LinkedIn SEO: How To Optimize for Discovery on LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t just for job-seekers. According to a 2023 Statista survey, 79% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers ranked LinkedIn among the most valuable social media platforms, far ahead of Facebook, which came in at just 30%.

A strong LinkedIn presence can help any business build an engaged audience on the platform and increase its reach on the larger Internet. Optimizing your Linkedin profile and content improves visibility both within LinkedIn and in external search results.

Here’s how LinkedIn SEO works, how it can help you get the most out of your LinkedIn marketing efforts, and actionable tips for increasing page visibility and traffic.

What is LinkedIn SEO?

LinkedIn SEO is the practice of applying search engine optimization (SEO) principles to improve the visibility of content published on the LinkedIn platform, such as:

• Building authority with a detailed profile
• Producing helpful, high-quality content in post and article format
• Infusing content with search terms, also called keywords
• Following platform best practices

A strong, optimized LinkedIn presence can also improve your visibility across the broader Internet through major search engines.

LinkedIn SEO ranking factors

LinkedIn doesn’t disclose its exact search ranking criteria, and its algorithm remains private. However, its help center offers guidance on search performance. Drawing from this, along with expert SEO insights, here are the key factors influencing LinkedIn search rankings.

• Relevance. Relevance describes how closely page content matches user search intent. If a user searches for “software engineering” jobs, for example, tech companies may be more relevant than industrial engineering firms.
• Follower count. Pages with large follower accounts have higher search authority.
• Connections and search history. LinkedIn search rankings are tailored for different individuals—users are more likely to see profiles or pages with shared connections. A user with a history of searching for B2B companies might see B2B specialists at the top of a freelance copywriter search.
• Profile quality. LinkedIn search favors high-quality, complete profiles. To be considered complete, a profile or company page should include a headline, cover image, profile picture, website link, and company details like industry and employee count.
• Profile activity. LinkedIn wants to send users to active pages. Keeping your profile up to date and regularly sharing content signals your account is in use.

LinkedIn SEO must-dos

• Complete your profile
• Use relevant keywords
• Include high-quality profile, background, and content photos
• Post relevant content
• Publish LinkedIn articles
• Customize your profile’s URL
• Verify your account

Optimizing your company’s profile means balancing audience interests with LinkedIn’s best practices. Here’s how to build a compelling LinkedIn page that attracts both clients and job seekers:

Complete your profile

According to LinkedIn, complete profiles receive 30% more views than those missing key details. LinkedIn treats complete profiles as higher-quality, boosting their search rankings.

Here’s how to complete your business profile for better visibility:

• Add your company logo. This builds brand recognition and adds professionalism.
• Write a clear overview. Summarize what your company does and what sets it apart from the competition. This might include your value proposition.
• Fill in organization details. Include your industry, company size, and location to help LinkedIn categorize your business.
• Include a CTA button. A call-to-action (CTA) directs visitors to your website, Contact page, or another key destination.
• Create a compelling headline or tagline. Use a short phrase capturing your company’s mission statement or values.

Use relevant keywords

Keywords tell LinkedIn’s algorithm what your page is about. Use them strategically in high-visibility places, such as headlines, taglines, and the top of descriptions. Focus on relevant keywords and avoid adding terms where they don’t feel natural. Overloading your profile with repetitive keywords—known as keyword stuffing—can hurt your visibility within LinkedIn search and make your profile appear unprofessional.

If you’re unsure of which keywords to include on your page, use LinkedIn Search Suggest for inspiration. Just type a basic term associated with your business directly into the search bar on LinkedIn. The dropdown suggestions reflect real user queries, giving you insight into valuable keywords to include in your page or post copy.

Include high-quality profile, background, and content photos

Use high-quality photos that reflect your brand identity. Professional imagery leads to higher engagement, more profile views, and improved visibility in both search and recruiter browsing. For example, research shows profiles with a professional profile photo get 14 times more views and 36 times more messages than those without.

LinkedIn profile photos or brand logos appear as a small circle next to your company name in search results. Preview how your image displays on mobile and in Linkedin feeds to ensure clarity. Blurry or unreadable images can leave a poor impression and reduce clicks. LinkedIn recommends the following image specifications for different image placements:

• Business LinkedIn profiles. Company logo: 300 pixels by 300 pixels. Banner image or over photo: 1128 pixels by 191 pixels
• Individual LinkedIn profiles. Profile picture: 400 pixels by 400 pixels. Banner image or background photo: 1584 pixels by 396 pixels

LinkedIn accepts .JPG, .PNG, and .GIF image files. Find a full list of content image specs here.

Post relevant content

Relevant, resonant posts can drive engagement through likes and comments, signaling value to the platform and adding to your search authority.

For example, a social media marketing agency might optimize its primary LinkedIn page, which explains its services, with general industry keywords to attract a broad audience. At the same time, to reach more niche audiences, it could post about client work using more longtail keywords—like “social media marketing for beauty brands” or “viral campaigns for product launches.”

You can also create content to attract a values-aligned audience, like coffee company BLK & Bold does with regard to sustainability.

🌟Discover 11 Linkedin post ideas to level up your content strategy and leverage this professional connection tool effectively.

Publish LinkedIn articles

Publishing LinkedIn articles—from industry news and analysis to case studies, tips, how-to guides, and tutorials—can help you or your company appear in more searches. This is one of the best ways to get more off-platform visibility.

Unlike regular posts, these long-form articles are indexed by Google. In 2023, LinkedIn improved how articles are discovered by search engines, making them easier to surface in organic search results, helping you reach target audiences beyond LinkedIn’s walls.

To make this even easier, LinkedIn gives you built‑in SEO tools. You can add custom SEO titles and meta descriptions directly in the article editor so Google can better understand and rank your content.

Customize your profile’s URL

To create a custom LinkedIn URL, go to your homepage, click “View Profile,” and select the edit icon next to “Public profile & URL.” Enter your desired text in the field and click “Save.”

Choose a unique, brand-reflective URL. Using your business name in your custom URL can make it easier for users who search for your company directly to find your page.

Verify your account

According to LinkedIn, verified accounts, with verification badges, receive more page views and better engagement. Verifying your account establishes credibility and reduces the risk your page could be confused with copycats. Verification can help attract clicks, build search authority, and improve rankings in search results over time.

Business page owners can request verification in account settings. From the super admin view, go to Settings > Verification and click “Verify Now.” LinkedIn guides you through the steps to confirm ownership of your corporate URL. You’ll be notified by email once verification is approved.