Creating your unique LinkedIn URL

By default, when you set up your profile on LinkedIn you will get a automatically generated URL address for their profile. It may look something like this:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/99/56b/097

With a few clicks you can customize your URL, which would look more like this:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/helentonetti

Easier to remember, share, and more likely to successfully direct someone to your profile.

Changing your URL is easy enough. While logged in, in the left navigation area, click “Edit My Profile” under the Profile header. In the first large profile block, you’ll see a line that says “Public Profile” followed by the current URL location. By clicking “Edit” to the right of the URL, you can select an available, unique URL for your profile.

The slightly harder piece is thinking about how to use the custom URL to manage your online brand. Google and other search engines index LinkedIn profiles, and they typically get good visibility. So, deciding on your URL takes two simple steps:

1. Create a LinkedIn URL that will attract traffic. Using your name as your URL is common, and effective, especially if your name is unique or if you believe someone may search for you by name. Or, you can develop a keyword-based URL. So I could look at SocialMediaSpecialist or Marketingideas etc as a potential keyword. Web traffic is all about being keyword-rich, and the URL is no exception.
2. Don’t change it. You can – as LinkedIn allows you to change your custom URL, but when you make a change you’re potentially losing people who may have bookmarked you. So think and choose a simple, clear URL.

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