Professional profile picture
- Use a high-quality, professional headshot—preferably 400 by 400 pixels
- Make the picture visible to everyone
Company-branded background picture
- Choose a high-quality background picture that conveys something meaningful about you and/or your company
The optimal size for your background image should be 1584 by 396 pixels.
Write a keyword-filled headline and summary
- In your headline, describe what you do in under 120 characters.
- You can add up to 240 characters if edited on mobile.
- Try to be original and creative and informative.
- Include relevant industry keywords that will make you easier to find when people are searching for professionals in your field.
- Your profile will appear in more searches if you include relevant keywords into your headline.
- The summary section allows you to add images, videos, documents and links, so add relevant pieces that show off your finest work.
Include relevant workplace information
- Only list previous jobs that are relevant to your current position.
- Focus on the experiences and accomplishments that highlight your professional credentials.
- Include promotions, awards, published articles, involvement in interesting projects.
Insert skills and certifications
- Add notable skills, certification or abilities.
- Ask colleagues to endorse you.
- Try to add keywords where possible
Edit your URL
- Tighten and personalize your URL to make it easier to find you in searches.
Add certificates
- Add relevant certifications and training courses completions
Recommendations
- Descriptive recommendations from former or current colleagues are one of the most persuasive pieces of content to have on your Linkedin profile.
- Write recommendations for others
Publish articles
Publishing articles is a great way to show off your expertise. Try to write a new article at least every three months, and cover topics that are hot in your industry.
If you can think of specific people who might enjoy your article, tag them in the message as well. The organic reach of Linkedin articles is quite low, so adding keywords and tagging people are good ways to increase your reach and help your article gain visibility.
Propel your profile to higher search results by:
- Including relevant keywords in your headline
- Adding your city into your profile
- Inserting impressive work samples
- Completing your contact information
- Showcasing any volunteer or charitable interests
- Joining industry-centric groups
Profile sections where links may appear:
- The end of your About section
- In each job listed in your Experience section
- In your Contact section at the top where you can list up to 3 websites or web pages
- In your Accomplishments section, particularly under Publications and Projects
- On your company page, the link to your website (it’s listed under Overview and Buttons)