LinkedIn Company Pages allow businesses and organizations to establish a presence on LinkedIn and connect with customers and prospects. While most companies want their page to be visible and discoverable, there may be reasons a company wants to hide or unpublish their page for a period of time. In this article, we’ll look at whether it’s possible to hide a LinkedIn Company Page and the options companies have to control the visibility of their page.
Can You Completely Hide a LinkedIn Company Page?
The short answer is no, there is no way to completely hide or delete a LinkedIn Company Page once it’s been created. LinkedIn does not allow companies to delete their pages entirely.
However, companies do have options to effectively unpublish their pages or restrict visibility. The main options include:
Unpublishing the Page
The closest option LinkedIn offers to hiding a page is “unpublishing” it. Unpublishing removes the page from search results and prevents it from being viewed publicly.
To unpublish a page:
1. Go to your Company Page as an administrator
2. Click “Manage” on the top right
3. Select “Settings” from the menu
4. Next to “Status” switch the toggle from “Published” to “Unpublished”
Once unpublished, the page will not be visible to the public or come up in searches. Unpublishing is reversible – you can easily republish the page when ready.
Restricting Viewing to Company Employees
Another option is to limit visibility of the page to employees associated with the company.
To do this:
1. Go to your Company Page settings
2. Under “Visibility”, select “Employees”
This will make the page only viewable by current employees listed on the page and approved employees who request access.
Removing Followers
LinkedIn Company Pages have followers who will receive updates. To further limit visibility, you can proactively remove all followers which will prevent them from interacting with the unpublished page.
To remove all followers:
1. Go to your Company Page
2. Click on the “Followers” section
3. Click the 3 dots next to “All followers”
4. Select “Remove all”
This will unfollow all connections. You can also selectively unfollow individual followers.
Reasons Companies May Want to Hide Their Page
While completely hiding a Company Page isn’t possible, companies may still want to restrict access for certain reasons or situations. Some common reasons include:
Going Through a Rebranding
If a company is actively rebranding with a new name, logo, or messaging, they may want to unpublish the old page while they create a new page that aligns with the rebranding. This allows them to control the messaging and avoid confusion.
Undergoing a Merger or Acquisition
During a merger or acquisition, companies in transition may need to take down their individual pages temporarily while things get sorted out. For example, they may need to merge multiple pages or transfer ownership.
Handling a PR Crisis
In a crisis situation like a scandal or damaging news, a company may unpublished its page to limit visibility until it can address the issue. This can help mitigate reputational damage.
Performing Maintenance
Companies may want to unpublish their page to conduct page maintenance like updating branding assets, refreshing content, or switching administrators. Taking it down temporarily prevents visitors from seeing the page mid-update.
Assessing Page Strategy
Some companies may unpublish their pages if they want to evaluate their LinkedIn strategy and ROI. This gives them time to assess results and analytics before deciding to republish.
Best Practices for Unpublishing
If you decide to unpublish your LinkedIn Company Page for any reason, here are some best practices:
Notify Followers
Send a notification to all Company Page followers alerting them the page will be temporarily unavailable and when you expect it to return. This maintains transparency.
Update Other Assets
Update any external assets or owned media directing people to your page like your website, emails, or brochures. Redirect them elsewhere like your LinkedIn Showcase Page.
Explain on Related Employee Profiles
Have employees list on their personal LinkedIn profiles that your Company Page is temporarily unavailable and state when it will be back.
Maintain Your Showcase Page
Keep your LinkedIn Showcase Page active if you have one. This allows you to promote products, content and employees.
Wait 90 Days Before Deleting
LinkedIn requires companies to keep unpublished pages for 90 days before fully deleting. Use this as a transition period.
Considerations Before Unpublishing
Before unpublishing your LinkedIn Company Page, keep these considerations in mind:
You’ll Lose Followers
Most followers will unfollow an unpublished page that goes inactive for an extended time. Expect to have to rebuild your audience once you republish.
SEO Value Will Decline
Unpublishing removes your page from search which will impact organic traffic and SEO. It can take time to regain positioning once you republish.
Recruiting Efforts May Suffer
Your jobs, content and employee profiles will not be visible. This can negatively impact recruiting until the page is reinstated.
Competitors May Take Advantage
If your page is down for long, competitors may seize the opportunity to attract your followers, talent and customers.
You’ll Lose Out on New Opportunities
New partnerships, leads and connections may look elsewhere if they can’t find you, costing potential opportunities.
Alternatives to Unpublishing Your Page
Given the drawbacks, here are a few alternatives to consider before unpublishing your Company Page:
Launch a New Page
For rebranding, create a new page first. Then redirect the old page to the new one before unpublishing so followers still engage.
Update vs. Start Over
For maintenance, edit your existing page when possible rather than taking the full page down.
Address Issues Proactively
In a crisis, post an explanation on the page to take control of the narrative rather than hiding.
Make Changes Gradually
For strategy shifts, roll out changes over time instead of doing a full takedown and restart.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn doesn’t allow permanently deleting a Company Page, unpublishing can restrict access when needed. This gives control over visibility. However, unpublishing has significant downsides that can negatively impact your brand, recruiting, and visibility. Companies should carefully weigh these pros and cons before unpublishing their page. In many cases, there are alternative options that allow you to achieve goals without taking the page offline entirely.