How to Make a Google Profile

This article explains how to create a Google profile in Google+, which was discontinued in 2019. The article remains for archive purposes only.

Creating a Google Profile

To set up a profile, go to Google Profiles. You may find that you already have a profile. If not, click on the Create my profile link to get started.

Permanent URL

At the bottom of the tab, you'll find an area marked Profile URL. This is the address of your public profile. The default address is www.google.com/profiles/your_user_name_here. If you are using a non-Gmail email address for your Google account, you can create a custom address. If you make something easy to remember, you can list your profile on business cards or easily link to it from other websites.

About Me

Everything you list in the About Me section is public. If you don't want your boss or your mother to see it, don't list it here. However, it may be to your advantage to use this page as a public resume or social networking calling card.

You can add information about where you live, list other websites, create a biography, and add a photo of yourself. Enter the cities where you've lived and they are automatically listed on a map.

Private Information

The Contact info is not public. You specify which of your contacts are able to see it. You can also set up groups of contacts, such as family members and co-workers. You either release all your contact information or none of it to the people you specify. There's no granular control over who sees which item, but Google is working on social networking services that make contact sharing granular. 

After you finish editing your profile, click Save changes. Your profile will start appearing in Google search results.

+1 Information

If you're using Google's +1 to mark websites and clippings as "+1" and share them, you'll have a +1 tab where all your +1 sites are shared. This is by design, as a plus one marks a site as publicly noteworthy.