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How to Set a Custom URL / Username for your Google Plus Profile

| Updated On

Google Plus has created a lot of buzz since its launch in 2011. It is unbelievable to see the growth of the new social network in just one year. It is reported that Google+ now has a total of 250 million registered active users

If you have been active on Google+ now, you possibly notice that the URL of your profile looks quite ugly, for example, here is my profile URL:

https://plus.google.com/113914713777855840452/

Google+ is now using a long ID at the end of URL which is difficult for people to remember. Although we can’t set username directly to the Google+ URL, there are still some ways to shorten it so that it looks cleaner and recognizable. Here are the solutions at the moment.

1. Google+ officially offers custom URLs

Update: Google is offering vanity URLs for verified accounts such as football stars or car manufacturers. You just need to type in short URLs like “google.com/+davidbeckham” or “google.com/+toyota” to reach those pages.

google-plus-custom-url

Google Plus launches vanity URLs for verified accounts.

The feature is not available widely for normal users yet. Google announced that they are introducing custom URLs to a limited number of verified profiles and pages, so we will have to wait for some time to clean our URLs.

Recently, Google has announced the a search-specific feature called Google+ Direct Connect. The feature gives visibility for Google Plus pages as the pages will show up when people type query in Google+ Search, for example, when people type in “+Toyota”, they will see the icon and link to the Google+ page of the brand. To make your page eligible for this feature, you just need to install the Google+ badge on your website, read this post on custom URLs for Google+ Page for more details.

Google will determine your page’s relevancy and popularity based on its algorithms, you will be able to get a custom URL if your page qualifies. We can understand that Google encourages us to be more active on Google Plus by engaging people, updating posts regularly and driving people to add your page to their circles. You absolutely get a better chance when your page becomes more popular.

2. Google Profiles

Google Profiles is now redirecting your profile page to Google+ Profile if you have one. So you can create a profile URL like this:

https://profiles.google.com/TuanDoViet

However, you can set the username of your own because Google Profiles uses your Google username for this URL. This is also a drawback of this solution, you might have to create a new Google account to get your desired Profile URL.

You just need to go to this page to create your profile, then click on the option Edit your profile – Profile URL. Google will give you 2 choices of Profile URL, you can choose the one with your username and save these settings.

google-profile-url

3. Gplus.to

Gplus.to is a service that shortens your Google Plus profile into a neat, easy to remember link. To create your shortened URL, all you have to do is giving Gplus your Google+ profile ID, it will generate an URL in the format gplus.to/yourusername. You can set whatever name you want as long as it is still available. Here is my custom URL:

http://gplus.to/tuandoviet

gplus-profile

I will update more when I get more ways to customize our Google+ Profile URL, especially when it gets official on Google+. Do you use the solutions above or any other ways to set your own URL?

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Comments

  1. Reply
    Chandan Kumar

    I have used gplus.to and iplus.im .

    • Reply
      Patrick

      Does it improve your site SEO? Since Google considers sites with G+ links better

  2. Reply
    Jim

    I’m currently using gplus.is

  3. Reply
    tim

    you can use tinyurl.com as well… for any url :)

    • Reply
      AllinJac

      Major Security ISSUES with this with tiny url as apposed to gplus.to The gplus.to requires ONLY your ID number which is not possible to create a Script or Inappropriate Links with this service!

      Consider it!!!

      AllinJac

    • Reply
      Matthew Hall

      Great idea – G+ has too many loops and hoops to jump through just to have a custom URL.

  4. Reply
    CayoBuay

    The Google Plus option does not work… Is there something more specific to it? When I click the link, it takes me to my profile not to the page you show in the article.

    Please help.

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Cayo,
      It is because you didn’t create a Google Profile before joining Google Plus, now it is directing you to the Google+ Profile and you can’t change it anymore. If it is necessary, you can create another Google account and edit your URL then.

      • Reply
        tadpole

        i think i am in this same situation. i can not find an option to link to my profile with my name like in your screen shots.
        I just got a google+ recently, and i have no problem with deleting my profile…recreating a profile, then re-joining google+, and then finally linking it to my profile so that i have a custom url.

        do you think this is possible/will work? i dont have many friends/followers yet because i just signed up for google+ yesterday… but i dont want to try this if it will not work.

        Please let me know your thoughts…

        • Reply
          Tuan Do

          Hi Tadpole,
          I am not really sure but I guess that your solution should work. If you really want a custom profile URL, you should try it.
          Good luck and let me know if you succeed. :)

          • Alex

            Hi Tuan,

            So glad I found your site!

            I have been hunting for a way to change my google profile URL name.

            I had also created my gmail and google + account and there was no way to change get a “pretty URL”. I did not like the gplus way…

            So I took the risk and DELETED my Google + account but still keeping the same gmail account.

            Then I signed in under that gmail account at https://profiles.google.com/me

            Once in, the Profile URL showed the numbered URL but when I clicked on that, it allowed me to change and save a “pretty URL”.

            AFTER that, I recreated my Google + account.

            Then to test, I pasted the “pretty URL” into a new browser page and it re-directed to my recreated Google + account.

            YOU ARE A GENIUS – no one else seems to know this on the http://www...

            For others trying this, please note my deleted first Google+ account was still quite bare so I took the risk to try this.

            So be very careful if your G+ account is chock full of precious posts already.

            When I clicked delete G+ account, google warned that my details will be LOST. So, weigh carefully between these details and the need for a “pretty URL.

            For completeness, I must say that the “pretty URL” displays for only a couple of SECONDS and then it re-directed to display the Numbered URL. It’s not like in Facebook where the “pretty URL” stays displayed.

            Thanks,
            Alex
            https://profiles.google.com/alexanderalexis.daredateme

          • Tuan Do

            You are so welcome, Alex.
            I am very glad that you help me confirm the trick is still working. :)

          • nav

            Hi Tuan,

            Pleasure meet you virtualy.Can you please help me out to set up custom url for google + ?

            I am having hard time to figured out. I juste create new google + Business page ( nitan Events).

            I though you have good experience on this, since you have the custom url, maybe you could me, that would really appreciated.

            Thanks
            Nav

  5. Reply
    Adrienne

    I’m confused… I had a google profile, then joined, still can’t find the option…

  6. Reply
    Adrienne

    Ok I switched to my other Gmail account and it worked. Nevermind! :)

  7. Reply
    chinnarao

    why not it is like http://www.plus.google.com/username

  8. Reply
    Vic @ Business Tips Blog

    HI. Thanks for the useful information. I’m just exploring the Google plus and this is what I need.

  9. Reply
    salonbangkok

    i got a bit lost on Gplus… i dont get it…

  10. Reply
    Mahendra

    I tried to make my google + vanity url but it seems that google has removed this feature. I am not able to find out “Profile URL” anywhere under Edit profile.

    Please suggest me what should i do now to create a Vanity url for my Google + profile.

  11. Reply
    Skin Vitality

    Mahendra, me too! I had no choice but to take: https://plus.google.com/103123850052429352593/posts when all I really wanted was /skinvitalitymedicalclinic

    GRRR!!! Apparently, they only give it to certain pages, so I guess i’ll have to wait. I just did it a couple of days ago. Please let me know if there’s a solution to this.

  12. Reply
    Russell

    In my Google+ profile page I see nothing at all about the profile URL. Right now I don’t care what it is, I just need to find out what it is and use it, but I can’t find it anywhere. Google is getting more and more screwed up all the time!

  13. Reply
    Mike Hoang

    Boom! I did it- http://gplus.to/communityinspire – Thanks for the tutorial! Asians… always so smart… :D

  14. Reply
    JK

    Thanks buddy!

  15. Reply
    Go inspired

    Interesting! I’ll do one right now!

  16. Reply
    Genealog

    Great tool! Thank you for suggestion, i like Gplus.to very much:)

  17. Reply
    Abdul Qoyyuum

    Just FYI, gplus.to doesn’t work all of a sudden.

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Could you check again? I’ve just tried visiting the site and it is still working well.

  18. Reply
    David Bergeron

    Is it still possible to change Google Plus url? I don’t really want to use Gplus.to . I read Kevin Mullett from Mashable wrote:

    1) the services could redirect everyone’s URLs at a later time to a place of their choosing and there still isn’t a TOS to say otherwise.
    2) they are using a HTTP status code of 302 instead of proper 301 permanent redirect
    3) The service could just stop working, have a denile of service attack, etc etc, which is why it is dangerous, possible foolish, to use for business purposes on any profile or printed material.

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi,
      If you created your username with Google Profile earlier, you still could use the old username for your Profile link. As you can see in my link above, the profile link with my username still redirects to Google Plus page.
      And yes, you are right about the gplus service, you shouldn’t use it officially because it can stop anytime. It’d better to use your own redirect such as yourdomain.com/plus until Google allows customizing Google Plus username.

  19. Reply
    Steven Wright

    Thank you so much for this quick and easy instructional guide. Wish I would of secured some Google + domain space earlier this year but its still nice either way.

  20. Reply
    Om Thoke

    I’m not able to convert my profile URL into that format… It still shows some /112065440593040890096 rather than my desired username… And, moreover i don’t see any option to change the URL now! I guess they don’t give that option anymore!

  21. Reply
    Uddhab

    There are no profile URL option.
    But gplus.to was very helpful to me…. thanks..

  22. Reply
    Anuj

    There is no PROFILE URL option available in Google Plus. Please describe where is it?

  23. Reply
    Amanda

    Pretty sure that Google has expired this option for custom Google profile URLs.

    I just created a new google profile and when you go to https://profiles.google.com/me which should be the page to edit your profile URL it is now set to permanently redirect to https://plus.google.com/up/accounts/upgrade prompting you to sign up for G+ with no options to edit your profile beforehand.

    Frikin sucks. So look like your only option now is to go with gplus.to.

  24. Reply
    Shaheen

    I want to create a website.

  25. Reply
    azhure

    i already did created a google plus profile but seems that link for editing username is no where to be found now, maybe google plus is doing some changes on their web concept

  26. Reply
    Waqas Nasir

    Good but i am not that impressed with Google Plus… it is boring. Lets see how Google Glass Project integration with Google Plus will be in reality. I hope it will improve but chances are not much … Facebook will remain on top i am sure.

  27. Reply
    Rajasthan

    there is no username option in Google +

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      You can check out Alex’s comment above. It is still working.

  28. Reply
    Rajasthan Tourism

    thanks you very much -Tuan Do

  29. Reply
    Sam

    It didn’t work for me???

    Was I supposed to put in the /u/0/ as well (https://plus.google.com/u/0/107517267844015225590/)?

    I only put the code 107517267844015225590 but for some reason my profile still has the original code and when I tired to go in and re do it.. it said my name had been taken (obviously by me).

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Then you just need to try to use the URL with your name, that will redirect to your GPlus profile.

  30. Reply
    desius

    i deleted my gplus profile but retained my google account, then created aa gplus profile using that email adress (clicking ‘upgrade’). and there is no option to create a custom url!
    basically i tried what Alex explained and this doesnt work for me! any help?

  31. Reply
    vik

    You can just try https://profiles.google.com/{YOUR_GMAIL_USERNAME} or google account id in place of {YOUR_GMAIL_USERNAME}. It worked for me.

  32. Reply
    filz

    very nice

  33. Reply
    Miguel Garcia

    Yeah it worked for me aswell:

    G+ = https://profiles.google.com/ «gmail username»

  34. Reply
    Annetta Powell

    Seems like Google is giving this feature only to few chosen ones ;(

    • Reply
      Osho Garg

      Same Here I Am Not The Lucky One To Get Google Vanity URL :(

  35. Reply
    Cement Science

    I think Google will offer customized link service for all the users.

  36. Reply
    rosie

    it donr work. can you be more specific where it is.
    can you post the link please?

  37. Reply
    Dan

    I don’t think they offer this anymore? I couldn’t find any place to change the URL in the profile edit section.

  38. Reply
    Malena

    Hi. I am glad to have found this page. I tried to set my customized url of google+ step by step according to your guidance. But interesting, I couldn’t see the same page of “profile url” on mine. I am wondering why… :(

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Malena,
      Check out the comment by Alex above. He still can set custom URL but you will need to delete your Google Plus account first. It is risky if you have already had a good network there.

  39. Reply
    Christos

    Is gplus.to safe?

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Actually we don’t lose anything here. It is just a redirecting service.

  40. Reply
    Mike Kilmer

    Used the gplus.to method. Took about 1 minute. You could set your own redirect, but the gplus.to one will probably keep track of any changes to the url format within google (not that they wouldn’t).

    Any recommendations on best way to track the vanity url availability within google?

    Mike

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      There is no way to track the availability. I will update this post immediately after they make it official for public. :)

      • Reply
        Mike Kilmer

        Great, man. Will I get an email notifying me of the post update? I don’t see a feature to follow this particular post. Thanks. : )

        • Reply
          Tuan Do

          You can sign up for our mailing list here http://eepurl.com/ln9tT.
          I will send an email when the feature is available.

        • Reply
          Tuan Do

          Hi Mike,
          Google has launched the Google+ Direct Connect that allows some pages to have custom URLs. I’ve updated this post, check it out.

          • Mike Kilmer

            Hi Tuan,

            Thank you. My web URL is verified, with Google but I’m not seeing where or how I would be able to know if my page is eligible for the vanity URL.
            Is that something that wold appear on the Google+ page?

            https://plus.google.com/105034836271876558291/posts

            acdemyfence.com is the main website.

        • Reply
          Tuan Do

          Hi Mike,
          After you link your website to the Google+ Page, just wait for Google to consider your site. It uses an algorithm, so we don’t know when we will receive the confirmation email. Google just said that we need to have a meaningful of followers on Google Plus.
          The feature is limited now.

  41. Reply
    niaz ali

    Thanks a lot for useful discussion about Google plus user name.

  42. Reply
    Akash

    The following option is no more available:

    “Google will give you 2 choices of Profile URL, you can choose the one with your username and save these settings.”

    Google is no more supporting custom URL/username. It will show the numbers only.

  43. Reply
    Robin Carlisle

    It’s just cold and clammy. Everything about Google… whatever they dream up… or screw… always… just cold and clammy.

    Don’t they ever do usability studies? Incorporate user feedback? I’m sure they do… but who the heckledoodles would ever think that a loooooooooong string of numbers would be okay with anyone. Vanity URL’s. Ridiculous. We just want to use our dang names… or something WE dream up, not them. Come on Big G! Quit with the cold and clammy stuff!

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Robin,
      Google said that probably they will charge a fee for the custom URL. Some pages have custom URLs already. At least it is free now.

  44. Reply
    Robin Carlisle

    Woopsy… typo… that should read “screw up.” Sorry, lol…

  45. Reply
    Ian M

    I am struggling with the custom URL and having read through this thread it is clear that Google has changed their approach since this thread started. What would be really useful is to see the dates of people’s comments to know how recent the information is. Can you do this Tuan? (Nov 28 2012)

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Yes Ian.
      I will work on that tomorrow. I thought it is not really necessary because I update this post very often.
      I’ve just added the date of the last update above, it was just a few days ago.

  46. Reply
    Tariq Rahim

    Hey Tuan,

    Thanks for some great advice…really helpful!

    Just a quick question, is it possible to change the “nickname” assigned to one’s G+ account once a nickname has already been assigned? If yes, can you please provide some details as to how I can go about doing this?

    Thanks again!

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Tariq,
      I don’t think we can change the nickname at the moment. I hope we can when the feature is officially launched.

  47. Reply
    Mike

    I got an email from google that they offered me a custom URL and they also suggested a name to choose :)

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Congrats, Mike.
      Did you follow our guide on the Google+ Direct Connect?

  48. Reply
    Adam Ever

    thanks for sharing the way to set custom username, I’m going to use gplus.to

  49. Reply
    Chetan Morajkar

    Hello,

    Even i too try for shorten URL, but not happen. Please help.

    Thanks

  50. Reply
    AUDIOMIND

    Delete the Google+ account and recreate it simply to get a vanity url? No way. There has got to be an easier way. https://profiles.google.com/audiomind

  51. Reply
    Hoan

    Hi Tuan Do
    How long does it take to google display the author in search results?

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Hoan,
      It will be in effect immediately when Google bot crawl your page. Just set it up correctly.

  52. Reply
    Jack Freezer

    Is there a possibility to have your google plus account accessible on your domain? Something like jackfreezer.com would display the content of my google plus page. Please note that I don’t want to redirect the user to a google plus page. In other words, the url should remain jackfreezer.com.

    • Reply
      Tuan Do

      Hi Jack,
      I don’t think it is possible at the moment except you put an iframe on your site.

  53. Reply
    wiyono

    that is so horrible with google address bar….

  54. Reply
    adil

    my google plus account is not showing while i have a account of google plus

  55. Reply
    Peter Mantu

    What is status of the above? Any new developments as far as the topic is concerned?

  56. Reply
    Vineet Gupta

    Hey Thanks dear for this post :)

  57. Reply
    seocheap

    I was able to create a custom url for our business google+ page. We emailed support and they able to offer this to our company. Not sure if you can do this for a personal account. But if a business and you have verified your business this was an option for us.

  58. Reply
    Mandy Lake

    Thanks for posting this! I will be so glad when this option is finally available. I cannot stand all those numbers and I want people to be able to remember my google+ profile, especially since the rest of my social media accounts have custom urls.
    Mandy :)

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