Advice

University website or your own lab domain? What’s allowed and what works

Should your lab website live on the university’s CMS or your own domain? The trade-offs in control, branding rules, longevity and recruiting — and how to get the best of both.

By the Labsite team · 29 October 2026 · 2 min read

Before building a lab website, most university guides say the same thing: check with your IT or communications office first. Good advice — many institutions have an approved platform, a brand template, or rules about domains. But the decision is ultimately about what serves your lab. Here's how to think about it.

Option 1: the university's CMS

Your department's web platform, often Drupal, WordPress or a commercial CMS, with the university's look.

Pros

Free, hosted and secured by IT
Carries the university's authority and is linked from department pages
Meets accessibility and branding requirements by default

Cons

Rigid templates; every lab looks the same
Editing access may be limited or slow, sometimes via a request form
Few features for labs: no publication feeds, alumni lists or application forms
It disappears when you leave. Moving institutions usually means starting over — see moving your lab website

Option 2: your own domain

A domain such as raolab.org or rao-lab.com, or an address on a lab website builder.

Pros

Moves with you through your career
Your design, your structure, your pace of updates
Can grow features the university platform lacks

Cons

You (or a service) maintain it
Some institutions have rules on using their name or logo off their platform

What's usually allowed

Policies vary, so ask — but in practice:

Most universities allow lab sites outside their CMS, especially for research groups.
Many ask that you don't use the university logo or imply official status without approval — using the university's name in text is fine.
Some offer a subdomain (raolab.university.edu) that can point to an external site. It looks official and you keep control, though it still won't survive a move.
Departments are usually happy to link to your lab site from their people pages.

The best of both

Keep a short official page on the university site with your title, contact and a prominent link to the lab site.
Run the lab site on a domain you control.
If your university offers it, point a university subdomain at your lab site.
When you move, redirect the subdomain if possible and update the link.

On Labsite

Every Labsite site gets a free address (yourlab.labsite.ai) and can use your own domain or a university subdomain with HTTPS. If your university requires its look, you can match colours and fonts in the design studio. See pricing or start free.