LinkedIn URL Best Practices: Creating the Perfect Custom URL

LinkedIn URL Requirements and Restrictions

Your custom URL can be 3-100 characters long and should not contain spaces, symbols, special characters, or the word LinkedIn. Here are the specific requirements:

Allowed Characters:

Letters (A-Z, a-z)
Numbers (0-9)
Hyphens (-)

Not Allowed:

Spaces
Special characters (@, #, $, %, etc.)
Symbols
The word "LinkedIn"
Underscores (_)

Important Notes:

LinkedIn URLs are case-insensitive. In simpler terms, it doesn't matter if you type your name in uppercase or lowercase; it works either way
URLs are available on a first-come, first-served basis
You can only have one custom LinkedIn URL at a time

Best LinkedIn URL Formats

1. First and Last Name (Ideal)

linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
linkedin.com/in/sarahjohnson
linkedin.com/in/michaelchen

2. First Name + Last Initial (If full name is taken)

linkedin.com/in/johns
linkedin.com/in/sarahj
linkedin.com/in/michaelc

3. First Initial + Last Name

linkedin.com/in/jsmith
linkedin.com/in/sjohnson
linkedin.com/in/mchen

4. Add Middle Initial (For common names)

linkedin.com/in/johnrsmith
linkedin.com/in/sarahmjohnson
linkedin.com/in/michaellchen

5. Include Profession (When name variations are taken)

linkedin.com/in/johnsmithmarketing
linkedin.com/in/sarahjohnsoncpa
linkedin.com/in/michaelchenengineer

What to Avoid in Your LinkedIn URL

Common Mistakes:

Using birth year: johnsmith1985 (reveals age unnecessarily)
Random numbers: johnsmith123 (looks unprofessional)
Excessive hyphens: john-smith-marketing-expert (too long and complex)
Unclear abbreviations: jsmithmktg (difficult to understand)