If you haven’t received one of the sought-after emails about how to get a custom Google Plus URL, you’re probably wondering how to get one for your profile or business page. Well, luckily for you it’s not too difficult. We’ve got them. 
First of all, you’re going to need an account that’s been on Google+ for awhile. If you’re just creating your account today, this guide probably isn’t going to work right away. You should still follow it though as there are lots of other reasons why setting up your Google+ authorship is beneficial.
The Criteria for Getting a Google+ Vanity URL Are as Follows:
- You must have a profile photo
- You must have at least 10 followers
- Your account must be at least 30 days old
- Your account must be linked to a website (This is key)
You’re also going to need to be using the self-hosted version of WordPress to follow this guide. Technically, you could apply the concepts in this post to any website, but you’ll have to add the rel=author tag differently. In any event, let’s dive in.
The first thing you’re going to need to do is install WordPress SEO by Yoast. The process for doing this is pretty simple. Just navigate to the Add New plugin page and search for “WordPress SEO.” It will probably be the first one that comes up. Once you’ve done that, head over to your user profile page and add your Google+ profile URL in the correct field.
Setting up Your Google Authorship is Pretty Easy So far, Right?
This is one of the main reasons we use WordPress and why we recommend that everyone use Yoast’s plugin. It just doesn’t get much easier than this. Next, head over to the WordPress SEO Social settings tab and choose your profile as the one to display on the home page of your site.
Obviously, this is assuming that you are the primary owner/author of the site. If you’re not, you’ll want to stop here and start over on a website that you own and control. You need to establish that you’re the author of the website, so it’s important that you actually are the primary author.
If you’re running a business website or you’re an established brand of some kind, you’ll probably also want to add the rel=publisher tag to the home page. In this field, you need to add the URL to your Google+ business page. This is also how you’ll get an email about a vanity URL for your business, in case you’re wondering.
Time to Make Sure Your rel=author tag is Displaying Correctly!
Alright, for this step, you need to check the code on the front page of your site. View the source of your site’s home page and look near the top of the code. If you see the rel=author tag present (and the rel=publisher if you set it up) then you’re all set.
You’ve now established authorship on your website. Make sure you clear your WordPress page cache so that visitors (and crawlers) will see the latest version of your site.
So… I get my Google Plus Vanity URL Now, Right? Not Exactly!
In order for you to establish a direct link between your site and your Google+ profile, you’re going to need to do one more thing. Log into your Google+ profile and navigate to the about section. This is where you’ll add your website as a site where you’re a contributor. This sounds complicated, but it’s not. Just scroll down to the links section and edit it.
Now You Should see a Popup Where You Can Edit Your Google+ Profile Links
Inside that popup, there’s a section called “Contributor to”. This is the section where you want to add your website’s URL. Add a new link and copy and paste the URL for your website. Make sure you give it a meaningful title, IE the name of your website or your company, and save your link. That’s it! You’re all done.
Congratulations, You Should be Joining the Rest of the Cool Kids With Google+ Vanity URLs Soon!
Everything should be ready to rock now, but it’s really easy to screw something up along the way. Trust me. Use the Google Structured Data Testing Tool to make sure everything is working correctly. If everything is working, you’ll see a nice green notification letting you know how much ass you kick.
If something is red and you see an error, back track through this post and make sure you didn’t skip a step somewhere. Make sure you’ve cleared your cache!!
Now… We Wait.
You probably won’t get your Google+ Vanity URL notification email immediately, but it shouldn’t take too long assuming you meet the criteria I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Just kick back, relax and keep an eye on the email inbox associated with your Google+ profile. You should be joining the ranks of the Google+ elite within a day or two. 
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends and come follow us on Google+ for even more useful information. If you have any questions or comments, or need help getting any of this to work, please let us know in the comments. 