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Reginald Chan

Life Coach & TEDx Speaker Malaysia | Reginald Chan

How to enable Google+ Custom URL?

What Is Google+ Custom URL And How To Enable It?

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What the heck is Google+ custom URL? In short, Google+ custom URL is a new ‘face lift’ for the old and long Google URL. When it comes to linking my Google+ account with any other services (where you need to provide the URL), it is a huge hassle for me. Firstly, the URL string is long and secondly, I need to login to my Google+ account just to find the exact URL.

A lot of work right?

Introducing the all-new Google+ Custom URL

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What is Google+ custom URL?

With the Google+ custom URL, everything becomes shorter and easier. This is how my Google+ URL string looks like (before and after):

Before – http://plus.google.com/100463551691770040057

After – http://google.com/+ReginaldChan

Now ask yourself something, isn’t this cool?

For me, it was a blessing in the skies. How on Earth could I (or anyone in this matter) remember ‘100463551691770040057’ as my Google URL link?

Therefore, having to add +ReginaldChan at the back is REALLY helpful indeed

Now, if you are really interested to know more about this program, you can head over to this article here.

Oh wait, you want a quick rundown of it instead of reading it? Check out the video and detailed guide below:

Requirements to get a Google+ Custom URL

This program will roll out to nearly all Google Plus members but it will go on batches. In order to be in the first batch (or getting eligible as soon as possible), you need to satisfy these requirements for your Google+ personal profile:

  • Ten or more followers
  • Your account is at least 30 days old
  • A profile picture

And there are two simple ways you can get your own Google Plus Custom URL which are:

  1. Direct email notification from Google (check your inbox now!)
  2. Login to your Google+ account and head over to your profile page

The direct email notification is rather straight forward and all you need to do is to click ‘Get URL’. The rest are self explanatory. Kim did a great explanation here if you require additional information.

However, I was unlucky was I did not receive any emails and I thought to go with method #2; Applying myself.

All you need to do are:

  1. Login your Google+ account
  2. Select Home > Profile
  3. If you are eligible, you will see a blue colour floating bar on the top of the screen asking you to apply for it.

By default, Google+ will provide +yourname and if you would want to change it, that is your ONLY chance to change it.

You can only change Google+ custom URL once.

Yes, once the custom URL is set, there is NO WAY of changing it back. So think twice, my friends.

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Confirming your Google+ custom URL takes less than 5 minutes to complete

Once you are all done with the selection and happy with your new chosen URL, you will see this box:

Verify that’s the custom URL you want and hit ‘Confirm Choice’.

Wait for the screen to refresh as Google need to verify that the URL chosen is still available … which will takes less than 5 seconds and leading to this page:

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You’ll receive notification once the change is completed

Walaa~ You are done!

Wait a minute … how about local Google+ pages and non-local Google+ pages?

  • Eligibility for Local Google+ pages: Must be a verified local business
  • Eligibility for Non-local Google+ pages: Must be linked to a website (linking your website in the ‘About’ setting as contributor)

How does Google+ custom URL work?

Basically, it makes a long string of URL (numeric) to something shorter and more memorable. Google+ custom URL also works well in terms of categorizing your links such as:

For me, it takes sharing easier and yes, putting Google+ up on par with other social media platforms. Could this possibly be a way Google want to compete with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?

If you are wondering what happens to your old URL, don’t worry. Everything is now redirected to your new custom URL.

You might also want to read Google+ Is Rolling Out Custom URLs To Make It Short And Sweet [ Claim Your’s ] by Amal Rafeeq.

Over to you

Have you enabled your Google Plus custom URL? If yes, what you think about it? Tell me using the comment form below.

  • Hey Reginald, I just saw this in my inbox and thought! Awesome (and about time). It will be a lot easier to find people manually now instead of having to locate a link somewhere and then there unique ID with all the numbers
    Good to see Google is getting with the times!
    BTQ your popup subscribe window would not close on this macbook air with safari. Might want to chat to your plugin owner about that. The close button was not clickable.
    have a good one
    ashley

    • Hey Ashley,

      Thanks for commenting and appreciate the heads up. I remember Barry told me that yesterday and I was like so darn sleepy (and totally forgotten about it). Anyway, disabled it already. Haha!

      Oh yes, the numbers is killing people. Even me! Now it looks so cool with just +ReginaldChan 😀

      Wonder if that works for rel=author?

      Take care and have a great day ahead my friend!

  • Hi, Reginald,
    Indeed nice information.
    I have get my custom URL for my pages on G+ but I didn’t get Custom URL for my personal profile. 🙁
    I hope, will get it soon. Congratulations to you buddy as you get hassle free URL.
    Thank You for sharing it. 🙂
    Have a great week. 🙂

    • Hi Kumar,

      Oh wow! Mine is opposite. I got for my profile but not for my pages. Weird huh 🙂

      Just like you, hope to get it real soon. Can’t wait and thanks for your kind words mate.

      Appreciate it.

  • Hi Reginald,

    Do you ever sleep man? I only got the email this morning and here you are writing about it already, great job 🙂

    I think this is a great addition and about time too…. I ALWAYS have to visit G+ to get my profile URL and it’s a pain. This will make it so much easier for the future, so I’ll go and get that done right away 🙂

    Nice one for the instruction mate 😉

    Barry

    Is something wrong with CommentLuv? It doesn’t pull in my post but displays that I may be off line…. Thought you should know mate 😉

    • Hi Barry,

      I got the info from Google+ post and believe it or not? I didn’t receive the email. Epic!

      Remind me of those numbers huh? Haha~

      Anyway, thanks and glad you liked it. Everything seems to be really wrong today after upgrading to 3.7.1. Gah~ Majority of my plugins aren’t working properly either.

      Haiz!

      • I can imagine mate. I lost my blog after trying to update to 3.7 earlier this week…. I think others have reported issues as well as 3.7.1 came very quickly.

        I’ll wait a day of 2 before trying again as it could be 3.7.2 by then 🙂

        Still getting Commenluv issue mate, it could be my site being slow to load maybe…

        • Hi Barry,

          Thanks for confirming. Let me see. Maybe it is the CommentLuv issue. Nothing changed so …

          Anyway, keep you informed and thanks mate.

          Oh well, have a ‘great day’ Reginald 😀

  • Thanks for sharing this Reginald. I was able to follow your instructions and it as so easy and yay that I had the blue bar floating at the top. What I like is that the old URL is redirected…that takes a load of having to go reconfigure stuff.

    Thanks for showing us how to do this Reginald! Hope you’re having a great day!

    • Hi Corina,

      Hey! Glad it worked out for you my dear 🙂

      I got it for my Google+ profile but not my G+ page. Doesn’t seem to work with whatever tweaks I did. Guess I just got to wait for the email invitation from big G then 🙂

      Have a great day ahead girl!

  • Hi Reginald,

    It’s a very useful features, I just received Google email. I was allows wondering why Google use a stupid URL while they can use your name from the beginning. I don’t know what was Google thinking when using a URL with that big numbers unless they thought from the first day that all people on earth will signup and characters that would have a meaning will not be enough! Anyway finally they did it and I am glad they did.

    • Hi Qasim,

      Glad you got the email. This is very weird. Didn’t get any email though … yes until today!

      Maybe because they were afraid it wasn’t enough though (too many names). Haha! Nonetheless, thanks for sharing and appreciate the comment.

      Have a great day ahead.

  • Oh I can so relate to having to log in, go back and forth getting my G+ URL.
    Other than being easy to remember and less of a hassle, It looks so much better!
    I have my page updated still waiting on my personal one though.
    Nice informative post! Take care buddy.

    Steve

  • Did you blog always look like this? It looks great. Love the background.
    Oh, did you see my note about reblogging you? Its on your Triberr thread. This is a great post and I know it would help so many writers on my blog,

    • Hi Wendy,

      Thanks for dropping by and of course, your kind words!

      Oh yes, I responded to your message on Triberr. Yes, why not. Feel free to do so as long as there’s a credit for that 🙂

      Glad you find this useful and do come back for more. See you around.

  • Hi Reginald,

    That was pretty well explained indeed 🙂

    Yes, I too first learnt about it from Kim’s post, and she did explain it all well. But I liked how you added your profile name/(the related pages) as examples here.

    I think by having such a custom URL, it does make the whole thing look pretty good, doesn’t it? Especially if you compare it to the one that was there earlier. I changed mine as soon as I learned of it too – no time wasted 🙂

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

    • Hi Harleena,

      Hey lady. Thanks for commenting.

      I first saw it on Google+ as Brian from Basic Blog Tips shared that. I head over and saw Kim’s post. She did it well. Weird thing is that I have YET to receive an email.

      Anyway, only got to change for my Google+ profile and waiting patiently for my Google+ pages. Totally love the short URL’s and many even commented Google should had done that long time ago.

      Have a blessed week, Harleena.

  • Hey Reginald,

    As soon as I saw this in my inbox I believe it was yesterday I did this immediately. For my ID’s I usually go with AdrienneSmith40 because I’m not the only Adrienne Smith online today. There is an actress and a doctor with the same name although I outrank them both in Google. Yay!!!

    So when just my name was offered to me I grabbed it. I don’t like getting the code via text message on my cell because I hate giving my cell number out. I especially hate Google having it so up to this point I’ve never done anything that I had to get the code through a text message. Until now that is.

    I had shortened my URL before when they allowed that but for some reason they always showed the long one with all the numbers. Not sure why but I’ll take this instead.

    Thanks for sharing for all of those who haven’t done this yet. Grab yours while you can, I’m sure they will go fast when you have a very common name.

    Happy Halloween Reginald and hope you enjoyed your day.

    ~Adrienne

    • Hey Adrienne,

      Thanks and glad you grabbed yours! At the moment, still waiting for my Google+ page. Gah~

      Really glad you find this useful and yes, grab while you can. Some peeps say there are over 800 million users on Google+ and definitely those names will run out pretty soon.

      Take care!

  • Hey Reginald,

    This definitely is a more convenient way for your google profile URL When I get home I will definitely come back and follow your instructions! Thanks for sharing!

    • Hi Sherman,

      I heard from some friends of mine that my way wouldn’t work (probably it is highly affected by the number of followers etc). So, good luck to you my friend.

      Keep me posted and thanks for everything.

    • Hi Piyush,

      Sorry to hear that! Now it seems like an algorithm and slowly it will be ‘pushed out’ to all. For me, I only got it on my Google+ profile but for pages. Some people got on their Google+ pages and not their profiles. LOL.

      So, be patience and it should be just fine. With over 800 million users, bet it would take a week or so 🙂

      At the moment, don’t seem like there’s a way to ‘enable it automatically’ but keep you informed if I find any.

  • Thankyou for sharing this Reginald. Please let me know if you find out more uses for our new personal urls. I’ve had mine for a long time, but didn’t really know all the ways I could use it.

  • Hi Reginald,

    I did everything you suggested here and I cannot get the +AngelaMCall ALONE but asked to put an “extension” on there and so I was kinda forced to put “angelspower” at the end but I didn’t want that to begin with. I checked if there’s another Angela McCall on Google+, NOBODY has claimed that name and I do not understand why I couldn’t claim it. Any suggestion?

    Angela

    • Hey Angela,

      Sorry late reply. Well, it is because Google had reserved it for future use. Popular name huh!

      I heard (not tested) that you can write to G+ and ask for permission. Not sure if it is workable but I know some corp pages got the name they wanted that way.

      Hope this helps.

      • I guess so, popular name. I’m not sure if this is a blessing or a curse. Coz if you google Angela McCall there are tons of them. I was surprise myself. When I bought the domain Angela McCall, it was actually registered Feb. 9, 2011. I have only registered my domain last Nov. 29, 2012. So it was already a year old when I got it. I’m surprise that the tons of Angela McCall on the net, nobody have claimed the .com extension. And so now I’m trying to buy the .net extension too, just in case. Maybe I should buy the .org also…like Lisa Irby suggested.

        Anyhoo, I have thought about writing to G+ and ask their permission but I dunno where to write. Cannot find their Contact page.

        Thank you my friend. Will talk more later…

        Angela

  • Such a nice post, Recently Reginald I was trying to know about Google+ Custom URL & finally today. I came to know about Google+ Custom URL so I’m very happy with this post & Now I can make easily Google+ Custom URL of Profile.

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