Did you know that LinkedIn is more than just a job-hunting platform?
It's the ultimate social platform for B2B technology companies like yours, with millions of prospects and competitors at your fingertips.
But how do you stand out from the crowd and get noticed?
The key is to boost your LinkedIn SEO game.
As with other social networks, LinkedIn has its own search engine and algorithm, so you should understand how they work to compete with other businesses for visibility on the platform.
Fortunately, with minimal effort, you can make yourself and your organization stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn.
In this article, we'll show you simple tips to skyrocket your LinkedIn page's SEO profile.
Table of Contents:
Why You Should Care About LinkedIn SEO
Optimizing your LinkedIn page and posts for better visibility on LinkedIn search is known as LinkedIn SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Like the methods used to improve website rankings on search engines, such as Google, LinkedIn SEO involves researching and including keywords that accurately depict the content of your LinkedIn page or post (such as industry-specific terms or product-related phrases).
This technique enables potential customers to find you quickly.
Why LinkedIn SEO is Critical to Success
By selecting appropriate keywords and optimizing your content accordingly (e.g. including them in titles), you increase the likelihood of your page/post appearing when people search for those keywords.
In the case of LinkedIn SEO, the goal is to use keywords that clearly convey the essence of a profile, company page, or post.
If your company specializes in social media marketing, for instance, you would want to use keywords that relate to your industry, such as "social media expert," "social media marketing services," and "social media management."
As numerous companies on LinkedIn compete for the same attention from the same customer base, LinkedIn SEO can make a substantial difference. Either your competitors will appear first in search results, or you will.
How LinkedIn SEO Ranking Factors Work
Although LinkedIn has not publicly disclosed its SEO guidelines or official ranking factors, it is reasonable to assume that the platform employs similar criteria to well-known search engines like Google.
With this in mind, the following are some essential ranking factors to consider when optimizing your LinkedIn pages and posts:
The appropriate keywords: To rank high in search results for specific keywords, ensure that you have included them in your profile. However, avoid using high-value keywords that do not match your page, which can harm your page's performance. Furthermore, refrain from keyword stuffing, which involves overusing relevant keywords to manipulate the algorithm.
Page completion: A complete profile containing accurate information is more likely to be clicked on by your target audience than one with no picture, nothing in the "About" section, and outdated information about your product.
Frequent updates: Most search engines prioritize fresh content, which means that pages with recent updates and the latest information are more likely to rank higher in search results. It's a good practice to update your page frequently with company news, events, and other relevant information.
Spam: Search engines dislike spam, whether it's content overloaded with keywords but lacks value or material that attempts to lure visitors to suspicious links. If your page appears spammy, it's unlikely to rank well in search results.
Now that you understand why some LinkedIn profiles and pages rank higher than others let's look at how you can achieve this for yourself.
5 LinkedIn SEO Optimization Tactics for Better Reach and Engagement
Improving LinkedIn SEO entails more than just utilizing appropriate keywords. Here are a few additional measures you can take to enhance your page's SEO:
1. Your headline should be your elevator pitch. First impressions matter; your headline is one of the first things people will see when visiting your LinkedIn page. Although it may be tempting to create a catchy headline, it may not be the most effective way to get your page noticed.
Instead, utilize keywords relevant to your company or industry to optimize your page's visibility.
Keep your headline brief and straightforward, and avoid stuffing it with too many keywords.
One or two relevant keywords should suffice.
2. Your URL matters. Did you know you're not obligated to retain your LinkedIn page's original URL?
LinkedIn assigns a default URL consisting of a string of numbers, similar to this example:
www.linkedin.com/in/company-123/9846378
To enhance your LinkedIn page's SEO, consider customizing your URL to incorporate a keyword relevant to your industry or use your company name.
Using your company could make your URL link look like this:
www.linkedin/company/marketeery
3. Think about optimizing your About section. With a maximum of 2,600 characters or approximately 371 to 650 words (depending on your phrasing), you can optimize your SEO to attract more prospects to your page.
Take advantage of this valuable SEO space by including trending keywords related to your industry.
To identify relevant keywords, you can use tools like Google Trends.
However, ensuring that keywords are natural and not forced is critical.
Use your About section to highlight what sets your company apart from the competition, why your product is an excellent option for potential customers, and how you've achieved your success.
You should also include a call to action to encourage visitors to engage with your company.
This could be an invitation to contact your sales team, follow your page, or visit your website.
Then, take the extra step of including those keywords in your writing.
4. Try to optimize your LinkedIn posts for SEO (and post them when your audience is online). While you may have already shared a fair amount of posts and reshared content, have you leveraged LinkedIn's Newsletter feature?
Crafting LinkedIn posts optimized for SEO and publishing them at the optimal time can significantly boost your page's visibility. These lengthy article posts enable you to host a blog through your company's LinkedIn page or personal profile, allowing you to delve deeper into industry-related topics than a regular post would.
Demonstrating your expertise can establish your brand as an authority in your niche, further enhancing your SEO profile. For instance, if your company specializes in ERP for non-profits, you could create articles about how ERP helps non-profits generate surplus revenue and allows them to give more back to their cause. But make sure to find topics in high demand and then optimize them with relevant keywords to make them more searchable.
In addition to publishing content optimized for SEO, it's crucial to post it at the right time to maximize engagement.
You can boost your posts' effectiveness by aligning each piece of content with a specific business objective and optimizing your posting schedule accordingly.
Takeaways for optimizing LinkedIn posts:
Build greater awareness
Increase engagement
Drive more traffic
5. Maintain your company page and make sure it's complete and up-to-date. Maintaining an updated and complete LinkedIn page can significantly enhance your SEO. LinkedIn offers a comprehensive array of fields and opportunities to add detail that other social media platforms cannot match.
However, many companies tend to include only a brief description in the About section and an image, missing out on the opportunity to optimize their page's SEO.
It's essential to complete each field to optimize your page's search engine visibility, as every section represents a chance to include keywords that can boost your page's ranking.
Here are the key fields you should focus on:
Tagline: Your tagline should serve as a concise elevator pitch for your page or profile. Keep it brief, but ensure that it includes one or two keywords that describe your business.
About section: Utilize this space to showcase your company and describe what you do, how you do it, and what sets you apart from the competition. Do some keyword research to determine the keywords that align with your business.
Website: Ensure that you include your company's website in this field.
Industry: Specify your sector/industry to make it easier for companies to find your company's page.
Specialties: This field provides significant SEO potential, allowing you to incorporate keywords that connect your company page directly to high-value search terms.
Location: Pick the most appropriate option when entering your zip code. Selecting the exact city, surrounding area, or zip code may be more beneficial depending on your target audience. For example, if you are a Microsoft MSP and your business is only focused on Tampa and surrounding areas, you might want to choose a Tampa zip code.
Products: The Products tab is an excellent space to leverage SEO opportunities. By adding a product/service, you can describe its function and benefits in a paragraph, potentially increasing your reach as LinkedIn users may add your product/service as a skill to their profiles.
By implementing these strategies, your LinkedIn page has a better chance of ranking higher, which could bring potential prospects.
LinkedIn SEO FAQs
If you're still questioning whether LinkedIn is necessary or not, then here are some FAQs for you to consider:
Is LinkedIn SEO relevant? Yes, SEO is crucial for all online content that search engines deliver, especially on LinkedIn. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile or posts for SEO can increase the likelihood of your company or messages appearing at the top of related searches, making it easier for potential clients to discover you.
What are the steps to optimize my LinkedIn Page for SEO? Here are some steps you need to consider when trying to your SEO presence on LinkedIn:
Turn your LinkedIn company headline into an elevator pitch
Customize your URL
Optimize your About section
Write LinkedIn posts optimized for SEO
Complete your profile
Keep your profile up to date
How can you determine the appropriate keywords for LinkedIn SEO? Begin by researching some of your competitors. Are there any terms or phrases that repeatedly appear?
Take note of these common expressions and sentences, and transform them into keywords that you can incorporate into your page and posts.
If you have a list of keywords and seek to prioritize them, utilize Google Trends (or a similar app) to understand how much search traffic a particular keyword generates on Google.
By experimenting with different keywords and phrases and analyzing their search volume, you can identify the most effective ones to utilize.
For instance, here's the trend chart for "Why is SEO Important."
How frequently should you optimize your company's LinkedIn page? The frequency of updates should not be arbitrary; however, there are likely several opportunities to refresh your page.
For instance, you can use LinkedIn's event tab to announce upcoming events or add new products when launching them.
The crucial aspect is ensuring that your page always has the most current information. Doing so will improve your page's ranking in LinkedIn search results.
About the Author
As the co-founder of Marketeery, Jon Rivers brings 20+ years of experience working with Microsoft, Oracle/JDE Edwards, MSPs, Technology Partners, and ISVs, to drive business growth and revenues.
Jon has been recognized as a partner community pioneer for his proven social media marketing skills. His passion runs deep as he analyzes every social media message and how it drives traffic to the website and engages people.
He loves to write engaging content and works closely with our graphic designers to ensure the design elements stand out.
Jon also authors the eBook The Ultimate Guide to Hashtags for the Microsoft Dynamics Ecosystem. Grab a free copy now.
His technical background and sales and marketing skills allow him to understand solutions out of the gate and help drive better marketing campaigns.
Jon is a frequent speaker at many Microsoft-focused (Inspire, Directions) and technology events and serves on multiple boards, including Content Chair for the Microsoft Directions North America Board supporting the Dynamics 365 Community.