Google+ Finally started rolling out Custom URLs for limited verified Google+ profiles, pages for example: David Beckham or Toyota

“google.com/+davidbeckham” or “google.com/+toyota”

Google+ employee Saurabh Sharma said

At first, we’re introducing custom URLs to a limited number of verified profiles and pages. But over time we plan to offer custom URLs to many more brands and individuals, so please stay tuned!

Infact this is much needed improvement! Short URLs for business and personal pages will make a huge difference.

How become a verified profile ?

So what does verified means, Google says here

http://support.google.com/plus/bin/request.py?hl=en&contact_type=page_verification&rd=1

Your Google+ page must be authorized by your commercial entity, organization, brand, or product.

Your Google+ page’s profile must contain a link to your organization’s website.

Your organization’s website must connect to your Google+ page, by adding the Google+ badge or by adding a snippet of code.

A meaningful number of people must have added your Google+ page to their circles.

I think roll out will be slow and letting high profile people get on first. I also hope they have a plan before opening the floodgates too. so that we don’t have google.com/+michealjordan, then google.com/therealmichealjordan

Some webmaster think that +sign in vanity URL is not the perfect and Google should remove +sign and offer direct vanity URLs, but at same time, some people like it due to the concept that @ is popular for twitter, same way +username will be popular for Google Plus pages and profiles.