Love it or hate it, Facebook is currently the biggest and popular site on the web… except for Google. It’s ranked #2 by Alexa and it has over 1.5 billion inbound links. Because it’s such a powerful site, having a well-branded, SEO-optimized vanity username or Fan page URL on Facebook can be a big boost your business and online reputation.
Facebook Username Length & Guidelines
- Usernames must be 5 characters long and may be no longer than 50 characters.
- Usernames can only contain A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and periods (.)
- Your account must be e-mail and SMS (text message) verified before you are allowed to set or change usernames.
- Facebook says you cannot register usernames and try to resell them for money, or they will disable the username (or your account) if they find out.
How Do I Set My Facebook Username (Vanity URL)?
When you’re logged into your account, type the following URL into the browser bar:
http://www.facebook.com/username
Then follow the on-screen directions. They tend to show a lot of suggested usernames with periods in them, and you may have to click the “more” button to type in the one you really want. Check the availability, double-check your spelling (don’t type in “JohnSnith” instead of “JohnSmith“>), and then confirm the name to lock it in for good.
How Do I Change My Facebook Username?
1. Click on the “Account” dropdown menu at the far upper right of your screen. Then select “Account Settings” from the drop-down menu:
2.) Click on the button to change your username:
How Many Times Can I Change My Facebook Username?
You are only allowed to change your username once. If you have changed your name once already and want to do it again, you’ll have to register and SMS-verify a new Facebook account. (Maybe buy one of this disposable, prepaid cellular phones for $29.99?)
Someone already registered my choice of username. If they change it to something else, can I claim it? Can we trade Facebook usernames?
Yes. It is possible to trade and exchange Facebook usernames. From the tests that I personally conducted (on 2/19/10)… it seems that the second you change your Facebook username to something else, your old username immediately becomes “up for grabs.” If someone else registered as “JohnSmith” and you can talk them into changing to another name.. the moment they change and confirm it, you can grab “JohnSmith” for yourself.
Here is a video I found on YouTube that demonstrates how to transfer / trade Facebook usernames:
(warning! cheesy music)
How Do I Set A Vanity URL for a Facebook Fan Page?
Facebook Usernames URLs are best for individual people. Facebook Fan Page vanity URLs are better for collective interests like: companies, organization, bands and products. Once your fan page has 25 or more members, you are eligible to set a vanity URL for it. Here’s how:
1. Type “http://www.facebook.com/username” into your browser’s address bar:
2.) Click the blue link that says “Set a username for your pages”:
If I registered a personal Facebook username and now I want to change it to a fan page URL, is this possible?
Yes. As long as your fan page has more than 25 members, you can do this. First change your username to something else. Then immediately go set your the fan page name to the one you want, as your previous username will now be available.
Can I Change the Name of a Facebook Fan Page?
No. According to this thread, you cannot currently change the name of a Facebook Fan page. If your company is called “Extreme Print Design” and you have a Fan page for it, and you legally change your company name to “Extreme Web Design” – you still cannot change the name of your fan page. You have to make a new fan page and start over.
Can I Change the URL of a Facebook Fan Page?
No. Once the fan page URL has been set, there is no way to change it. Not that I know of.
Disclaimer: Facebook has complex, not-user-friendly, constantly evolving interface! The information in this post was true at the time of writing, but i is very likely to change in the coming months or years.
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