I recently spoke at the Construction Writers Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, and fellow panelist Kimberly Kayler of Constructive Communications told us many of her construction-related clients find LinkedIn to be one of their most powerful social media tools. Prospective clients will often view Linked-In profiles to find out more about key associates within a firm. In addition to making sure that all employee profiles are 100 percent complete, businesses can take the next step to optimize those results for search engines.
LinkedIn is an authoritative site and chances are good that your LinkedIn Profile will be one of the first listings you see in search of your name. The more employees linking to your company website, the better it is for your company’s search engine rankings. LinkedIn provides an opportunity to link to three sites. Use them all. Instead of listing only the web addresses, you can use keywords to name the site. Instead of “Blog” , I might want to name this link Content for Biz Blog.
Your headline is the information that search engines will pull into the search results, so be sure to include important keywords that potential clients might type in a search. If your business is local include important geographic keywords. Be sure your profile is visible.
One way to ensure your LinkedIn profile will show up in a search is to customize the default LinkedIn URL with your name. My vanity URL on LinkedIn is
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joannecostin.
The summary is also an important area that can be keyword-rich while describing the unique benefits and skills you offer. Use the space wisely to introduce yourself and your accomplishments, keeping in mind the needs of a prospective client. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. If you aren’t comfortable writing about yourself, solicit some help from colleagues or professional writers.
Google likes content shared on LinkedIn. Share your content with your contacts through regular updates. You can feed both twitter and blog posts directly to your LinkedIn account.
Groups are a great way to reach out beyond your professional network and impress others with your expertise. Post your content or answer questions related to your profession using LinkedIn Answers
Monitor weekly searches to see who is viewing your profile to measure the impact of your optimization efforts. Identify the most effective headlines and profiles. Linked in Profile Stats Pro is an upgrade that lets you see the complete list of who has filled your profile. It’s included with a LinkedIn Pro membership of $19.95 per month.
Like any social media site or website, content needs to be reviewed on an ongoing basis. It is amazing how quickly things can get out of date.Writing this post forced me to re-evaluate several areas of my LinkedIn Profile. I will let you know well the optimization plan worked.