How to Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile in 20 Steps – Part 1
This is the first in a 2 part series of 20 points on optimizing your LinkedIn profile. Updated for 2022.
Click on each point for more details.
1. Check your visibility settings.
3. Upload a professional photo.
4. Use the new header image for profiles.
5. Write a keyword rich, professional headline.
6. Include keywords in your summary.
8. Use rich media and stand out.
10. Cultivate recommendations and endorsements.
1. Check your visibility settings.
Set your LinkedIn privacy settings for maximum visibility:
Privacy isn’t one of the things that you need to be protecting when using LinkedIn to find employment. Make sure your privacy settings allow everyone to be able to read and search your profile. Since LinkedIn is a social network, it is about sharing information about you. Keeping things private won’t help your chances of being found for that next big career break.
Make sure your privacy settings are configured so you can be easily discovered.
Some privacy settings are more important to get right than others. If you’re not sure how to change your profile settings, visit this article for tips and how to check your Who’s Viewed Your Profile setting (although this is partly determined by the viewer’s own privacy settings).
Optimising your profile, member feed visibility, Twitter feed settings, profile views and understanding about authorising and removing applications are important factors in getting privacy settings right.
2. Customise your URL.
LinkedIn allows you to set a “vanity” or “custom” url for your public profile url. This is another great way to make sure you are found as this ensures your name and page are a lot more search engine friendly. Follow these steps to set your custom url. Try to keep it as close to your name as possible.
If your name is not available, consider alternatives such as adding an initial or middle name. Another alternative is to add an industry related word that will get picked up by search engines more easily. For example: www.linkedin.com/in/yourname-graphic-designer
Meritude discuss the benefits of a LinkedIn URL that is customised for your personal brand. Your LinkedIn URL should be easy to remember. Make sure you promote your custom link on every social media platform you are on as well as your website or blog.
3. Upload a professional photo for your LinkedIn profile.
Your profile picture is important for your LinkedIn profile. Make sure that you use a recent photo and that it reflects professionalism. Don’t include any photos from the pub, taken with a friend or with your pets. You want to look like a respectable future employee that will take the work and the job seriously. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform so you need to make sure your profile picture fits and demonstrates your professionalism.
Paying a photographer for a professional profile picture for your LinkedIn profile can be worth the investment. While this can be expensive, a good profile image will probably last you a few years. Follow these profile photo tips to ensure you get the most out of your photo shoot if you choose to take this route.
If you’re struggling to find the money or just don’t want to spend it on a professional photographer, that article on LinkedIn shows you how you can create and take a professional profile image yourself.
4. Use the new header image for profiles.
LinkedIn has recently updated its profile and header (also called “cover photo”) image sizes. This excellent cheat sheet gives you the correct dimensions for 2022.
LinkedIn now gives you the opportunity to upload a new cover photo for personal profiles. Make sure that your header is consistent with your personal brand.
This article shows some great examples of LinkedIn header images and offers best practice for use and creation of these covers.
If you need to create your own LinkedIn cover, you can try Canva or Edit.org for their great templates that will ensure your header is the correct dimensions for your company page or personal profile.
5. Write a keyword rich, professional headline.
The headline on your profile is top real estate, so optimise it! Add keywords for search engine optimisation. For example, instead of “ job seeker” be specific and write: “Aspiring Public Relations and Social Media Professional”.
Check out job descriptions for jobs you are interested in and use some of the same words or phrases.
Check out some of these tips and view some awesome examples of LinkedIn headlines to gain some inspiration for your own. Take some time to craft a headline that is representative of you and your business.
6. Include keywords in your summary.
Have you been wondering how you can get more job opportunities through people viewing and finding your LinkedIn profile? Everyone Social discusses the benefits of a well optimised LinkedIn profile for getting the attention of recruiters and head hunters.
There are a number of places in your LinkedIn profile where you can add keywords. Your professional headline, job title, about section or summary, projects and endorsements can all have relevant keywords and can help you to stand out to future employers and headhunters.
Ok, so what keywords are the best to use in your job search efforts? List your current position so that potential employers can view where you are now and your relevant skills.
Job Hunt provide some excellent suggestions for how to optimise your headline and summary with keywords that will help you get found. It’s important to add as much information as possible. Include your professional connections, volunteer experience as well as your professional experience.
7. Publish posts regularly.
If you want to be easily found and keep your LinkedIn profile fresh, make sure you publish blog posts regularly. This is one way to show future employers that you “know your stuff” and stay up to date in the industry. The LinkedIn “Pulse” platform, offers a unique way to do this.
If you’re wanting to show your expertise and knowledge in a particular field, LinkedIn posts are one of the best ways to do this. Posts are searchable by keyword in both Google and LinkedIn and, like with Facebook, the more your post is shared, commented on and viewed, the more it will be shown to your networks and connections. Here are some great examples of LinkedIn posts and ideas to get your juices flowing.
Everyone has the opportunity to publish their own posts on LinkedIn. Make sure you provide value and use the 80/20 rule – you provide 80% value and content and just 20% of your own promotions.
Wondering why you would want to publish articles on LinkedIn? Posts on LinkedIn give you a way to increase connections, share your content and provide thought leadership. Posts can be an excellent method to get your profile seen. If you use LinkedIn SEO and optimise your post headline and sub headlines and article content, you will be more likely to be found when someone searches for that topic.
You can position yourself as an authority in your industry and demonstrate your knowledge and experience.
8. Use rich media and stand out.
One of the best ways to stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn is to use rich media. This can include videos, slideshares, power point presentations and podcasts.
According to Invideo, video gets 3x as much engagement as text posts and is the most re-shared form of content. You need to get it right to make an impact. This means understanding the video specs for the best result in your LinkedIn post and profile.
Irt’s easier to embed a video into your LinkedIn post when you upload on a desktop device instead of mobile. Additionally, you can select a thumbnail photograph during the uploading process. Go to the post and select the Video post option. Then upload your video from your desktop.
Slideshare presentations can also be uploaded to LinkedIn and these are another great way to show your knowledge and expertise using rich media.
9. Manage your skills and endorsements.
Understanding how to manage skills endorsements is important. While it is possible to reorder your skills on LinkedIn, you can’t reorder endorsements. While LinkedIn haven’t changed their endorsements much over time, they do now offer a skills assessment option that offers a quiz to demonstrate your knowledge of a particular skill.
Find out how to make the most of your endorsements on LinkedIn by following some of these tips from Neal Schaffer.
10. Cultivate recommendations and endorsements.
Skill endorsements are one of the best ways to stand out on LinkedIn and give prospective employers an idea of your talents. By giving colleagues, or employers, a recommendation, they will be alerted to your endorsement and may consider providing one for you.
If you can get up to the maximum 99 endorsements you have reached the top level of social proof that you are good at what you do. It also reflects a strong base of support.
Make sure to keep an eye on your endorsements so that people are not endorsing you for the wrong skills.
Give yourself the best chance of gaining top recommendations that are relevant and from recognised and respected contacts.
Read part 2 of: How to Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile in 20 Steps – Part 2