How To Be Found in LinkedIn: A Winning Strategy

How to be the Resource that Everyone Needs

Terrance KnechtMBA, PMP, CISSP, CGEIT, COBIT, ITILtlk@terranceknecht.com

Goal

What is the most important reason for being a successful LinkedIn player?

To be found by someone with value for you

Objective

As a job seeker, you want to consistently show up in search results for candidates with your set of qualifications, ideally higher than other candidates, which is often called LinkedIn SEO or improving your LinkedIn search rank. Additionally, you want to stand out from the other candidates and engage the interest of the recruiters so they click on your profile snapshot to learn more and, eventually, to get to your full profile information.

General SEO Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the

visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural," or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic"), search results. The earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.

Sequence to Success

Hit based on keyword High keyword list position based on SEO Select to Review based on high level profile Impressed based on profile

Hit Leads to Review

Activity Information

Recruiters

Recruiters search the LinkedIn database in a few different ways. For example, some of them use the free, “Advanced People Search” function available to all LinkedIn members. Some search members and activities within specific LinkedIn groups. And, many others are using a paid service called LinkedIn Recruiter that provides significantly more search functionality. (I recommend that job seekers watch the demo video to learn more about the product.)

LinkedIn Search Results For Terrance Knecht

KEY WORD TOTAL HITS TERRY’S POSITIONPMP 351,033 2MBA 3,443,740 1CISSP 60,456 1CGEIT 3,571 1COBIT 52,845 1ITIL 510,668 2CIO 173,776 2Project Manager 6,898,059 3

Tools

Profile Keywords 3000 Invites

Set target of 3000 connectionsOnce you have many connections and an

appealing profile – others will send you invites Groups (Used to have a limitation of 50)

Look at the size of the groups (the more members the better)

Use two (2) LinkedIn profiles

Build a Good LinkedIn Profile

Information that you do not have - show you things that you should be doing in order to display them - NOT tell you to not tryJoin professional organizationsParticipate and serve in professional organizationsGive presentations at organizational meetingsWrite an articleNeed more than 500 connections

Build a Good LinkedIn Profile

Identify your “BRAND” and have all information validate that view of yourself (a unified version)

Do not use acronyms that few know One person gave their position as BDA

Use a very good professional picture of yourself

It takes time to develop a good homepage – so start now

Build a Good LinkedIn Profile

Slide Share PresentationResumePresentationsMatch “brand”

Reading ListMatch “brand”

Profile Material

Profile Material

Build a Good LinkedIn Profile

No Spelling Mistakes References

References which are written well have value – online references

Need several references for SEO Additional Information

Personal WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Keyword Strategy

Know your key words (for you to be found)Number of times a keyword is usedDifferent sections of the profile have different

valuesRelationship level 1, 2, 3, noneThe more connections the higher you will be on

search listsGroup affiliation References

Different Sections Weigh Differently

Activity Information

Who Visited You

Activity

Groups

There used to be a limit of 50 – no longer Can set attributes for each group to show or

not to show on your home page Not have too many groups showing – junk up

home page Select groups to show your brand Put them in order to serves your objectives

Groups

Groups

Summary - Sequence to Success

Hit based on keyword High keyword list position based on SEO Select to Review based on high level profile Impressed based on profile

LinkedIn is always adding new features and many times these have SEO impacts

Online LinkedIn Training

http://www.linkedstrategies.com/linkedin-keyword-optimization/