The 5 Must-Haves To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is one of the oldest and most valuable social networks having over 414 million members in the 4th quarter of 2015. LinkedIn as a business-oriented social networking site serves as a resume holder connecting people to the business world. It is one of the best places that provide B2B leads and opportunities. It is important that you must take the time to optimize your LinkedIn profile.

Here are things that you must have to optimize your LinkedIn Profile:

1. Customize your LinkedIn URL – Instead of having your profile’s URL in a series of numbers customize it to fit in your name or your identity. This way you will give a much positive impression and solidify your name for your visitors. LinkedIn also has a function tabs for profile customization where you can control how you appear when people search for you.

2. Upload a Professional Photo – One of the first things people recognize when it comes to networking sites is your photo. It is important you portray a professional image towards your visitors.

3. Optimize Your Headlines – Some mistakes used by many LinkedIn users is using a job title as their headline. Instead, you must use an optimized keyword string of your particular niche, industry or specialty. This technique is preferred because LinkedIn enables the use of keywords and geo-targeting capability in searching contacts and potential vendors. Remember that your headline can significantly help you show up in the first search engine results page of your niche.

Here are some example profiles that do this effectively:

• Bambi Weavil
• Maggie Mistal
• Josh Turner 
• Patricia Haddock 

4. Optimize Your Profile – Your profile will tell more about yourself and your capability regarding work and business. LinkedIn allows you to do and present yourself well as it now showcases videos, SlideShare presentations, and other supporting documents. You can also add your professional achievements such as awards, projects, certifications and more. Note that you should use valuable keywords strings that best represent you skills’ niche. You can also add your involvement in the non-profit community as well for a more well-rounded profile.

5. Update Regularly – After preparing a well-organized and optimized profile, you should update LinkedIn on a regular basis. Engage in discussions, accept and add contacts that are beneficial to your goals, and make your profile alive. You can also join LinkedIn groups and respond to updates posted in your network.

Contribute regular posts on LinkedIn will also help you be viewed as an expert in your field. This will tell your prospective clients or contacts that you are a credible individual or company. Conversations are very vital to your success where you are creating engagement about subjects that matter to your customer from your expertise.