LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform used by over 722 million members worldwide. On LinkedIn, profile views allow members to see who has viewed their profile. This feature can provide valuable insights into which connections, recruiters, and companies are interested in you and your professional background.
What counts as a profile view?
A profile view occurs whenever someone clicks on your profile on LinkedIn to access your page. Both your 1st degree connections and non-connections can view your profile. Views by anonymous visitors who are not logged into a LinkedIn account are also counted. Your profile views only count unique visits – repeat views by the same person will not continue to increase your view count. LinkedIn displays your total profile views on your profile under the ‘Insights’ tab for the last 90 days.
Types of LinkedIn profile views
There are three main types of profile views on LinkedIn:
- Intentional profile views – Someone purposefully goes to your profile to learn more about you and your background.
- Accidental profile views – Someone may land on your profile while browsing LinkedIn.
- Anonymous profile views – People who view your profile without being logged into a LinkedIn account.
Intentional profile views are the most valuable, as it shows interest in you as a professional or candidate. Accidental views provide less insight, but still indicate that you appeared in their feed or search results.
Who can view your LinkedIn profile?
Several groups can view your LinkedIn profile:
- 1st degree connections – People you are directly connected to can view your full profile.
- 2nd and 3rd degree connections – Connections of your connections. They can see limited profile information unless you change your settings.
- Recruiters – Recruiters who have a LinkedIn Recruiter seat can view anyone’s full profile, regardless of connection.
- LinkedIn members – Any other LinkedIn member outside of your network can see your public profile and selected sections you choose to show.
- Anonymous visitors – Visitors without a LinkedIn account can view your public profile.
You can control what sections each group sees in your settings under Profile Privacy. For example, you may want 1st degree connections to see the full work experience, while 2nd degree only sees your current position.
Who can see who viewed your profile?
LinkedIn profiles display the total number of profile views in the last 90 days. However, the list of who specifically viewed your profile remains private and anonymous to you. The rationale is to encourage people to view profiles without worrying about being seen. A few exceptions to this include:
- You will see if any of your 1st degree connections viewed you.
- Paid Job Seeker account holders can see the names of recruiters who viewed them.
- Paid Sales Navigator account holders can see full details on who viewed them.
How to see who’s viewed your LinkedIn profile
To see your LinkedIn profile views:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click on the ‘Insights’ tab, located near the top middle of your profile
- Scroll down to the ‘Discover’ section
- This will show your total profile views in the last 90 days, as well as top viewers by industry and location
This section provides some useful high-level insights into who is viewing your profile the most. As mentioned above, to see individual names you need a Job Seeker or Sales Navigator account.
Increase your LinkedIn profile views
Here are some tips to increase profile views:
- Have a complete, optimized profile with all sections filled out. Recruiters want to see 100% complete profiles.
- Include media like photos, videos, presentations to make it more engaging.
- Use relevant keywords that recruiters search for.
- Follow companies you are interested in to get on their radar.
- Engage with content and post updates to stay active.
- Join relevant LinkedIn groups and participate in discussions.
- Connect with more people to widen your reach – focus on quality connections.
Why LinkedIn profile views matter
LinkedIn profile views can provide valuable insights into how others perceive you professionally. Here are some key benefits:
- Gauge interest from recruiters and companies – Frequent views from a company may indicate they are evaluating you as a candidate.
- Discover your professional brand – See what industries/titles view your profile the most.
- Benchmark profile performance – Compare your profile views to industry averages on LinkedIn.
- Get recognized – High profile views reflect a strong professional brand and presence.
- Identify areas to improve – Low views suggest your profile needs work to increase visibility.
- Build your network – Connect with people who viewed you to grow relationships.
Limitations of LinkedIn profile views
While useful, there are some limitations to consider about LinkedIn profile views:
- It only shows the last 90 days – doesn’t reflect long-term trends.
- Can’t identify unique vs. repeat viewers.
- Anonymous views provide limited insights.
- Quantity does not always indicate quality/interest.
- Easily inflated by bots, scripts, and automated tools.
- Title/industry filters have low accuracy.
The best way to get value is to focus on identifying and connecting with viewers who matter – like recruiters at target companies. Quality conversations matter far more than vanity metrics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does LinkedIn profile views update?
LinkedIn refreshes profile view data once a day. You’ll see updated totals each morning for the previous day’s views.
Why did my LinkedIn profile views suddenly spike?
Sudden surges in profile views could be due to:
- Joining a new group or company page and getting noticed
- Increased activity like posting updates, liking content
- Having your profile recommended by someone
- Making new connections who check you out
- Bots or automated tools improperly inflating your views
Look at your recent profile visitors under Insights and identify any unusual sources. Legitimate spikes are often driven by networking activities and engaging your connections.
Do Lite/Basic LinkedIn members see profile views?
No, only Premium Business, Sales Navigator, and Job Seeker account holders can see their full profile view analytics. Non-premium members will only see total 1st degree connection views.
Can I tell if someone screenshots my profile?
No, LinkedIn does not notify users if someone takes a screenshot of their profile. The only way to know is if the viewer tells you or shares the screenshot.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn profile views provide valuable employer intelligence and networking insights. Focus on building an optimized, engaging profile and connecting with your most relevant viewers. While helpful, don’t obsess over the numbers alone – having meaningful engagement matters more. Profile views are one useful metric but must be considered within the context of your overall professional branding and candidate strategy.
