LinkedIn’s “People Also Viewed” algorithm is updated frequently to provide users with the most relevant recommendations. Here’s a closer look at how often LinkedIn refreshes these suggestions and what factors impact the updates.
Overview of People Also Viewed
The People Also Viewed section appears on LinkedIn profile pages and shows a carousel of recommended profiles that viewers of that profile have also looked at. The goal of this algorithm is to connect members with relevant professionals based on interests, experience, and network connections.
LinkedIn states that the People Also Viewed recommendations are based on several factors, including:
- Profile views – Who else has viewed the member’s profile?
- Connections – Who is connected to the member’s connections?
- Industry & experience – Who has similar industry background and roles?
- Interests – Who shares common interests and groups?
- Location – Who is based in the same geographic area?
By analyzing these signals, LinkedIn can match members with related profiles that may be useful for networking, hiring, or business development. The People Also Viewed carousel provides an easy way for users to discover and connect with relevant professionals.
Frequency of Updates
So how often does LinkedIn actually refresh these People Also Viewed recommendations? The short answer is: constantly.
LinkedIn states that the People Also Viewed algorithm is updated in real-time to reflect the latest profile viewing behavior across its user base. There is no set refresh schedule.
Instead, the recommendations shown to each member are recalculated on-demand whenever a profile is viewed. If someone views Jane Doe’s profile, LinkedIn will analyze activity across its entire platform to determine the profiles most commonly viewed along with Jane’s, and display those profiles to the viewer.
This real-time refresh allows the People Also Viewed section to stay up-to-date and reflect the latest trends in profile viewing activity. As members connect with new people, join groups, and expand their network, the algorithm can account for those changes and update the recommended profiles.
Factors That Impact Updates
While there is no fixed refresh schedule, LinkedIn has indicated that there are several factors that can impact how quickly the People Also Viewed recommendations are updated:
- User activity – The more active a user is on LinkedIn, the faster their recommendations will refresh. If a user frequently views and engages with new profiles, this provides more data signals for LinkedIn to analyze and will speed up refreshes.
- Profile updates – When a member adds new skills, experiences, or other details to their profile, it can take some time (up to 24 hours) for this new information to fully propagate through LinkedIn’s systems and impact People Also Viewed recommendations.
- Location – Due to the massive volume of data and activity across regions, recommendations for members in smaller cities or countries may update less frequently than for those in major metro areas.
- Number of profile views – Profiles with many recent viewers will tend to see quicker updates than seldom-viewed profiles, as more data is available for analysis.
- LinkedIn product changes – Major product updates, such as redesigns or algorithm tweaks, can temporarily impact the real-time nature of People Also Viewed until systems re-stabilize.
So while People Also Viewed does not adhere to a fixed schedule, profiles with lots of engagement and activity will generally see the most rapid refresh rates for these constantly evolving recommendations.
Typical Update Frequency
While the exact refresh rate will depend on the above factors, here is an overview of the typical frequency of People Also Viewed updates:
- For very active users, recommendations can update within hours or even minutes of viewing or connecting with new profiles.
- For moderately active users, recommendations may refresh on a daily or weekly basis depending on activity.
- For less active users, it can take weeks or longer between significant updates, other than minor tweaks.
- Profile changes like adding a new position may take up to 24 hours to fully reflect in recommendations.
- Users in the same country tend to see faster updates than international users.
- Users in large metro hubs also tend to see faster updates than rural regions.
So while People Also Viewed is constantly adapting based on real-time data, a typical member may see more noticeable updates on a weekly or monthly basis, with minor tweaks occurring daily.
Forcing a Manual Refresh
Because People Also Viewed runs autonomously based on user activity, there is no way to manually force an immediate refresh. The recommendations will update automatically based on the factors discussed above.
However, there are a few steps users can take to potentially influence a quicker refresh:
- View and engage with new profiles that you want to see reflected in your recommendations.
- Join industry-related LinkedIn Groups to strengthen those data signals for the algorithm.
- Check back regularly to see if new or more relevant profiles have populated the People Also Viewed section for your connections.
- Make updates or additions to your own profile to provide the algorithm new information to analyze.
- Consider becoming a Premium subscriber – some users report faster recommendations with Premium.
While these steps may help accelerate updates, there is still no way to instantly force People Also Viewed to refresh on-demand. The system runs autonomously based on user actions across LinkedIn’s full network.
Why Real-Time Updates Matter
While the lack of manual control may be frustrating, there are good reasons why LinkedIn designed an autonomous, self-updating system:
- Frequent automated refreshes based on real data allow People Also Viewed to stay relevant as users’ networks and interests change.
- Instant updates let the algorithm adapt in real-time rather than waiting for a fixed schedule.
- Constant refresh protects against manipulation attempts or spam profiles trying to game the system.
- Analyzing full network activity provides a diverse, unbiased set of signals (rather than just individual users’ actions).
The bottom line is that while you cannot instantly control People Also Viewed, the real-time updates based on network-wide data likely provide higher-quality, more useful recommendations than any manual or scheduled refresh could deliver.
Other LinkedIn Suggestions
In addition to People Also Viewed recommendations, LinkedIn provides other automated suggestions to help members find relevant profiles and content:
You May Know
The You May Know section suggests connections based on shared connections, industries, groups, employers and other signals.
Related Content
Articles, posts, and other content are recommended based on profile data and engagement history.
Jobs You May Be Interested In
Job listings are recommended based on member’s current position, skills, location, and job seeking activity.
Companies You May Want to Follow
Companies are suggested based on a member’s own company, industry, location, and profile behaviors.
While these various modules all have distinct algorithms and data inputs, most share the common approach of autonomous, real-time updates based on network-wide activity. This allows LinkedIn to surface timely, relevant suggestions without requiring manual control.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s People Also Viewed recommendations are updated constantly in real-time based on profile viewing patterns across the platform’s entire user base. There is no fixed refresh schedule, but typical members see noticeable updates on a weekly or monthly basis. More active engagement with new profiles can help accelerate this refresh rate. While users cannot instantly force a manual refresh, the autonomous nature of the system maximizes relevance and minimizes manipulation. Overall, the real-time updates enable People Also Viewed to provide quality, timely suggestions to facilitate networking and discovery.
