (extended):

slug,title,destination_url,http_status,visibility,owner,folder,tags,approval_required,notes
econ101/syllabus,Econ 101 Syllabus (Current),https://lms.school.edu/courses/123/syllabus,302,public,dept-econ,econ101,"syllabus,current,fall-2025",true,"Gold link"
econ101/readings,Econ 101 Readings Hub,https://library.school.edu/reserves/econ101-fall-2025,302,public,dept-econ,econ101,"readings,library,fall-2025",false,""
econ101/office-hours,Office Hours (Smith),https://cal.school.edu/smith-fall-2025,302,private,dept-econ,econ101,"hours,smith,fall-2025",false,""
econ101/zoom,Live Sessions,https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup...,302,private,dept-econ,econ101,"live,fall-2025",true,"Gold link"
econ101/syllabus-archive,Syllabus Archive,https://dept.school.edu/econ101/syllabus-archive,301,public,dept-econ,econ101,"archive,syllabus",false,"Canonical archive"

B) Style Guide Snippet:

  • Use hyphens in slugs.
  • Keep “current” slugs semester-agnostic (no year/term).
  • Add term tags (e.g., fall-2025) for discoverability and audits.
  • Title case for titles; sentence case for notes.

C) Policy Snippet (Approvals & Guardrails):

  • Changes to gold links (/COURSE/syllabus, /COURSE/zoom, /COURSE/schedule) require approval by a Department Coordinator.
  • Redirect destinations must be on the approved allowlist.
  • No PII in slugs, destinations, or tags.
  • Archive the previous term’s syllabus within 14 days of term end.
  • Retain click analytics for 365 days; restrict raw logs to Admins.

D) Comms Template for Faculty (Email):

  • Subject: Use These Course Short Links in Your Syllabus
  • Body:
    “Dear faculty, your course links for Fall 2025 are ready. Please use the following short links in your syllabi, LMS pages, and emails. These links never change; we’ll update the destinations for future terms.
    • Econ 101 Syllabus: go.school.edu/econ101/syllabus
    • Readings Hub: go.school.edu/econ101/readings
    • Office Hours: go.school.edu/econ101/office-hours
    • Live Sessions: go.school.edu/econ101/zoom
      If anything moves, do not edit your documents—just email the steward and we’ll update the link centrally.”

21) FAQs

Q1: Why not just paste the LMS URL?
Because it changes every term (new course shell), and deep links often break after cloning. A short link gives you a permanent address.

Q2: Should I create different short links for each section?
If sections diverge (different instructors, calendars), yes. Otherwise, one “smart” link can route based on context—but only if you’ve implemented SSO/LTI-aware routing.

Q3: 301 or 302 for semester links?
Use 302 while you may adjust the target; switch to 301 once the semester’s target is finalized. Use 301 for immutable archives.

Q4: How do I keep things accessible in PDFs?
Use descriptive link text and also print the short URL in plain text. Ensure destination pages follow WCAG.

Q5: Can I track which materials students actually use?
Yes—at an aggregate level. Track clicks per resource, time, and referrer, but avoid PII and set reasonable retention windows.

Q6: What if a vendor link dies mid-class?
Update the short link to a fallback (status note, alternative copy) immediately. The syllabus link stays the same, so students aren’t stranded.

Q7: What about printed posters and lab signage?
Use QR codes that contain the short link. When schedules change, update the target; the poster remains valid.

Q8: Can I prevent malicious destinations?
Yes—enforce an allowlist of approved domains and require approvals for gold links.

Q9: How do I onboard 200+ courses quickly?
Use CSV import and APIs. Tag links by term and course; create automation for rollover and link health checks.

Q10: Where should archives live?
Use a department site with a simple index (term, PDF, change log). Short links like /COURSE/syllabus-archive should 301 to that page.

Implementation Checklist (Condensed)

  • Acquire and secure a branded short domain with SSL.
  • Connect SSO; define RBAC roles.
  • Reserve course namespaces and publish the slug style guide.
  • Create baseline “gold” links per course.
  • Build CSV/API automation for bulk updates.
  • Configure domain allowlist, approvals, and audit logs.
  • Establish D-60/D-30/D-7/Week-2 SOP.
  • Generate QR assets for key links.
  • Define analytics retention and privacy guardrails.
  • Publish archives with canonical links and change logs.

Conclusion

Treat every recurring syllabus resource as a permanent product with its own address—a branded short URL. Instead of rewriting URLs in documents every term, you repoint the destination once and everything else stays clean. Students always have the right link. Instructors reclaim time. Departments gain visibility and control. And when emergencies hit, you pivot fast without tearing up PDFs and LMS content.

Whether you manage five courses or five hundred, a semester-aware short-link system is a small operational change with outsized impact on student experience, instructional efficiency, and institutional resilience.

Bonus: Example Rollover Command (Pseudo-Shell)

# Input: mapping.csv with: slug,new_destination_url,new_tags
# Action: updates targets and tags; flips gold links to 302 during adjustment, then back to 301.

while IFS=',' read -r slug new_url new_tags; do
  curl -s -X PATCH "https://go.school.edu/api/v1/links/" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d "{
      \"destination\": \"\",
      \"http_status\": 302,
      \"tags\": []
    }"
done < mapping.csv

# After QA passes:
for slug in $(cat gold_links.txt); do
  curl -s -X PATCH "https://go.school.edu/api/v1/links/" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{ "http_status": 301 }'
done

Suggested Evergreen Slugs (Copy-Paste List)

  • /COURSE/syllabus
  • /COURSE/schedule
  • /COURSE/readings
  • /COURSE/office-hours
  • /COURSE/zoom or /COURSE/live-session
  • /COURSE/help
  • /COURSE/faq
  • /COURSE/syllabus-archive
  • /support/students
  • /support/accessibility
  • /policies/academic-integrity
  • /support/writing
  • /support/it
  • /safety/emergency

Adopt the framework above, and your institution will never again spend week one of the semester chasing broken syllabus links.