LinkedIn is a game-changer for people and businesses who want to expand their reach and attract more clients. As of 2023, LinkedIn has 900+ million active users and more than 70 million companies. This is huge.
When used properly, LinkedIn could open a door to endless business opportunities. What does this mean for you? It means you can leverage your business and expand your connections and reach by using LinkedIn wisely.
Your website’s optimization helps you rank better on the search engines. Similarly, your LinkedIn profile’s optimization increases your profile’s visibility on LinkedIn. Whether you’re a job seeker or a business owner, this guide has something for everyone. So, let’s get started!
Whether you’re a job seeker, a business owner, or just looking to expand your network, this guide has something for everyone. So, let’s get started!
LinkedIn for Business – An Overview
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for businesses to improve their brand recognition, generate leads, and increase sales. Due to its professional nature, LinkedIn is considered three times more reliable than other social media networks, making users more likely to trust the information they encounter.
B2B leads that businesses are looking for can be found on LinkedIn, with an impressive 80% generated from this platform. Utilizing LinkedIn can enable businesses to connect with potential customers, identify their needs, and share pertinent content with them.
LinkedIn outperforms Twitter and Facebook, generating three times more conversions.
Therefore, if a business is running a marketing campaign, LinkedIn is a better platform to achieve the desired results. By leveraging LinkedIn, businesses can run ads, advertise their content, and connect with potential customers.
Something that makes LinkedIn better than other social media platforms is that it is dedicated to professional growth and helps both job seekers and businesses. This means you will get a more targeted and driven audience here than anywhere else. Now this is a catch!
LinkedIn is Not Just a Resume
Now this is something that limits the usage of LinkedIn for both individuals and businesses. Unfortunately, many people use it as their digital resume, which is not altogether wrong of course. However, this does not mean that the platform does not have more scope.
It has and to get its full benefits, you need to understand how to leverage its usage – both as an individual and a business.
For people looking for jobs or those who are starting a career, LinkedIn provides an array of valuable tools and resources. By having a complete, well-written and optimized profile, individuals can increase their chances of getting found by the right people. Besides, they can also connect with thought and industry leaders and learn from them.
LinkedIn is also important for networking. By connecting with other professionals, individuals can build meaningful relationships. This helps them improve their careers. Other than networking, LinkedIn allows professionals to participate in different discussions and groups. This means that they have their finger on the pulse of what is trending in their industry.
LinkedIn also allows businesses to run ads, which can help them reach a wider audience. For businesses, LinkedIn offers them a well-integrated platform to market their services and products. They can also connect with the right audience and potential buyers, and give more opportunities for business advancement.
No matter if you are finding a new job role or looking for ways to reach your target audience, LinkedIn has something for everyone.
LinkedIn SEO – What is It?
LinkedIn SEO involves optimizing your LinkedIn profile to improve its visibility and reach. This is applicable on both personal and company profile pages and it includes adding the right keywords, creating high-quality content and connecting with fellow professionals. This helps in both career advancement and business growth.
How does LinkedIn Rank a Profile or Post?
LinkedIn’s ranking system is the platform’s own algorithm that analyzes the content and decides which posts, profiles, and content to show to users. It analyzes several factors that include relevance, engagement and popularity of the content. This also includes the user’s activity on the platform and the kind of connections and interactions they have with other users.
For example, if a user is interested in posts that are related to technology, LinkedIn’s ranking system will display other technology-related posts in their feed.
Similarly, if a post has a lot of likes, comments, and shares, the system will register it as popular and may show it to more users.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is a great way of increasing the chances of your profile’s visibility. By doing it, you can get your profile displayed to the right employers and professionals in your field.
Here is how you can improve your profile’s LinkedIn visibility:
Work on Your Profile’s Curb Appeal
When talking about your profile’s optimization, you have a lot of areas to play around with. You have several sections like your profile’s headline, summary, work experience, profile photo and cover photo.
This is all about working on your profile’s aesthetics and making it according to your target audience. This is important because then your profile will be all set to attract the right audience and drive the required results.
We all know that looks matter. Consider your LinkedIn profile as important as your website and invest in its look. This is important for your success.
To improve your profile’s curb appeal, it is important that you focus on your profile photo and cover photo.
Talking about the profile photo, we have all been there – dull headshots that would not even interest your cat (pun intended). To stand out, you need to be bold enough to have your own persona. This will draw your target audience to you and encourage them to get in touch with you.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when designing your profile image:
- Use a high-quality image
- Choose a close-up shot of your face
- Keep the background simple
- Dress appropriately for your industry
- And most importantly, smile
The background of your profile photo should be according to your industry. It could either be formal and corporate or casual. This depends on your industry and your target audience.
A cover image is what makes a good and great profile different from each other. It provides you with an opportunity to display your profile and showcase your skills and experience as an individual and business.
Here are some ways to create an appealing cover image;
- Add a tagline that communicates your brand or the services that you offer. This way, the visitors will know about what you are offering.
- Add your social media handles and website URL to help your visitors connect with you in less time and find you easily.
Make sure that you choose a good and attractive image. To make it more personalized and attractive, you can use your products’ images or something that is in line with your target audience. Add a call to action and tell your audience how to reach out to you.
To make access easier, add details like your email address, your contact number or a link that would direct them to your website or the landing page.
The best thing about adding a customized cover image is that it would give you ground to display your creativity and help you stand out from other businesses. This also shows that you take your business seriously.
Add an Engaging Copy
When optimizing your LinkedIn profile, many people try to treat it as a resume – boring and mediocre. This is wrong and it will not gain any results. To gain full benefits, treat it like a playground for conversion copywriting and optimize your profile for the best results.
Here are some ways to write great copy for your profile and attract qualified leads and audience;
Headline:
The headline is the very first thing that the visitors will see. It comes under your name and for best results, it must be enriched with keywords and compelling content. You have 220 characters to play your magic and when used wisely, they can do wonders. For an attractive headline, keep it focused by adding your industry, services and engaging copy.
About section:
Your About section is where you have the most space to really showcase your skills and services, with 2,600 characters at your disposal. However, instead of just listing your accomplishments and services, think about your target audience. Design your profile accordingly and make the About section conversational. Conduct market research to find out their struggles, pain points, needs, and wants, and then address those issues in your summary.
Profile link:
As of April 2022, all Creators on LinkedIn can add a link to the “Introduction” section on their profiles. This is a great opportunity to promote your website, YouTube channel, online store, ebook, or whatever else you want to showcase to your audience.
Experience section:
The experience section is often overlooked, but it’s another opportunity to highlight your skills and accomplishments. Don’t just list your job duties – talk about what you learned and the results you achieved. Use keywords for LinkedIn SEO and targeted copy to attract and retain your target users or visitors.
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for professionals to connect and do business, so make sure your profile stands out from the crowd.
Implement SEO on Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn SEO is the process of optimizing a LinkedIn profile to improve its ranking in search results. Unlike regular SEO, LinkedIn SEO focuses on common keywords that users type in to find services and businesses on LinkedIn. These keywords are different from what they use on Google.
Here’s a detailed explanation of how to implement LinkedIn SEO, broken down into clear steps:
Step 1: Conduct keyword research
To begin with, conduct thorough research to find out relevant keywords for your LinkedIn profile. This is similar to what you do when you find keywords for your website. Think about the things that you want your profile to rank for. For better results, try to find keywords that have low competition and are relevant to your audience. Make a list of the keywords that have good search volume.
Step 2: Search for the terms associated with your services
Use LinkedIn’s search box to look for broad terms that are relevant to your industry. For example, if you are an SEO agency, you can begin your search with terms like ‘SEO’, ‘marketing’, etc. The same applies to other industries and businesses.
Step 3: Look at the full search results
After the initial research, you can click on ‘See all results for ……’ and check the full results. You can check all the results related to your search. This includes everything from connections, people, employers, groups and location.
Step 4: Take note of the search volume
Before your move forward, see the number of results that came up with your initial search. This will help you know how many people are using the same term to look for relevant people ad companies.
Step 5: Filter the results by connection degree
To get a better idea of what others are looking for when they type in the target keyword, filter the obtained results. You can do this by ticking off the connection options. Now you can see the keywords that different people on LinkedIn are using to get similar results. It will also show you the profiles that are ranking for those keywords.
Step 6: Analyze the keywords used in the results
Identify the keywords that are used in the profiles that are ranking on top and notice the way they are used. See whether they are using terms like ‘SEO strategist’ or ‘SEO specialist’. Besides, you can also look for other terms like SEO services, SEM, and social media marketing services. identify your goals and decide which keywords best fit your target audience. Instead of making a detailed list, just gather 3 to 5 keywords and common terms that are relevant to your main keyword.
Step 7: Reference your SEO keywords list
Check both your LinkedIn SEO keywords and regular keyword lists and compare them. See what keywords are common and keep them. Check the remaining keywords to see how relevant they are and whether they would be helpful for your profile.
Step 8: Incorporate keywords into your profile
Finally, incorporate the keywords into your LinkedIn profile. Add them to your headline, summary, work experience, and skills sections, but avoid keyword stuffing. Keep your audience in mind and make sure your profile reads naturally and professionally.
By following these steps, you can optimize your LinkedIn profile with both LinkedIn-specific and general SEO keywords, potentially increasing your visibility and attracting the right audience to your profile.
Build your LinkedIn Profile Funnel
If you’re wondering why copywriting is so crucial for your LinkedIn profile, it’s because your ultimate goal is to transform it into a lead-generation machine. But unlike many other LinkedIn users who passively wait for visitors to initiate contact through direct messages, you and I will take a different approach by making it ridiculously easy for people to convert.
The key to achieving this is by creating a profile funnel that directs visitors down the page, from your cover photo and headline to your summary, media section, and ultimately to your inbox or landing page. Here’s how to do it effectively:
Photos and Headline – The Awareness Stage
Your cover photo and headline should provide visitors with a clear understanding of who you are and whom you help. By doing so, you’ll pique their interest and encourage them to learn more about you.
About Section – The Interest Stage
The About section is where you can talk about your potential customer’s pain points and how your work to eliminate them. Use it as an opportunity to explain your services and your USP – something that makes you different and better than others. Tailor the content according to the research and information that you have gathered during your research.
Media Section – The Decision Stage
The media section is your opportunity to display your work. This could be your website, blogs or videos. While you can redirect them to your website or posts, this would take them off your profile. Instead, it is better to create a video that would address your customers’ issues, the way you help them and a compelling call to action.
Inbox or Landing Page – The Action Stage
The call to action should be clear and tell your visitors how they can contact you. You can offer multiple options like direct messaging on LinkedIn or a website. To simplify the process further, you can also make a landing page for your Linkedin leads. Be specific about what your customers should expect after contacting you and keep the whole process simple.
Creating a profile funnel makes it easier for your customers to understand your offer and how they can contact you. Without a well-detailed funnel, the visitors will have to do the guesswork, which is not at all appealing. A funnel will streamline everything and make your profile user-friendly.
Build Meaningful Connections
Building meaningful connections and LinkedIn SEO are the two main methods that help you attract your ideal customers. Here is how you can build connections on LinkedIn;
Prioritize Industry Connections
Many LinkedIn users make the mistake of connecting with every possible person they can find, regardless of their industry. However, this can weaken your profile. Instead, focus on building connections within your industry and the industries of your target audience. As a result, your profile will likely pop up when they search for relevant keywords.
Find Your Target Audience on LinkedIn
To connect with relevant people in your industry, search for profiles that match your ideal customer’s persona. If starting out, identify and search for the terms that your ideal connections use for themselves on LinkedIn. You can do this by searching general terms and see the kind of results that come up.
Connect and Say ‘Hi’
When sending the connection request, it is better to send a personalized message. Introduce yourself and explain why you are interested in connecting with them. Do not cold pitch here. You are strangers and it will take some time to get them where you want them, so, be patient and consistent.
Building smart connections on LinkedIn involves prioritizing industry connections, finding your target audience on LinkedIn, and connecting and saying ‘hi’ in a personalized way. By doing this, you can increase your profile’s visibility and attract your ideal clients.
Work on Getting Recommendations, Skills, & Endorsements
Optimization is not as easy when we talk about LinkedIn. It is different from website optimization but you can still find ways to increase your profile’s visibility and attract the right audience.
One method involves gathering recommendations, skills, and endorsements. While these sections may not directly impact your profile’s SEO, they can certainly influence conversions and ultimately lead to more business.
Recommendations: The Power of Social Proof
Think of LinkedIn recommendations as the equivalent of online reviews for your profile. This is where your clients and colleagues can leave testimonials about their experiences working with you.
While recommendations may or may not directly affect your profile’s SEO, they can certainly serve as social proof. This means that if potential clients see positive reviews about you, they are more likely to trust you and ultimately hire you
To maximize the impact of recommendations, consider asking your clients to include relevant keywords in their testimonials. This may help your profile show up in relevant search results.
Skills: Showcasing Your Strengths
LinkedIn allows you to list your skills on your profile. This is a great way to show potential clients what you’re really good at.
Again, while including keywords in your skills section may not directly impact your profile’s SEO, it can help your profile show up in relevant search results.
Be sure to prioritize your most important skills by listing them in the top three sections. These skills are more likely to be seen and endorsed by others.
Endorsements: Social Proof in Action
Endorsements are another way to showcase your skills on LinkedIn. This is when other users endorse you for the skills you’ve listed on your profile.
Having a large number of endorsements can serve as social proof and make potential clients more likely to trust you. To increase your endorsements, consider reaching out to other LinkedIn users and asking them to endorse you.
By gathering recommendations, skills, and endorsements, you can build your social proof and make your profile more attractive to potential clients.
Post the Right and Consistent Content
To start, you need to post the right kind of content consistently. Different types of content, such as long-form posts, images, videos, and shared blog posts, can all be effective on LinkedIn. However, you won’t know which types of content work best for your audience until you test and assess the results. So, be sure to post multiple times throughout the day and analyze the engagement metrics to refine your strategy.
LinkedIn articles are also an excellent way to get more visibility on the platform. The LinkedIn algorithm favors articles published on the platform and allows you to customize your SEO title and description for better reach.
Take some time to brainstorm topics that are relevant to your target audience and then use LinkedIn’s Articles function to write and optimize your articles. Repurposing existing blog content on LinkedIn can also be an effective strategy, but be careful not to compete with your website content for the same keywords.
To maximize the potential of your LinkedIn articles, include a call to action to drive traffic to your website. Additionally, collaborative articles can help you reach a wider audience on the platform, so explore this option if you are eligible to contribute.
Remember that the key to success on LinkedIn is consistency and testing. By creating and publishing high-quality content regularly and analyzing the engagement metrics, you can improve your profile’s visibility and attract more leads to your business.
Give and Get Engagement
When you engage with others on LinkedIn, you expand your reach and people begin to know you. When commenting, your name appears on your connections’ feed and could even appear as a second or third-degree connection to the people who are in their LinkedIn network. This increases your visibility.
To build a strong presence on LinkedIn, you need to spend a considerable amount of time engaging with other people’s content, not just posting your own content. This is probably the best way to connect with the users on a personal level and reach profiles beyond your network.
Utilize LinkedIn Analytics
Measuring the success of your LinkedIn strategy is crucial to ensure you are on the right track. After all, without data, you’re just guessing.
LinkedIn provides you with insightful analytics to understand your profile’s performance. These include the number of profile views, post impressions, new followers, and search appearances.
However, the ultimate goal of LinkedIn optimization isn’t just to increase traffic and connections. As a marketer or business owner, you should track the number of leads generated from your efforts to determine whether your strategy is effective.
To do this, you can utilize Google Analytics to track visitors from LinkedIn and set up
conversion tracking. But if you direct users to your LinkedIn inbox, you’ll need to track this manually or use a bot.
By measuring your progress and focusing on what works, you’ll see a boost in connections, traffic, and leads over time. Remember, the numbers never lie, so keep testing and tweaking your strategy until you achieve your desired results.
Use Creator Mode for Followers
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for generating leads and growing your business. But in order to succeed, you need to optimize your profile and engage with your audience.
One way to attract new followers is by turning on Creator Mode. This allows users who are not even your connections to see your content and follow you with just one click.
Another way to boost your visibility is by using hashtags. By including relevant hashtags in your profile and posts, you make it easier for users to find you when they search for topics related to your niche.
And don’t forget about connection requests – they now automatically turn into followers, giving you even more potential reach.
But optimizing your profile is just the first step. To turn your LinkedIn presence into a lead-generation machine, you need to conduct keyword research, optimize your profile’s aesthetics, build quality connections, and direct visitors through your custom profile funnel.
ESP Inspire is a professional social media marketing company. We help businesses optimize their websites and social media accounts and gain more visibility. Talk to us now and see how we optimize your LinkedIn profile.