How to Claim Your Custom Google+ URL

Back in October, Google revealed that they would be rolling out the opportunity to create and claim a custom Google+ URL for user profiles.  This was wonderful news to me and got me incredibly excited considering I have been working diligently to get my name to the top of search results.

If you’re like me, you jumped on this opportunity the moment it became available, and fortunately, I was able to claim my real name without any additional numbers or letters (plus.google.com/+TaylorClark).  If you’re just now finding out about this, it may be a bit late to get the exact custom Google+ URL that you want, but don’t hesitate to get it anyway!

Qualifications for a Custom Google+ URL

For an individual to qualify for a custom Google+ URL, you have to meet the following criteria:

• Have uploaded a profile photo


• Have at least 10 followers


• Account must be at least 30 days old

If you’re wanting to get a custom Google+ URL for your business page, you will have to meet a little bit of a more complicated list of requirements including:

• 
  For Local Google+ Pages:  Must be a verified business


• 
  For Non-Local Google+ Pages:  Must be linked to your website

Claiming Your Custom Google+ URL

If you meet these requirements, it will only be a matter of time before you get the opportunity to claim your custom Google+ URL.  If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve received this email, login to your Google+ account and look for a notification bar at the top of your profile page.  Unfortunately, Google is rolling this out in waves, so you may not yet be eligible.

Google will supposedly reserve a name for you based on your chosen profile name, should you be the first to attempt claiming your name or have a unique name you may be able to utilize your real name without any special characters.  You can choose the name Google reserved for you by default, or you can choose to request a different one (pending approval by Google, of course).  Should you request a different name, you may have to wait a bit for approval from Google.

Once you’ve accepted your custom URL and accepted the TOS, your URL is locked in.  For once, you will be able to link friends and fans to your vanity URL instead of the ridiculous combination of numbers and letters that we’ve been burdened with since the launch of Google+.

Have you claimed your Google+ vanity URL yet? Did you end up getting the one you wanted or were you too late to get it? Share your experience in the comments below!

How to Claim Your Custom Google+ URL