How to Get a Short LinkedIn URL

A generic LinkedIn URL with random numbers at the end is doing your personal brand a disservice. It's the small but powerful detail most professionals overlook, yet it’s one of the easiest ways to sharpen your online presence. This guide will walk you through exactly how to create a short, memorable, and custom LinkedIn URL that makes you look more professional and easier to find.

Why a Custom LinkedIn URL is a Non-Negotiable for Your Brand

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Customizing your public profile URL isn't just about aesthetics, it's a strategic move that pays off in several ways. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your digital headquarters. The URL is the address. Do you want it to be a long string of confusing characters, or a clean, professional address that’s easy to remember?

Here’s what you gain with a custom link:

• First Impressions &, Professionalism: A clean URL like linkedin.com/in/yourname looks far more polished on a resume, email signature, or business card than linkedin.com/in/your-name-a5b1c8f3. It shows you're detail-oriented and care about your professional image.
• Improved Discoverability (SEO): Custom URLs are search engine friendly. When someone Googles your name, a URL containing your full name has a higher chance of ranking at the top of the search results. It helps recruiters, clients, and colleagues find you instead of someone else with a similar name.
• Easy Sharing &, Memorability: A simple and memorable URL is easy to share verbally at a networking event or include in print materials. People are far more likely to remember and type a simple name-based link.

How to Get a Short LinkedIn URL: A Step-by-Step Guide

Changing your LinkedIn URL is a quick process that takes less than two minutes. The best way to do this is on a desktop computer, as the option can be trickier to find in the mobile app.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Navigate to Your Profile

Log in to your LinkedIn account. In the top right corner of the navigation bar, you’ll see an icon with your profile picture labeled "Me." Click on it to open a dropdown menu, then select View Profile.

2. Open Your Public Profile Settings

Once you’re on your profile page, look to the upper-right corner. You'll see a box with a link that says Edit public profile &, URL. Click on that link.

3. Find the Custom URL Editor

Clicking the link will open your public profile settings page in a new browser tab. On this page, again in the top right corner, you will see a section titled Edit your custom URL. Your current URL will be displayed there, along with a small pencil icon to the right of it. Click the pencil icon to edit.

4. Set Your New Custom URL

A box titled "Edit your custom URL" will appear. The first part of the URL (www.linkedin.com/in/) is fixed, but you can change the text that comes after the final slash. Delete the current text and type in your desired custom name.

Once you've entered your new URL ending, click the Save button.

If your chosen URL is available, you’re all set! If it’s already taken by another user, LinkedIn will give you an error message, and you’ll need to try a different variation. Don’t worry - we’ll cover what to do in that situation next.

Best Practices for Creating the Perfect LinkedIn URL

Choosing your new URL might seem simple, but a little bit of strategy can go a long way. Your goal is to create something that’s professional, reflective of your brand, and easy for others to remember.

Stick to Your Real Name

The gold standard for a professional LinkedIn URL is your first and last name. It’s clean, universally understood, and makes you instantly identifiable. Start by trying these formats:

• /firstname-lastname
• /firstnamelastname

For example, if your name is Maria Garcia, your ideal URLs would be linkedin.com/in/mariagarcia or linkedin.com/in/maria-garcia. Both are easy to read and highly professional.

What To Do If Your Name Is Taken

With over a billion users on LinkedIn, it’s common for simple name combinations to be already claimed. If your name is taken, resist the urge to add a string of numbers. Instead, try one of these professional alternatives:

1. Add Your Middle Initial or Name

This is often the easiest and cleanest solution. It still centers your identity clearly while giving you a unique variation.

• /firstname-m-lastname (e.g., /maria-g-garcia)
• /firstnamemiddlename-lastname (e.g., /mariagraciella-garcia)

2. Add a Differentiator or Area of Expertise

Think about what you’re known for professionally. Adding a keyword related to your industry or job title can reinforce your brand and even help with specific searches.

• /name-title (e.g., /mariagarcia-writer)
• /name-industry (e.g., /mariagarcia-marketing)
• /name-location (e.g., /mariagarcia-boston)

3. Use Initials or Reverse the Order

If you're still stuck, you can try some other simple variations, though these are generally less common.

• /lastnamefirstname (e.g., /garciamaria)
• /firstinitiallastname (e.g., /mgarcia)

General Rules for Your Custom URL

• Length: Your custom URL must be between 3 and 100 characters long after the "linkedin.com/in/" part. Shorter is always better.
• Characters and Case: Do not use spaces, symbols, or special characters. Your custom URL is not case-sensitive, meaning /MariaGarcia is the same as /mariagarcia.

Where to Share Your New, Professional LinkedIn URL

Now that you have a sharp, short LinkedIn URL, it's time to put it to work. The whole point of customizing it is to make sharing easier, so be sure to update it everywhere you have a professional presence.

• Email Signature: This is the most important place. Add it alongside your name and title so every email you send is a networking opportunity.
• Resume &, CV: A custom URL looks professional and provides an immediate way for recruiters and hiring managers to learn more about you.
• Business Cards: A short URL fits cleanly on any design and is easy for new connections to look up.
• Personal Website or Portfolio: Add a social icon linking directly to your polished LinkedIn profile.
• Other Social Media Bios: Link to it from your X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or other professional profiles to centralize your online brand.

Important Considerations: What Happens After You Change Your URL?

Before you get started, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. LinkedIn lets you change your custom URL up to five times within a 180-day period. However, it's best to find one you like and stick with it.

Here’s why: when you change your URL, your old URL becomes invalid. Anyone who clicks a link to your old profile - whether from an old resume, an email signature, or a link someone shared weeks ago - will land on a "profile not found" page. This is why it’s so important to update your link everywhere as soon as you change it. Once you choose a great one, the best strategy is to set it and forget it.

Final Thoughts

Your LinkedIn URL is an extension of your digital brand. Customizing it is a small, five-minute task that delivers a lasting professional impact, making it easier for opportunities to find you. Take a few moments today to claim a clean, short URL that represents you well.

Once your LinkedIn profile is polished with a sharp, professional URL, you'll want to share valuable content from it consistently. This used to mean logging in daily or fighting with clunky schedulers, which is exactly why we built Postbase. Our simple, modern platform helps you schedule all your social posts - including for LinkedIn - across multiple accounts from one visual calendar. We designed it for today's social reality, supporting video and allowing you to see what content resonates with analytics, so you can build your personal brand without the headache.