Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile With Keywords

BRANDED HEADLINE
Your headline is the field at the top of your LinkedIn profile that briefly (210 characters or less) describes you, your experience, and your background. This is arguably the most important field on your LinkedIn profile. Yet, most people don’t take advantage of it at all.

Not only is it weighted heavily for keyword indexing, but it’s also a marketing hook. When you show up in someone’s search, they will see your name, headshot, and your headline. Written correctly, this brief description should entice the searcher to click on your profile.

JOB TITLES
Your current and past job titles are extremely important and highly weighted. You have 100 characters to use here – don’t skimp. You can even include functions.

For example, instead of:
VP, Client Services

How about:
VP, Client Services (Product Success, Customer Service, Client Retention)

Not only does this include more keywords, but it also gives your reader a better idea of your strengths and the role’s scope with just a glance.

SKILLS & ENDORSEMENTS
This section is easy to use for full impact. You have 50 skills that you can use here. Use all 50! LinkedIn will give you suggestions based on your profile, making it very easy to get your relevant skills included. Even better, find five job ads that represent what you’re looking for in your next position. Comb those ads for keywords that the hiring manager used. These are the skills that you should include!

There are two LinkedIn fields that are important, but not quite so heavily keyword-weighted as the three above. These are:

ABOUT SECTION
Although the About Section isn’t as heavily weighted in the LinkedIn algorithm, it’s still an important section. For one thing, it is searched for keywords. But more importantly, it’s a way to engage your LinkedIn profile reader. While your resume is a more formal document, your LinkedIn profile can be more conversational and can use first-person to connect with the reader.

Whereas your resume might say
“Customer-focused information technology professional”,

your LinkedIn profile can say
“I am a customer-focused information technology professional”.

Something else to note, your About Section can use 2,600 characters, so you have a lot of room to highlight what differentiates you from the pack. What is your personal brand? How do you add value?

It’s a good idea to stay away from long paragraphs in this section. I like to use headers for each paragraph to break it up and focus the reader. Some headers that you might use:

• What I Do
• My Career Highlights
• My Style of Leadership
• How My Customers Describe Me

The possibilities are endless. Think about what makes you valuable in the workplace and let your reader know!

TIP: While the About Section allows 2,600 characters, it’s important to engage your reader upfront. The reader will only see the first 3 lines of this section (before clicking “See More”). So it’s important to start off strong.

EXPERIENCE SECTION
Under each job title should be a description of your job scope and at least a few highlights from your time in that role. The easiest way to complete this is to copy and paste from your resume. It’s even better if you personalize it in the same way as the About Section.

Instead of “Managed the strategic and day-to-day operations of…”

You could say “I was hired at CompanyX to manage the strategic and day-to-day operation of…”

The job descriptions in the Experience Section are keyword searched, but are not as heavily weighted as the Headline, Skills and Job Titles.

By spending just a little extra time on these important fields, you can draw more searches to your profile!