Google Launches Custom Google+ URL's

This week Google publicly rolled out custom URL’s to users on Google Plus. So what’s a custom URL, what does it look like and how can you benefit from it?

Quite simply, a custom URL turns a gobbledygook looking URL like:

plus.google.com/105742065163880972361

and changes it to:

google.com/+EngUNG

As you can see, this is quite a big improvement by Google. I jumped at the opportunity because I wanted the shorter and easier way to hand out my Google+ URL to my clients, my family and my friends.

Google+ Community Reaction

Around the Google+ community, the reaction to the new Google+ custom URL was quite positive. Some people have complained that a custom URL should be what you choose and not one that is chosen by Google+. Some of the concerns include questions like:

"Will custom URL’s affect my followers history?”

"Will custom URL’s break links to my authorship profile?”

and “Will I need to change my authorship link to my Google+ Profile?”.

However, the short answer from many of the experts in the Google+ community has been that there should be no problems with making the change.

What are the Requirements to Get your Google+ Custom URL?

Not everyone can qualify for a custom URL. Google's requirement is that you must have a profile picture, at least 10 followers and a Google+ account that is at least 30 days old. Most legitimate users will eventually qualify, though I suspect that this requirement was put in place to make it easier to weed out spammers, or at least deter bots and make life that little bit harder for those obnoxious internet marketers.

Getting Back your URL

There is talk that using custom URL's may causes problems with authorship links. There are also other speculations that Google+ is using custom URL's as part of a strategy to evaluate a websites authority based on authorship and engagement.

If you have any of these or any other concerns, you can get your old Google+ URL back. Simply right click and copy the URL where your name is mentioned. Paste it and you'll have your old URL back.