LinkedIn ranks as the number three player in the social media space behind Facebook (550 million) and Twitter (150 million). With over 75 million registered accounts, LinkedIn has long been distinguished as the professional’s online community resource. Over 80% of companies today begin their job recruiting on LinkedIn.
Today, having a LinkedIn account is practically a business requirement so optimizing your account for Seach is importantant. Here a few things you can you do to help search engines stand up and take notice.
1.) Personalize your LinkedIn account by claiming your name in the URL, e.g. http://linkedin.com/in/abigailfisher
Here’s how (via LinkedIn)
- Click on "Edit Profile" from the "Profile" dropdown menu found in the top navigation bar of the home page.
- Click on "Edit" next to the "Public Profile" area.
- Click on "Edit" next to the "Your Public Profile URL" area at the top of the page.
- Enter your new custom URL. Most custom URLs must start with www.linkedin.com/in/ and must contain 5-30 alphanumeric characters. Select countries will use a two-letter country code in place of the "www". Do not use spaces, symbols, or special characters.
- Click on "Set Address".
Once you’ve completed your custom URL it’s important to publicize it in your other online accounts such as your website, blog, or Facebook Page, as well as on your business card and in your email signature.
2.) List your other social media accounts to your LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to publish up to 3 URL’s in your profile as well as your Twitter accounts. In mine I list my website, blog, and Facebook Page as well as both Twitter accounts. Adding more URL’s increases your click-through-rate which in turn, raises your online relevance.
Here’s what LinkedIn advises to “Improve your search page rank”:
Use any Profile completion tips that appear on the right side of your Profile. By completing your profile, you are adding additional information that can help people find you. It is best to have at least your current position and 2 past positions as well as your education, a Profile summary, a Profile photo and some of your specialties. You can also list up to 3 websites in the blue box on your Profile. Click-throughs from your Profile can actually raise search engine visibility.
3.) Register your website URL in your Profile. Again, more click-throughs boost your rankings.
Here’s what LinkedIn suggests to “Distinguish yourself from the crowd”:
Use the "Additional Information" section to round out your Profile with a few key interests. Add websites that showcase your abilities or passions. Then edit the default "My Website" label to encourage click-throughs (you get Google page rankings for those, raising your visibility). Maybe you belong to a trade association or an interest group; help other members find you by naming those groups. If you're an award winner recognized by peers, customers or employers, add prestige without bragging by listing them here.
4.) Integrate your Twitter account with your LinkedIn Profile. You can feed to your tweets to your LinkedIn account so that every time you tweet it updates your LinkedIn page. Believe me this is huge!
According to LinkedIn:
LinkedIn works with Twitter® to make your Twitter account visible on your Profile. To add your Twitter account(s) to your LinkedIn Profile take the following steps:
1. Click on 'Edit Profile' under 'Profile' from your home page.
2. Click on the 'Add your Twitter profile' link in the blue box of your LinkedIn Profile. This will take you to a Twitter page.
3. Enter your Twitter credentials and then click on 'Allow'. This process confirms your Twitter ID. If successful, you will receive a confirmation message that the Twitter ID was added to your LinkedIn account and then you'll be taken to your LinkedIn Twitter Settings.
4. Select the 'Twitter Settings' (affects visibility) of this Twitter ID on your Profile.
5. Click 'Save Changes'. You should receive a success message saying that your settings were saved.
5.) Add other Apps to boost your page visits and click-through rate. E.g. upload a SlideShare presentation and promote it out to your network. This will lead more folks to click on your LinkedIn Profile and promote click-throughs, thereby boosting your relevancy in Search.
Trust me this works! If you Google Abigail Fisher I am now ranked the #1 Abigail Fisher in Google, even over and above a famous English actress with the same name.
