Grammar and style
URLs and QR codes
These rules govern how URLs are displayed and used across all Buffini external channels.
URL display rules
- No protocol: Omit https:// in all display contexts
- No www: Omit the subdomain in all display contexts
- All lowercase: Every URL, in every context, is lowercase. No exceptions.
- No trailing slash: Use buffini.com/coaching, not buffini.com/coaching/
- Short form: Use the shortest accurate path. buffini.com/coaching, not buffini.com/programs/coaching/overview
- URL naming: Keep path names lowercase and as succinct as possible. Favor one- or two-word paths that a reader can remember and type. buffini.com/coaching, not buffini.com/real-estate-coaching-programs.
Not thishttps://www.buffiniandcompany.com/Coaching/Overview
Thisbuffini.com/coaching
URL display in practice
Link text vs. bare URLs
- In digital copy (web pages, emails, social captions), always use descriptive link text rather than displaying a bare URL.
- In print and physical materials where hyperlinks are not possible, display the short-form URL directly. Keep it short enough to type without error.
Digital copy in practice
Print/Physical in practice
Visit our coaching page to learn more → descriptive text, URL lives in the hyperlink
Visit buffini.com/coaching to learn more → URL displayed in full
Download the guide → descriptive text, URL lives in the hyperlink
buffini.com/guide → displayed as-is, lowercase, no protocol
URL format
Buffini canonical external domain is buffini.com. Email addresses use the same root: @buffini.com.
URL shorteners
- bit.ly is the only approved URL shortener and is permitted on social media only. Do not use bit.ly or any other shortener in emails, on web pages, or in print materials. Shortened URLs in those contexts obscure the destination and reduce trust.
- When using bit.ly on social, create a named short link that reflects the destination where possible (e.g., bit.ly/buffinicoaching rather than bit.ly/xK7p2r)
QR codes
- QR codes must always be accompanied by the corresponding short-form URL in plain text. Do not publish a QR code without a visible URL beneath or beside it. Readers may not have a device available, the QR code may not scan cleanly, or the printed material may be photocopied.
- Format the accompanying URL using the same display rules: lowercase, no protocol, no www, no trailing slash
Not thisQR code with no URL shown. Reader cannot access the destination without scanning.
ThisQR code with buffini.com/coaching displayed in plain text beneath it.
QR code with URL in practice
URLs in email
- Use descriptive link text in email body copy. Do not display bare URLs in the body of an email.
- The exception is the unsubscribe and preference-management footer, which may display a bare URL if required by the email platform
- Email sender addresses follow the @buffini.com convention. Lowercase, no variation.
