A little over a year ago, Google made the announcement that custom Google+ URLs would start to be rolled out to a small fraction of Google+ users and pages.
While verified users like Britney Spears and big brands like Toyota would be among the first to ditch the unmemorable default URL, which consisted of a random string of numbers, the rest of us ‘average Joe’s’ were left to wait for the next rounds of roll-outs.
Well, it seems like that wait is almost over, at least for some. As with all Google updates, custom URLs for Google+ appear to be available on a hit or miss basis. For instance, my personal Google+ profile is still very numeric; however, over the last few weeks I’ve noticed more and more verified Google+ business pages with the option to claim a pre-approved custom URL.
How to Claim a Custom URL For Your Google+ Business Page
1. Log into Google, head on over to https://plus.google.com/, and select the Google+ page you’d like to edit. After you’ve opened the page, click on the “About” tab, which can be found at the top navigation bar.
If it’s been a while and everything looks different, here’s what you need to know about the most recent Google+ makeover.
2. Once you’re on the About page, scroll down below the address, hours, and description section of the page. If a custom URL is available, you’ll find a new section that says “Google+ URL” with a pre-approved custom URL for your page along with the option to claim it.
3. Then, simply follow Google’s prompts to select the URL, agree to the Terms of Service, and confirm the new custom URL.
FYI – The URL cannot be changed once you’ve hit the confirm button, so if it’s not correct, don’t do it.
As of right now there is no way to truly create your own custom Google+ URL; page owners only appear to have the ability to select from Google’s pre-approved options. And once again, this is only if the “Google+ URL” feature is available to you. If it’s not, check back periodically.
However, for some pages, multiple URL options were available. Which in the case below was good news for us since one of the proposed URL options was way off the mark:
So whether you’ve got a new URL for your Google+ page or not, are you still wondering what this all means? Well, for now it’s fairly simple. A custom URL that contains the business name is easier to share.
And given that Google is home to one of the most popular business listing and review platforms, your business page is probably something you’d like to get out there. A custom URL will look better in emails, on promotional materials, and will be easier for employees to share and for customers to remember.