How to Change Your LinkedIn URL: The Complete 2021 Guide

Your LinkedIn URL is the doorway to your professional online presence. Like any doorway, you want it to be instantly recognizable and easy to find.

The default URL assigned by LinkedIn is a random string of numbers and letters that looks confusing:

linkedin.com/in/315976914756321597

But you can customize it to reflect YOUR brand and enhance your discoverability.

In this comprehensive 3000+ word guide, you‘ll learn how to change your LinkedIn URL with insider tips to:

• Choose an optimized, professional URL
• Maximize personal branding
• Avoid common pitfalls
• Fix potential issues

By the end, you’ll confidently know how to change your LinkedIn URL to align with your professional goals in 2021 and beyond.

Let’s get started!

Why Change Your LinkedIn URL?

Before jumping straight into the how, let‘s talk about why you should bother changing your URL in the first place.

Your LinkedIn URL is essentially your professional business card in the digital world. – Randall Kanna, Digital Marketing Expert

That random string of numbers isn’t doing you any favors in standing out.

Customizing it leads to:

But don‘t just take my word for it. The hard data also backs this up.

cold. hard. data.

According to research by Career Builder in 2016, profiles with customized URLs get:

Yet only 36% of LinkedIn members bothered to change their profile URL.

This represents a HUGE missed opportunity in standing out from the LinkedIn masses.

Beyond just vanity metrics, a properly optimized LinkedIn URL also reflects positively on other key aspects of your personal brand like:

Essentially, your LinkedIn URL serves as a vital pillar in your broader personal branding strategy in the digital world.

Treat it as such by customizing it strategically just like you would optimize your resume or LinkedIn headline.

Now let‘s get into the nitty gritty of actually changing that URL!

Step 0: Find Your Current LinkedIn URL

If you want to change your destination, it helps to know your starting point.

Here is how to find your current LinkedIn URL:

Alternatively, your URL is visible in the browser address bar when viewing your profile.

Now let‘s get to customizing this.

Step 1: Change your LinkedIn URL

Ready to upgrade that URL? Here‘s how:

And voila! Your new personalized LinkedIn URL is now live.

But we‘re not done yet…

Now comes choosing the RIGHT customized URL suited for your goals.

Step 2: Choose the Best LinkedIn URL

You can use any unique string of characters for your customized LinkedIn URL. But NOT all URLs are created equal.

The KEY is optimizing it intentionally to:

With that strategy in mind, here are 5 tips for creating the BEST LinkedIn URL:

Let‘s explore each tip further.

Use Your Name

The #1 rule is including your name or some variation of it right in the URL. After all, that increases:

You essentially want your URL to serve like an online business card.

For example:

linkedin.com/in/john-smith 

Pro tip: If hyphenating for spaces, put your last name SECOND for branding:

linkedin.com/in/john-smith

Is better than:

linkedin.com/in/smith-john

Keep it Simple

Resist temptation to cram lots of unnecessary words into your URL. Keep it clean and minimalist like:

linkedin.com/in/johnsmith

Long URLs are harder to:

So shoot for brevity.

Related pro tip: Make it consistent with other social media URLs for greater harmony.

For example:

Instagram.com/JamesRobert  
Facebook.com/JamesRobert
Linkedin.com/in/JamesRobert

Makes it easier to remember across platforms.

Use Keywords

Keywords related to your niche can optimize SEO value like:

linkedin.com/in/marysmith-marketing

This improves discoverability in LinkedIn search and Google searches.

But don‘t go overboard. Maximum 1-2 keyword phrases.

Relevant pro tip: 53% of LinkedIn URLs include a location, indicating where they are based or do business. This geo-targeting helps drive local connections.

For example:

linkedin.com/in/john-la
linkedin.com/in/sarah-smith-cleveland

Mind the Hyphens

If your name includes spaces or special characters, use hyphens like:

linkedin.com/in/john-smith

Rather than:

linkedin.com/in/johnsmith  
#OR
linkedin.com/in/johnsmithofficial

Hyphens also help avoid duplicate name issues.

Check Availability

Before finalizing your desired custom LinkedIn URL, check availability using these steps:

If taken, tweak with extra characters until you find an available option.

Step 3: Spread the Word!

You‘ve invested time into upgrading your LinkedIn URL. Now make sure the world knows about it!

Here are 7 ways to spread the word about your new custom URL:

Don‘t have one of the channels above? Get creative! The key is exposing your sleek new URL far and wide through both your online and offline professional networks.

Pro tip: Use a link shortener to create a memorable shortened URL for business cards like linked.in/YourName.

Example:

linked.in/JohnSmith

Directs people to:

linkedin.com/in/john-smith

Shortened URLs are also handy for confined spaces like social media bios.

Step 4: Manage LinkedIn URL Redirects

Uh oh…you customized your URL but suddenly realized many existing materials (business cards, websites, resumes etc) still have your old URL!

Not to worry – LinkedIn‘sRedirect Tool helps avoid broken connections from any outdated links.

Here‘s how to set it up:

This helps preserve existing relationships and eliminate hassle as you transition to your new URL.

Note, redirects must be renewed every 90 days if the legacy URL is more than 6 months old.

LinkedIn URL Issues: Troubleshooting Tips

Customizing your LinkedIn URL is typically straightforward. But sometimes issues pop up like:

Situation: Desired URL already in use
Solution: Get creative with extra characters/numbers or combinations of first+last name

Situation: Broken connections from old URL
Solution: Enable URL redirect in settings

Situation: Changed companies and want URL updated too
Solution: URL can only be edited once every 90 days

Situation: Lost access to LinkedIn account
Solution: Regain access using password recovery before changing URL

For any other problems, LinkedIn‘s Help Center offers additional troubleshooting tips or reach out to their customer service team.

LinkedIn URL Inspiration

Still struggling for URL ideas suited for your professional goals?

Here are 10 real-world examples of excellent customized LinkedIn URLs for inspiration:

The BEST LinkedIn URLs strategically communicate key personal branding pillars like skills, location, expertise etc through careful optimization.

So get creative with your own URLs but stay aligned to your professional identity!

Key Takeaways: How to Change LinkedIn URL in 5 Minutes

Customizing your LinkedIn URL beyond the boring default takes just minutes but delivers immense upside for your personal brand.

Here are the key things to remember:

In our data-driven age, even your LinkedIn URL plays a part in crafting an influential professional image online worthy of that critical first impression.

So take ownership over shaping it intentionally as part of your broader personal branding strategy today!

The only limit is your creativity.