SEO for LinkdIn
When deciding whether to work with sales professionals, 62% of modern buyers look for an informative LinkedIn profile before contacting them. If your profile is "huh," it's pretty scary. It’s even more terrifying if your profile is never found. This situation should remind people of LinkedIn's personal profile optimization.
To ensure that these decision-makers find your profile, you must use the following LinkedIn search engine optimization tips.
They ensure that your profile meets with current SEO best practices while addressing the business challenges faced by your potential customers and buyers. After all, being discovered by potential buyers during the research phase of the buyer’s journey is one of the best ways to start a sales conversation.
Why Do You Need SEO for LinkedIn?
When you hear "SEO" or "search engine optimization," you might think about how well your website ranks on Google. But search engine optimization is no longer just your website! In fact, once your know-how, it is easier and cheaper to find on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is not only the second company website that provides information about what you do and why, but the LinkedIn page is also a very useful and flexible marketing tool. Optimizing your LinkedIn can help increase your search visibility. Optimized profiles and web pages will appear in search results, create leads, and cause conversions. LinkedIn optimization allows you to connect with like-minded professionals in the industry while attracting customers.
Use the Right Keywords
Using the right keywords in LinkedIn profile and blog posts requires the same thought process to optimize the site. When considering keywords and the context in which they are used, you need to focus on the user's intentions. Avoid keyword stuffing as you would when writing content for a website. A general starting point for creating buyer roles to obtain agricultural keywords with rich buyer intentions. These keywords should be used throughout the profile and communicate with the precise audience. Make sure you really focus on the summary, because it's the first part that people read and one of the easiest places to add valuable, optimized content. Remember, people are not reading your profile, they are listening to the crazy props you give them. Instead, they want to better understand your work and how to help them achieve their business goals.
Research your desired jobs and make a list of common terms used within that field and industry. You can also use the Google AdWords Keyword Tools to find out which words will increase your chances of being found when searched.
Create a Custom Profile URL
If you've never thought about your LinkedIn URL, go ahead and ask yourself if it reflects what your ideal customers are looking for. Your URL may be ambiguous about your name, and a bunch of gobbledygook. Ideally, update your URL with your full name, role, or job title. Make sure the URL is clear and professional.
SEO for Your LinkedIn Page
We just talked about filling out your LinkedIn profile. Here, the details are everything. Don’t cut corners and leave sections empty; provide all the fine details that will help elevate your profile above others in your space. Make sure you are descriptive and use words that will intrigue others. Also, think in terms of how your ideal customers might be searching for a professional like you in your industry, then use the pain points as key phrases in your profile description. Bullet points are ideal because they make your profile easy to digest, and they generally lead to greater session durations.
Speaking of engagement signals that garner SEO improvements, be sure to upload a clear, current professional picture of yourself. If your photo is clearly from the high school or college yearbook, or your photo shows you screaming with a beer in your hand at the football game, people are inclined to not take you seriously and will bounce out of your profile faster than you can shake a stick. These engagement metrics will impact your ability to rank your LinkedIn profile, so be sure to choose one that gives a polished look. Finally, make sure the image is tagged appropriately so you can rank in image results.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Page ‘About’ Section
With relevant keywords in mind, work to craft an engaging overview that answers questions your audience might have. We recommend the following framework for this area:
Vision. What future do we want to help create?
Mission. How do we create that future?
Values. Who are we? How do we work?
Positioning. What makes our brand different?
Tagline. Our brand summed up in one line.
Products/Services. Here’s what we provide.
Be Strategic with Content
Develop content that tells a comprehensive, consistent story about your career experience. Use the keywords you find by combining them with your previous job description, skills, and "About Me" sections as much as possible. Special attention should be paid to the strategic use of keywords in the title of a post to optimize its chances of getting a higher ranking.
Link to Your Website
A lot of information that users are looking for on your LinkedIn page may also appear on your website. After all, for most brands, your website is a major resource for existing and potential customers, suppliers, and employees. Include your website URL on the LinkedIn page to drive traffic.