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LinkedIn Custom URL: How to Create a Professional Profile Link Recruiters Can Remember
- Aug 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 18
Your LinkedIn profile URL may seem like a small detail. But when you're building your professional presence, small signals can add up.
A LinkedIn URL containing your name is easier to read, share, remember, and include on your resume than a long URL containing random numbers and characters. LinkedIn itself recommends using a variation of your name or professional brand for your custom public profile URL.
For students and freshers, this is a simple LinkedIn profile optimisation step that can make your online professional identity more consistent.
What Is a LinkedIn Custom URL?
A LinkedIn custom URL is a personalised version of the web address that leads to your public LinkedIn profile. Instead of a URL containing your name followed by a random combination of characters, you can create a cleaner version based on your name or professional identity.
For example:
Less memorable: linkedin.com/in/rahul-sharma-583729184
Cleaner: linkedin.com/in/rahulsharma
LinkedIn says custom public profile URLs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can have only one custom public profile URL at a time.
Why Should You Customise Your LinkedIn URL?
A custom LinkedIn URL can help you:
Make your profile easier to share
Look more professional on your resume
Make your profile easier to identify
Create consistency across your professional profiles
Reduce unnecessary characters in your profile link
LinkedIn specifically notes that a custom public profile URL can help members and recruiters identify your profile more easily. It is not a magic SEO trick, and changing your URL alone won't make your LinkedIn profile rank higher in recruiter searches.
Its value is simpler:
It makes your professional identity easier to recognise and share.
For a broader approach to improving your profile, see our LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Guide.
How to Create a Custom LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn currently provides the option through your public profile settings.
On Desktop
Open LinkedIn and go to Me.
Select View Profile.
On your profile, select Edit public profile & URL.
Find Edit your custom URL.
Select the edit icon.
Enter your preferred URL ending.
Select Save.
On Mobile
LinkedIn's current Help guidance directs users through their profile and Contact Info settings to reach the Profile URL and edit the custom URL.
The exact interface can change as LinkedIn updates its app. So the labels may look slightly different on your device.
What Should Your LinkedIn URL Look Like?
For most students and freshers, your name is the best starting point.
For example:
First name + last name
If your name isn't available, consider a simple variation.
You could use:
First initial + surname
First name + surname + initial
First name + surname + profession
First name + surname + location
Keep it professional and easy to communicate verbally.
For example, if rahulsharma isn't available, something like rahulsharma-data may be more useful than a random string of numbers. LinkedIn recommends using a variation of your name and/or professional brand.
LinkedIn Custom URL Rules
LinkedIn currently states that your custom URL:
Must be between 3 and 100 characters
Cannot contain spaces
Cannot contain symbols or special characters
Cannot contain the word LinkedIn
Is case-insensitive
So RahulSharma, rahulsharma, and rahulSHARMA point to the same profile. If your preferred URL isn't available, you'll need to choose another variation.
Should You Put Your Profession in Your LinkedIn URL?
Usually, your name should be the priority.
For example, 'rahulsharma' is generally more future-proof than 'rahulsharma-data-analyst'.
Why?
Because your career can change. A student interested in data analytics today might move into product management, consulting, or another field later.
Your name is likely to remain relevant regardless of your career direction. Use a professional descriptor only when your name-based options aren't available or when it genuinely supports your long-term professional identity.
Should Students Put Their LinkedIn URL on Their Resume?
Yes. Your LinkedIn URL can be included alongside your email address, phone number, portfolio, or other professional contact information.
This creates a simple connection between your resume and your online professional presence.
Someone reading your resume can move from:
Resume → LinkedIn Profile → Projects → Professional Network
Make sure the LinkedIn profile they reach is consistent with the information on your resume. For example, your education, projects, skills, and career direction shouldn't contradict one another.
This is particularly important when you're building career credibility online. You can also include your LinkedIn URL on your professional website, portfolio, email signature, and other appropriate career materials.
How Often Can You Change Your LinkedIn URL?
LinkedIn currently allows you to change your custom public profile URL up to five times within six months. After the fifth change, you cannot change it again for another six months.
LinkedIn also states that your previous custom URL remains linked to you for six months unless you unlink it. This is another reason to choose carefully rather than repeatedly changing your URL.
Common LinkedIn Custom URL Mistakes
1. Using Random Numbers
If your name is available, there is usually little reason to retain an unnecessarily complicated URL.
2. Using Nicknames
A professional URL should generally use your real name or a professional identity people can easily recognise.
3. Making It Too Long
Your URL should be easy to type, read, and share.
4. Changing It Frequently
Constantly changing your URL can create unnecessary confusion and make old links harder to manage.
5. Treating the URL as an SEO Shortcut
A custom URL is useful for professional presentation and discoverability, but it isn't a substitute for optimising your headline, About section, skills, experience, projects, and overall profile.
Our LinkedIn Skills Guide, LinkedIn Profile Photo Guide, and LinkedIn Banner Guide address other important parts of your profile.
Final Takeaway
A LinkedIn custom URL is one of the easiest profile improvements you can make.
It takes only a few minutes, costs nothing, and gives you a cleaner professional link to use across your resume, portfolio, website, email signature, and networking conversations.
For most students and freshers, the simplest approach is also the strongest:
Use your name. Keep it short. Keep it professional. Keep it consistent.
Your LinkedIn URL won't get you an interview by itself. But when combined with a strong profile photo, headline, About section, skills, projects, recommendations, and professional network, it becomes another small part of a credible professional identity.
Related LinkedIn Guides
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