LinkedIn is the social network where business gets done. The numbers speak for themselves: 80% of social media B2B leads can be attributed to this platform. And LinkedIn profile optimization can help you get even more qualified leads from the platform.
By optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you can make it so more leads come to you, rather than having to do manual outreach. Being more efficient with your lead generation means reducing the amount of time you have to spend each day searching for new prospects — and frees up time for you to spend on direct revenue-generating activities.
LinkedIn has deep search capabilities that many users either aren’t aware of or haven’t made full use of yet. With an SEO-friendly profile, you’ll show up in that search more often for your dream clients so they can contact you.
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3 Tips for LinkedIn Profile Optimization
Follow these 3 LinkedIn optimization tips to ensure your dream B2B clients find you.
1. Start with Keyword Research
Besides the fact that LinkedIn has its own built-in search engine, articles and profiles from LinkedIn often show up on relevant Google searches. Implement a comprehensive SEO strategy to get traffic from both of these powerful search engines.
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A good SEO strategy, regardless of the particular search engine, starts with keyword research. Targeting relevant keyword phrases that describe you and/or your company makes it easier for those that need your products and/or services to easily find you.
If you’re not sure where to find these keywords, looking through job descriptions that correspond with the type of work you do can be a great resource for finding popular phrases that people are using in search. Rather than just calling myself a “Founder and CEO,” for example, my current headline reads:
Building Growth Platforms for Ambitious Brands and Thought Leaders | Content Marketing, SEO, & LinkedIn Consultant | Founder & CEO of Award-Winning Marketing Agency
These keywords are ones my dream clients are searching for often, and mean much more to them than a generic “Founder and CEO” headline.
(Want to connect with me on LinkedIn? Send me a connection request!)
Unfortunately, at this time there is no official tool for executing LinkedIn keyword research. But don’t get discouraged — you’ll find a lot of success by using the SEO tools you’re already used to, such as Google Keyword Planner and Ubersuggest.
Once you’ve found your keywords, make sure to include them in the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile:
- Headline
- Summary
- Media Titles
- Experience Titles and Descriptions
- Skills
Implementing keywords in these profile areas serves as the basis for effective LinkedIn SEO.
The key is to incorporate keywords naturally. Keyword stuffing is just as unlikely to return positive results on LinkedIn as on Google!
2. Add Videos to your Summary
It is estimated that by 2021, 80% of the world’s internet traffic will be composed of video.
LinkedIn has been highlighting videos ever since they gave users the ability to share them, meaning that they often show up higher in the news feed and achieve better overall visibility with LinkedIn’s algorithm than link or text-based posts.
According to Social Media Examiner, using video on LinkedIn “can help you establish your expertise, showcase your products and services, and build credibility for your business.”
In addition to sharing videos as updates, be sure to add them to your Summary and Experience sections as media. The Summary area is the second most important part of your profile after the headline. After a few lines of text, your summary is cut off by a “Show more” link — but the first few pieces of media are visible regardless, which makes it prime real estate for showing off your work.
A few ideas for videos to include in your Summary include:
- Introduction videos for your products and/or services
- Client testimonials
- Interviews
- Videos of you speaking at an event
To add videos to this section, simply click the “Upload” or “Link” button beneath your summary and upload your video or add a link to a video published online.
3. Use Keywords in your Skills Section
Prospective clients will most likely look through your skills and endorsements before contacting you. Endorsements are especially important for demonstrating social proof — but they can take time to collect.
In the meantime, one of the best LinkedIn optimization tips is to add relevant skills to your profile. The magic number? List at least five skills on your profile — but more is better. LinkedIn currently allows you to add up to a total of 50 skills, and there are over 45,000 standardized skills to choose from.
To improve your search rankings, make sure you include the keywords you’ve researched in your LinkedIn Skills section.
Why bother with adding so many skills? Listing all your relevant skills can get you up to 13 times more views. Specifically, listing more than 5 skills gets you 17 times more profile views.
Arrange your skills so that the most important and relevant ones to your industry are at the top of the list. Then, once you’ve selected the most relevant options, ask people to endorse you for your chosen skills. You can also endorse skills for your connections, which will make them likely to return the favor and endorse you back!
Get More LinkedIn Profile Optimization Tips With Our Free Checklist
Landing your dream client does not have to be a shot in the dark. With these 3 easy steps for LinkedIn profile optimization, your dream clients will be seeking you out!
But there’s much more to B2B LinkedIn lead generation.
Get my free LinkedIn Profile Optimization Checklist now for additional tactics to drive leads to you.
