Google Discover tests short @ URLs for publisher profiles
Google is experimenting with shorter addresses for publisher profile pages in Google Discover. Instead of sprawling parameter chains, the company is testing a format that surfaces the publisher handle in the URL—similar to @ names on social networks. For media brands, blogs, and companies with Discover reach, this is more than a cosmetic tweak: it affects recognition, social sharing, and how users associate a source with a name.
What is changing on Discover profile URLs
Until now, profile URLs in Discover are often long, hard to read, and difficult for people to remember. Google is now testing variants where the publisher handle is central. The goal is clear: trust and brand identity should be recognizable at a glance when someone opens, shares, or saves a profile. Short, handle-based paths also make it easier to use profiles in newsletters, podcast show notes, or QR codes because fewer characters are lost and the source is named more clearly.
Discover is not a classic ranking feed like organic search but a personalized recommendation product. Publisher profiles act as anchors for returning readers. A consistent, short URL can therefore strengthen brand perception—whether Google rolls the change out widely or only tests it in some markets.
Handles as a recognizable brand marker
On platforms such as YouTube, X, or Instagram, the handle has long been the brand’s primary address. Google is now applying that pattern to Discover profiles: the handle appears not only in the profile name but also in the visible URL. That simplifies cross-promotion when editorial teams point to “our Discover profile” in social posts and the same string shows in the address bar. Users get a coherent picture: name, handle, and link align.
Technical and editorial implications
From an SEO perspective, Discover profiles are not a replacement for your own website, but they extend visibility in Google’s ecosystem. Short URLs with a handle can lift click-through on shared links because the address looks more understandable. At the same time, publishers must ensure handles are unique, on-brand, and stable over time. A later handle change could—depending on redirect strategy—lead to broken links or confusion if Google does not offer permanent redirects from old profile URLs.
Redirects, canonicals, and monitoring
Once Google introduces new URL patterns, teams should track profiles separately in Search Console and analytics. Profile traffic, scroll depth, and follow actions in Discover are often measured only indirectly; still, it pays to align with campaign UTMs and social posts that point to the profile. Anyone who links internally to Discover profiles should check after a rollout whether 301 redirects work and whether old long URLs remain indexed.
- Define the handle before rollout and document brand guidelines
- Maintain a redirect inventory for old profile URLs
- Test readability of new paths in social and email shared links
- Compare Discover performance before and after the URL change
Profile URL versus article URL in Discover
Individual Discover articles keep their own destination URLs on the publisher domain; the profile URL is the overarching brand address in Google’s environment. Both layers should be planned together: articles drive reach, the profile bundles trust and follow interactions. If short profile URLs become standard, newsrooms gain a second, readable entry point beside the homepage—especially for mobile users who start in Discover.
Link to publisher strategy and E-E-A-T
Profiles in Discover support the signal that a recognizable editorial team or brand stands behind an article. Short @-style paths fit the trend of making sources human-readable in AI and feed surfaces. For newsrooms, that means profile copy, logos, and thematic focus should align with the handle so users instantly connect name, URL, and content.
Publishers who have paid little attention to Discover profiles can use the test as a reason to sharpen metadata: a clear description, up-to-date contact options, and consistent visual language. Even if the test ends, the takeaway remains that Google may pull publisher identity more strongly into URL structure—similar to social platforms where the handle becomes the primary address.
What publishers should check now
First, review your own Discover profile in Google’s publisher tools: which URL is visible today, and which handle would be ideal? Marketing and SEO teams should then align on whether external channels link to the profile and whether short campaign links might clash with the new pattern. Because this is a test, avoid premature rebranding on third-party platforms until Google confirms the final syntax.
In the long run, handle-based profile URLs can blur the line between “Google as a traffic channel” and “Google as a brand presence.” Publishers who treat Discover as a fixed part of reach gain an extra branding element with readable profile addresses—provided content, frequency, and quality stay at the level Discover expects for recommendations. The ongoing test is an early signal: Google is aligning Discover more with recognizable publisher identity, not only individual article snippets.
