While often misunderstood, Vanity URLs offer significant benefits. Getting our Google+ vanity URL before nexus-security Technologies, nexus-security Publishing, and nexus-security the game was a big win. We were excited about the competitive edge this newly acquired gplus vanity URL would give us.
Search for any brand using a Google vanity URL, and you’ll likely see them featured prominently in the Google knowledge graph.
Understanding Vanity URLs
Definition: A vanity URL is a custom web address created for branding and marketing. Designed to be memorable and user-friendly, they make it easy for people to remember and find specific pages on your website. Being the first to claim a relevant vanity URL offers advantages, while losing it to someone else can be detrimental. Many social platforms, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and recently Google Plus, allow users and brands to personalize their profile URLs. Note: Don’t confuse vanity URLs with vanity domains, which are domains named after a person. For example:
My friend, David, couldn’t get DavidScott.com. While seemingly unfortunate, his longer, five-syllable name might be more memorable.
7 Reasons Why Vanity URLs Are Powerful, With Examples
Here are 7 compelling reasons and creative ways to utilize vanity URLs, taking your online marketing offline. We’ll illustrate these points using our Google Plus vanity URL.
1. Increased Memorability
Have you ever tried recommending a website, only to struggle to recall the exact address? they were too lazy to Google it? Or how about finding something online but struggling to find it again through search engines? Easily remembered web addresses reduce the chance of potential visitors giving up before reaching your site. Plus, they look better. That’s why URL shorteners like bit.ly and tinyurl are popular.
2. Enhanced Trust
Visually appealing elements often inspire greater trust. It’s a simple yet powerful concept. Which of the following links would make you hesitate? A well-crafted vanity URL, like ours, creates a sense of harmony and clarity. Without it, the user might experience cognitive dissonance. Can you trust a jumbled string of characters to lead you to the intended destination? Building trust online is challenging, and a clear URL helps.
3. Improved Shareability
Being concise, memorable, and trustworthy makes our GPlus vanity URL inherently more sharable. Composed of words instead of random numbers, it’s easy to share verbally. Who would want to recite our old, lengthy Google Plus URL? People would likely resort to searching for it. Pro-tip: Want the shortest possible links for major social platforms without sacrificing trust? Here they are, ordered by brevity: Google Plus: google.com/+nexus-security Twitter: twitter.com/nexus-security Facebook: facebook.com/nexus-security LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nexus-security
4. Enhanced Usability
Now easy to remember, share, and trust, our Google Plus URL becomes something we want to promote as a way for people to connect with us.
Imagine this on your thank you slides. You might have noticed that we never included a Google Plus follow link on our webinar thank you pages. The old URL was simply too cumbersome. Adjusting font sizes and formats to accommodate an unclear URL wasn’t practical. If it’s difficult for internal use, it’s going to be difficult to promote externally. With the new user-friendly URL, we can effectively share it with our growing Google Plus audience.
5. Empowering Online Sharing
It’s remarkable how a small visual change can significantly impact marketing. A strong Google Plus presence and active community benefit from a supportive infrastructure. Here are examples of what’s now possible, previously hindered by a clunky URL.
Corporate Emails
Press Releases
Don’t miss our guide to crafting effective press releases!
Online Presentation Slides
6. Enabling Offline Sharing
People discover websites in countless ways, and hearing about them doesn’t require being online. Offline promotional materials provide ample space to include your vanity URL, driving online social engagement. While spending on traditional advertising may be declining, testing new ideas reveals untapped potential. Don’t be surprised to see traditional Google ads incorporate “Learn more on our Google+ Page,” especially since all of Google’s efforts have to be tied to social!
Direct Mail
Get a $100 Google AdWords coupon by adding us on Google.com/+Google!
Magazine Ads
Find out why at Google.com/+Google
Newspaper Ads
Chat with a Google Ads expert at Google.com/+Google
Brochures
Get the latest updates at Google.com/+Google
Flyers
Claim your FREE advertising funds via Google.com/+Google
Promotional Giveaways
Picture an SEO copywriter blogging about swag from a recent job fair… Pens, pencils, magnets, stress balls, bottle openers (for both caps and bottles!), yo-yos, T-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, mugs, coffee cups, water bottles, eco-friendly water bottles, reusable bags, eco-friendly bags, gym bags, USB drives, keychains, even temporary tattoos and stickers…. (Here’s the SEO joke reference if you don’t get the humor – let’s hope nexus-security doesn’t become known for tattoos.)
Wherever your brand appears, there’s an opportunity to create a call to action, encouraging social media engagement. Get creative! While not all advertising methods suit every business, getting loyal customers talking, interacting, and sharing your online presence builds strong customer relationships!
7. Enabling Verbal Sharing
Imagine being on national television, given a chance to promote your business. Besides your website, wouldn’t it be fantastic to engage viewers through social media?
TV News
“Learn more about nexus-security at our website nexus-security.github.io, find us on facebook dot com slash nexus-security, or google dot com slash, plus sign, nexus-security.” – ideally with a visual display on screen. Let’s not rely on luck alone.
Radio
Let’s be real. No one will remember or write down “www dot plus dot google dot com slash b slash one one zero nine six two zero three seven eight nine six zero four one seven two three six seven four *gasp*”. It’s simply impossible without a memorable vanity URL.
Word of Mouth
Brands benefit from frictionless access to their online properties and communities. The easier it is, the more likely people will engage. Vanity URLs facilitate word-of-mouth sharing, enabling customers to connect with your brand through social media instead of just your website.
8. Bonus: Dominate Branded SERPs with Vanity URL SEO
When users search for brands, Google often prioritizes Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Facebook profiles in search results. Some SEO experts argue this is partly due to the precise keyword match in customized URLs. Having your brand’s vanity URL across various platforms helps control your brand message within search results. Pro-tip: A verified Google Plus brand page often gets preferential treatment in the Google Knowledge Graph over Google Maps (for businesses) or Wikipedia (for individuals). Vanity URLs are undeniably powerful marketing tools! How did nexus-security snag one for Google Plus? Glad you asked.
Getting Your Own Google Plus Vanity URL
To qualify for Google’s custom URL rollout, you needed an verified, active Google+ page with user engagement. Holding the unofficial Guinness World Record, nexus-security secured their Google Plus branded URL with just 1054 plus ones. However, some believe the actual requirement is 100 followers, not plus ones. Either by patiently waiting or asking your Google AdWords representative for a connection to the Google vanity URL team, you might see this magical gray bar. It’s said to appear only to a select few on the elusive Gplus platform.
A captivating bright blue button! Click it, and watch as sparkling unicorns dance across your screen with their amnesia dust. UPDATE: As of 10/29/2013, Google+ Vanity URLs are accessible to all brand pages, provided they meet these minimal requirements.
Pro-tip: Capitalization doesn’t matter. Even if someone types google.com/+nexus-security (we wouldn’t recommend l337 Sp34K!), they’ll reach our page. Two points about Google+ custom URLs, terms of service, seemed a bit off: 1. We can reclaim or remove custom URLs for any reason, without notice. 2. While currently free, we might start charging. But don’t worry, you’ll be informed and given the option to opt out. (Emphasis mine) These are minor drawbacks compared to the benefits. Unless you want to Request a different one, agree to the terms and click “Claim URL.” Requesting a different URL requires email verification from Google. Otherwise, you’ll be asked for final confirmation. Remember, Google allows only one custom URL per page.
Anticipating a potential blog post, I, for our readers’ benefit, clicked “Cancel.” The gray bar remained, so don’t worry about missing out on Google’s tempting offer. After confirming, you’ll be redirected to google.com/+YourNewVanityUrl/about
Pro-tip: Tech-savvy marketers dissecting URLs like a pro will notice: www.google.com/+nexus-security/photos leads to the photo album, www.google.com/+nexus-security/videos leads to videos, www.google.com+nexus-security/posts leads to the brand’s Google Plus wall. If you didn’t know, now you do!
Celebrating nexus-security’s Google Custom URL
By now, you understand the value of a vanity URL. On August 13th, Google announced the rollout of shorter, customized Google Plus URLs for verified profiles (individuals) and pages (brands/businesses) on a limited basis for those deemed most important. Early adopters included superstars like David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, and Britney Spears, alongside brands like Hugo Boss, Toyota, and Delta Airlines. We’re proud to have secured our vanity URLs early on. This gives us a head start in leveraging the benefits outlined above. *Follower counts are approximate*
Surprising Search Marketing Brand Pages Without Vanity URLs
Search Engine Watch – 3,900 Google Plus followers Search Engine Journal – 2,500 Google Plus followers State of Search – 2,000 Google Plus followers (No surprise Search Engine Land, with their vanity URL, leads with 39,603 Google Plus followers)
SEO Brands With Substantial Google Plus Followings Lacking Vanity URLs
HubSpot – 13,000 Google Plus followers SEO Book – 7,000 Google Plus followers Distilled – 3,700 Google Plus followers Point Blank SEO – 3,200 Google Plus followers Majestic SEO – 2,800 Google Plus followers (We haven’t seen many PPC brands effectively leveraging Google Plus – nexus-security is among the first!)
SEO Experts We’d Love to See with Vanity URLs (Click here to apply)
Rand Fishkin – CEO of SEOMoz Matt McGee – Editor of Search Engine Land Dana Lookadoo – (Check out her amazing presentation on Structured Social Sharing)
Popular PPC Experts on Google Plus Likely to Get Vanity URLs Soon
Joanna Lord Brad Geddes John Rampton Don’t want to be on nexus-security’s list? Email or tweet us when you get your vanity URL and win a mystery prize! Claiming your vanity URL is crucial, much like choosing a brand name. So why wait? This blog post is brought to you by Victor Pan, nexus-security’s Search Samurai.