Social media is a powerful giant that has grown over the years, with new platforms debuting occasionally. Like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, LinkedIn has gained popularity in every corner of the world.
However, you wouldn’t use LinkedIn to share photos from your birthday party or a funny YouTube video.
Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn is often used by professionals. It’s where recruiters attract and vet potential candidates for various opportunities. This is also the platform business owners use to make business connections and express their professional opinions.
Creating a custom URL for your LinkedIn profile can help maximize your success on the platform. Here’s an in-depth look at how to go about it.
What is a LinkedIn URL?
A LinkedIn URL is a unique LinkedIn profile link. When someone puts this web address into their internet browser, the browser immediately directs them to your LinkedIn profile page. It’s vital to ensure your LinkedIn URL enhances your professional brand instead of creating an unnecessary distraction.
Remember, this isn’t your early-2000s MySpace account. You want to impress potential employers with your page. That’s why it’s essential to know how to change LinkedIn URLs to make it easy for people to find and connect with you.
Why should you create a custom LinkedIn URL?
It’s not enough to just have a resume or even a well-thought-out cover letter in today’s competitive job market. Employers want to discover your online brand; they want to know that your resume aligns with your job goals.
It’s important to create a professional online presence, and in today’s modern world, it’s almost guaranteed your future employer will use this as part of its vetting process.
A custom LinkedIn URL can make it easier for potential employers to find you and offers several other benefits we’ll explore below.
Increased visibility
Beating the competition is the day’s goal, and a custom LinkedIn URL can allow you to do exactly that. A customized profile link will set you apart from the crowd, especially if you have a common name shared by many other users. Plus, a personalized URL is more appealing to recruiters and can increase traffic to your page.
Professionalism
Your profile link is as important as your “about” information. A custom URL shows you are a detail-oriented professional brand serious about career improvement. It also shows that you’re tech-savvy and put your best foot forward. These attributes will bring more connection requests from potential employers.
Easy sharing
Including your LinkedIn profile URL on your professional materials is essential. It should be on your business cards, resume, and email signature. A clumsy link with unusual special characters won’t cut it, but a short, neat, custom URL will.
Students, mid-career professionals, and executives alike can leverage a custom URL to increase their visibility across search engines.
Personal branding
LinkedIn is a significant tool for establishing a personal brand. If you want to establish yourself as a professional in what you do, you’ll need to create a well-crafted identity and start networking. A solid personal brand allows you to:
- Attract attention from hiring managers and recruiters.
- Access new business opportunities.
- Establish authority in your expertise.
- Build credibility and trust.
Trust is especially vital for businesses, as customers tend to spend more on brands they trust. A solid professional brand can help increase your sales.
To align the LinkedIn URL with your overall personal branding goals, be sure to:
- Use keywords that describe your experience and skills.
- Keep the profile simple and easy to remember.
- Use hashtags to increase the visibility of your content.
- Create a clear, short, and interesting headline.
- Work on your profile summary.
- Observe consistency across other platforms.
Consistency
Your online presence is vital in building a reputation among your audience. It influences how existing and potential customers perceive you, dictating your professional identity.
A consistent online presence allows your audience to recognize and remember your brand more easily. Further, creating a consistent and professional image on various platforms creates a sense of trust and credibility and boosts user engagement.
Keeping the brand message the same and using a common profile can help you maintain uniformity across various platforms. Consistently using your custom LinkedIn profile builds credibility and trust with your audience.
How to use a LinkedIn URL in a branding strategy
One advantage of LinkedIn is that it gives potential employers information about your credentials and professional experience. The platform lets you connect with like-minded people, potential clients, and industry experts.
While interacting and engaging with others helps to strengthen your personal brand, creatively incorporating your profile link can boost your efforts. Here’s how to use your public profile URL in your branding techniques:
Business cards, email signatures, and other materials
Including your LinkedIn URL on professional materials like business cards and email signatures can direct prospective employers to your career history. Further, a link to your personal profile can help you connect with other professionals and find new opportunities.
Networking and correspondence
LinkedIn is an essential networking tool in both online and in-person scenarios. Customizing your link profile allows you to search for individuals you connect with or those with whom you share interests.
Content promotion and participation
Active participation on LinkedIn is essential if you want to grow your business or career. It offers opportunities to showcase your experience and skills, connect with industry professionals, and increase your online visibility.
Your profile link can draw attention to published articles, discussions, or achievements.
Consistent branding across platforms
Maintaining consistency helps to build a trustworthy and reliable brand. Ensure your name is similar to your website or other social media platforms. Unifying your message across platforms reinforces your personal brand, making it easier to connect with your audience.
How to create a custom LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn has more than 900 million users. As such, you want to beat the competition and increase your visibility. One way to stand out (and reap the other benefits mentioned) is by creating a custom URL for your profile.
Here are some tips you can use to customize your LinkedIn public profile to optimize your chances of success:
1. Navigate to your profile picture on the top right-hand corner and select View Profile.
2. Choose Edit public profile & URL on the right-hand side. This will take you to the Public profile settings page.
3. Under Edit your custom URL on the right-hand side, select the Edit icon next to your public profile URL.
4. Now it’s time to choose your new URL. We recommend writing your first and last name as it appears on your professional documents for consistency.
5. Tap Save.
LinkedIn public URLs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you lose your account, the custom URL will remain available 180 days from the termination date.
LinkedIn allows you to change your URL five times in 180 days. However, establishing a solid link earlier lets other professionals know your brand.
Common mistakes to avoid when updating your LinkedIn URL
One of the things that hiring managers or potential clients will look at before they contact you is your LinkedIn URL. Because your profile link says a lot about your brand, you need to create it like a pro. You don’t want to lose a potential client or employer because you haven’t optimized your profile URL correctly.
Here are some common mistakes you should avoid when setting your LinkedIn URL.
Overcomplicating the URL
When making your profile link look professional, be sure not to use complex or confusing elements. Instead, shorten the URL to make it memorable and easily shareable.
Using non-professional terms
One of LinkedIn’s best practices is keeping things professional. So, don’t use casual or non-professional terms on your LinkedIn profile URL.
Ensure your profile link reflects your professional identity to maintain a credible and polished online presence.
Forgetting to update in other locations
Whether you changed your name, rebranded yourself, or switched industries, update it everywhere you used the old URL. Failing to update it on places like business cards or resumes may harm your professional image.
Ignoring the character limit or availability
An ideal custom URL should be 3–100 characters. Ensure you use as few characters as possible to make your profile link easy to remember and share. Don’t use irrelevant and unnecessary words or numbers that don’t benefit your professional identity. Instead, try to use a variation of your name or brand so people can easily find your LinkedIn profile.
Remember to check the availability of your desired links. If your preferred URL is taken or unavailable, be sure to:
- Use letters (lowercase) and numbers, but don’t include special characters, symbols, or spaces.
- Use the initials of your middle name.
- Use your licenses or credentials.
- Use a phrase that identifies you or what you do.
Let Bitly help you build your LinkedIn brand
LinkedIn has gained significant global popularity. The platform can match you with exciting opportunities and like-minded professionals.
Customizing your profile link with Bitly will help you strengthen your professional identity. Bitly lets you create custom links by allowing you to use your preferred identifier as your domain.
Branded Bitly links stand out and inspire trust in your audience, attracting more views and maximizing your site’s traffic. Our 24-hour on-call teams monitor the availability and performance of your links all day, every day, letting you stay ahead of the game and above the competition.
Explore Bitly’s plans today to bring you closer to building a professional LinkedIn brand that gets you noticed!