Written by Fani Sánchez
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Until now, the URLs of our personal profiles and pages on Google Plus as well as our Google Local pages were complexly constructed, full of numbers and letters that were impossible to reproduce. In other words, they were not friendly at all.
The only way we had to make this a little more bearable was by using tools like Gplus.to, where after verifying your user you would choose your usable name and a URL would be set up that would temporarily redirect to the original URL of your profile, the unfriendly URL. For example, my address is http://gplus.to/fanisanchez and when you click on the redirection bar it shows you the original destination URL.
Friendly URLs for Google Plus: better late than never!
Since yesterday, October 29, Google has been sending emails to page administrators and personal profile owners to inform them that the possibility of making our profile URLs friendly is now a reality.
Google sends notifications gradually allowing you to convert your current URL into a more friendly and personalized one.
This is a step that, although it comes with a real delay, is to be appreciated. But could it be better? Definitely yes, because in these emails Google “friendly suggests” the friendly URL that you should have, sometimes without the option to modify it. For example, this is what happens to me for not being a serious person. In the first instance, Google+ directly associates my username with the friendly URL I should have, with catastrophic yet well-deserved results on my part.
As they quote on their Google+ friendly URLs help page“you can choose one of the custom URLs that Google pre-assigns to your Google+ profile or page”. I mean, so much, so much, I can’t choose….
For example, on our Google+ company page, we were not given the option to request a new URL but simply to add a few characters after ‘Humanlevel’ since this name was not explicit enough. We were offered the particle ‘Humanlevel’ without the possibility of modifying it to ‘HumanLevel’ or adding punctuation marks if necessary.
How to get the custom URL for your Google+ profile
But all is not lost. Continuing with the case of my personal profile, once you click on the “get URL” button attached to the email notification sent to you, you will be redirected to a modal window on your Google Plus profile. where you get, if you are lucky, the option to claim another URL (thank you sir) or keep the one assigned to you.
The only problem with requesting a more personalized Google Plus URL than the one you are offered comes if you are not the patient type, as this request must be reviewed and may take a few days to be accepted.
The request for an alternative personalized URL needs to be reviewed and may take a few days.
If, on the other hand, you like the URL they have suggested, or they don’t give you any other alternative, the next step will most likely be to verify your account by cell phone, where they will send you a code that you will have to enter at the moment they tell you to do so.
Whether you want a different friendly URL than the one suggested or you accept the first option presented to you, once you confirm the changes you will not be able to change it, so think about it carefully, because I am not sure I want to stop being Piesucios…
Once you have chosen and confirmed your Google+ friendly URL, you cannot change it.
Requirements to obtain the personalized or friendly URL
If the notification has not yet reached you, please be patient. You don’t have to belong to the jet set to do so, just comply with some simple and common sense requirements, such as keeping your account in good condition (or what I understand as “alive” and up to date).
Requirements for a personal profile:
- Have 10 or more followers
- Have an account that is at least 30 days old
- A profile picture
Requirements for a Google Local page
In order to have your personalized URL of your page in Local, you must have verified your business before. If you appear in Google Local is that your business is verified. If you do not appear, you must follow these instructions. Verification can be by telephone or by mail, and sometimes both.
Requirements for a Google Plus Page
In order to have the personalized URL of your Google+ page (this way of appearing on Google+ is the option often chosen by public figures, brands and businesses),your page must be linked to your website, as is the case with Human Level’s Google+ company page on Google+. if you don’t know how to do it, just follow the instructions.
Advantages of Google Plus Custom URLs
Custom URLs will mainly help us to:
- Save time. Although the Google Plus search engine is quite handy, there are a multitude of replicas of profiles of brands such as Sony or other major brands. These are unofficial pages, fan pages, unverified profiles, etc., which can lead to confusion and lead to endless browsing through different profiles that are not the ones we were looking for.
If you are the first to request your friendly URL for your company page (and if you are the administrator of the real official and verified page believe me when I tell you that Google will have offered it to you first) a user could already type your name behindplus.google.com/and go directly to your page. I bet you a lunch that if you test with El País, El Corte Inglés or Cuatro they already have their personalized URL, (and you just had to remember their name to add it to the URL). - Make easy what is difficult: to be found. The same applies to personal profiles. I don’t see a friend’s posts on my timeline, but I know what their name is (and if you’re smart and not like me, you’ll use the same name for all your networks) so I’ll type it in and access their posts.
- Gain memorability. Now you can show your URL wherever you want, they will surely remember it. With the personalized URL, usability is infinitely greater, which translates into convenience for users and increased recall.
So if the notification has not yet arrived in your inbox, check your email daily and make it easy for them to find you!
