RAQ: How do I set a Vanity URL for my Facebook Page?

Note: This post is part of the SMUG Facebook curriculum, and is Facebook 230.

A participant in a recent Webinar had a question about how to create a vanity URL for an organization’s Facebook page, similar to what we have for Mayo Clinic, which has now been shortened to:

http://www.facebook.com/MayoClinic

So I’m demonstrating it with another “fan” Page I’ve set up for myself as a writer, speaker, etc. If you are administering a fan page in Facebook, here’s how you can get a shorter URL, without the long string of numbers that is part of your basic URL.

Go to http://www.facebook.com/username/

If you haven’t set a vanity URL for your personal profile, you will have an opportunity to do it. But if you have already set a personal URL, as I have, and if you are a Page administrator/owner, you will see a message like this (click to enlarge):

WheretosetUsername

If you click on the link that says “Set a username for your Pages” you will see a drop-down menu like this (if you have multiple Pages):

PickPageforUsername

Then you will get a chance to select your username for the page, and check its availability:

PickingUsername

If it is available, you will see a message like this that warns you sternly that this is not something to take lightly:

UsernameAvail

When you hit Confirm, you see a message like this:

Success

And then, in my case, if people go to http://www.facebook.com/SMUG.Chancellor they will see this:

SMUGChancellor

If you’d like to become a “fan” I would of course be honored.

But otherwise, I hope you will find this helpful in setting your own vanity URL, either as an individual for your profile or for your Facebook fan pages.

Did this work for you?