Over the years, we all have been on LinkedIn at one point or another hoping to increase our connections and get a job. While some of us have achieved our goals, the rest of us are still trying to figure out how to be in the spotlight? Customizing your Linkedin profile URL is a quick and nifty trick to gain credibility and appear in major search engines outside the platform.
It is a basic requirement of LinkedIn to put together an appealing profile but it does not end here. We just fill out the necessary information that is asked but forget to optimize our profile. Recruiters can only find you when your profile is easily accessible to them in their search results. You can take care of this by customizing your LinkedIn URL.
Getting a customized LinkedIn URL is a free feature in LinkedIn and it takes only a few moments to accomplish. It may seem a very small detail but it is important to change your URL. Keep reading to know more about LinkedIn URLs and how to customize your LinkedIn profile URL.
What is my LinkedIn URL?
A URL is a web address that leads to a specific set of unique resources. Your LinkedIn URL contains your personal information to generate a unique address. It’s your own unique URL that’s linked to your profile. So, if you share this URL, it will take people to your LinkedIn page.
Where to find your LinkedIn URL?
It is very simple to find your LinkedIn URL. It can be done via your profile page with just a few clicks.
Here is how you can do this:
- You have to log in with your username and password using LinkedIn.
- Once logged in, click on ‘Me’ from the toolbox running above on the home screen.
- Select ‘view profile’ to go to your profile page.
- On your profile page, look at the URL bar. That URL is your LinkedIn profile URL.
You might be wondering why it is so necessary to go into small details. Well, on the search engine, optimization plays an important part in search results.
If you look at your current LinkedIn URL, you will see it contains some random numbers. These random numbers imply that the person did not think it was necessary to customize the default URL. The URL with the numbers is assigned by LinkedIn when you make your profile. You can change your URL in your Account’s settings.
Why do people do this? Well, a custom URL enables a user to use the LinkedIn profile as a lead generation and branding tool. The existing default LinkedIn URL is lengthy and not very user-friendly. The numbers and characters make it difficult to remember and share with others.
While the aim of LinkedIn is to make it easy for employers to find you, communicate with you, and build connections, the URL isn’t useful in this case. Customizing your LinkedIn URL improves your search engine optimization (SEO) on major search engines like Google and Bing. To establish a custom URL that will help you be found organically, you must turn on your LinkedIn public profile, which search engines assess.
Why is it necessary to customize LinkedIn URLs?
Personalizing your LinkedIn URL and using something unique and important is always a smart idea. It’s one thing to present a LinkedIn profile URL. There are a few more reasons to personalize your LinkedIn profile URL.
Easier to find
Unless you have a really unique name, chances are there are many people out there on LinkedIn with the same name as yours, and finding you can be difficult. With a customized LinkedIn URL, you can be accessible to the people who are trying to find you. Whether it is on LinkedIn or in search results of Google or bing, you can be easily found and it will differentiate you from all the other LinkedIn users with the same or similar names.
Makes you look professional
You don’t look professional with the random characters and numbers in your profile. Believe it or not but sometimes recruiters receive a lot of resumes on the job posted. So they sometimes pay attention to small details and this can be advantageous for you. Looking professional can make an impression on people who visit your profile.
It also implies that you pay attention to small details and boosts your credibility.
What does a LinkedIn URL with your own name say about you? It shows that you are a meticulous, serious candidate who strives to put their best foot forward. It also demonstrates that you are tech-savvy. Everything about this is excellent.
How to change LinkedIn profile URL?
Building a long-lasting online brand requires both frequency and consistency, and one of the building elements is a unique LinkedIn URL. LinkedIn allows users to create a resume with their best work that is accessible to the public. Luckily, LinkedIn allows us to find the unique profile URL that we can share with other people and include in our job applications. We already have learned how to find our profile URL, now we will see how we can change it.
- On the right-hand side of your profile page, click on “Edit public profile & URL”. A new tab will open.
- On the right-hand side of this new tab, you will see “Edit your custom URL” and there you will find your current LinkedIn profile URL.
- To edit your URL, click on the text element on the right hand side that says “Edit public profile & URL”. Alternatively, you may click on the pen icon inside your profile intro and scroll down to Contact Info.
- A box will appear and you can customize your profile URL just as you want. Most people prefer to put their names and some number but you can have it your way. You have to type your preferred URL and if that is already in use, LinkedIn will tell you so and you have to choose a new one. Once your new URL is confirmed, LinkedIn will display a message confirming your new LinkedIn profile URL.
Anyone with minimum knowledge of the internet can do this without worrying about anything. It is very easy to customize your LinkedIn profile URL, just make sure that it is unique and can be remembered easily. Here are some things that you should keep in mind before changing your profile URL:
- Your custom URL can have 5-30 letters or numbers only. You can’t use spaces, special characters, and symbols in your URL.
- If the URL that you want is not available, try choosing another one. They can’t provide URLs upon member’s requests.
- The URL is case-sensitive. This means it does not matter if you use ClaireBanks, clairebanks, or Clairebanks, it will all lead to the same profile.
- You can change your URL five times within a period of 6 months. After the fifth time, you will have to wait for six months to do it again. Also, it is not advised to change your LinkedIn profile URL frequently as it can become difficult for some people to find you.
- To make it easier for people to find you, LinkedIn recommends using your name or name of your business, or a variation of both. Just make sure it looks professional.
- You may be asked for your LinkedIn profile URL on some job applications. It’s also a good idea to include it on your CV.
Should you customize your Linkedin URL?
Customizing your LinkedIn profile URL is a smart way to stand out among others, especially those with similar names. You can change it to anything you like but it is preferred to choose a URL like your name or the name of your business so you can be easily identified.
While some may think that nobody notices such tiny details, this tiny detail plays an important part. It will boost your credibility, make you look professional, you can be differentiated easily among other LinkedIn users with the similar or same name, and you can also appear in search results of different search engines. It takes only a few minutes of your time and it is worth it.
