It’s easy to just think of LinkedIn as the place where one goes to make a professional portfolio online while providing access to a digital resume. If this is the case, then most people (ourselves included) tend to forget about updating and making changes to your LinkedIn profile once it’s set up. This becomes especially true when someone has found a job. Why worry about it until it’s time to start thinking about a new one?

That question has a few responses:

1. The main purpose of LinkedIn is to help people network professionally. Whether you are just beginning a career, in the middle of one or looking for the next, networking cannot be ignored. If you can’t make it to one outing a month, LinkedIn provides you with access to over 400 million users. At a rate of two new members signing up per second, the number of users on LinkedIn will only be increasing.
2. LinkedIn is a great place to find your ideal client or employee. Having access to so many people in one location streamlines the process for finding whichever type of professional you need. You can search, refine, categorize etc. It’s all there with a click of the mouse.
3. Lastly and most likely on the bottom of most peoples list is how LinkedIn affects Search Engine Optimization (SEO). With proper optimization, you can give yourself a huge competitive advantage with LinkedIn.

SEO and LinkedIn

LinkedIn SEO is very similar to the way SEO works on your website. The keywords you use on LinkedIn matter, a lot. Similarly to ranking on search engines, using the most relevant keywords are crucial, yet overusing or “stuffing” them will hurt them. Three of the most important places where you should be using keywords are in your name field, headline and summary.

1. Include Keywords in Name Field

Your name field is the first place LinkedIn looks for keywords. If you are a Certified Financial Planner, then you should include this keyword (CFP) after your name. LinkedIn allows 40 characters to be included in your name field so be sure to know what keywords make the most sense for you. It’s also important to note that while you do want to include as many relevant words as possible, you don’t want to add so many that you look unprofessional. In fact, adding to many can make it harder to find you. Find a balance that works best.

2. Make Your Headline Stand Out

After someone has skimmed past your name, they will reach your headline. If you are like most LinkedIn users, you will typically use this space to share where you work and your job title. When you start thinking of LinkedIn as a search engine you’ll soon realize that by just doing this, you won’t be at the top of the page.

Utilize all 120 characters that are given to you in this section. For example, if you are an attorney, don’t just default to “Associate at Y Law Firm.” If you are an attorney with specific patent litigation experience, you could use something along the lines of “IP litigator with ANDA experience.”

Be specific, share your expertise and use the keywords that you included in your name field.

3. Optimize Your Summary

Use the summary to share your brand story. With more space in this section, you have plenty of room to use the keywords that you shared in the previous two sections. Keep in mind that in terms of SEO, the summary section is similar to a page on your website. Use the keywords, but don’t overdo it.

Another important consideration of the summary section is to think of it from a client’s perspective. If you use all of that space to just talk about yourself, what value are you providing to a prospective client or employer? Consider focusing on what benefits someone will get if they work with you. Use keywords to balance your credibility with your results in order to increase your search ranking.

These best practices for ranking well in LinkedIn can be translated into other social media platforms and your website as well. Remember, keywords are important, but search engines are a lot smarter now. Spamming keywords into your content will not work. Instead, search engines, and Google specifically, will be evaluating your site based on how much value they believe you bring to a certain area or focus. So it’s up to you to do just that: Add Value!

As always, if you have any questions on optimizing your LinkedIn page or would like to learn more about SEO best practices, please feel free to contact us.

Photo source: Forbes