LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 800 million members. As a platform built around professional profiles and connections, keywords are essential to help LinkedIn users find each other and showcase relevant skills. For job seekers, entrepreneurs and business owners, choosing the right keywords for a LinkedIn profile is crucial to get noticed by potential employers, partners and customers.
Why are strong keywords important on LinkedIn?
Keywords serve multiple purposes on the LinkedIn platform:
- Help users find profiles – Just like Google searches, keywords help recruiters, hiring managers and business contacts search for and find relevant profiles.
- Increase profile visibility – LinkedIn profiles with optimized keywords tend to rank higher in search results, leading to more profile views.
- Demonstrate expertise – The right keywords communicate skills, experience and areas of specialty to viewing profiles.
- Match with opportunities – Keywords can help match user profiles with relevant job postings and business opportunities on LinkedIn.
In summary, strong keywords help users get found, showcase expertise, and connect to opportunities on the platform.
How are keywords utilized on LinkedIn?
Here are some of the key areas where keywords come into play on member profiles:
- Headline – The 120-character headline section is prime real estate for keywords related to role and industry.
- About section – The about summary section of around 2000 characters should contain keywords related to background, skills and accomplishments.
- Skills section – Listing relevant skill keywords helps profiles match with opportunities seeking those abilities.
- Experience section – Skill and industry keywords optimized within the experience descriptions aid search visibility.
- Interests section – Interest keywords provide additional context on profile focus and specialties.
Optimizing these key sections with strong keywords helps LinkedIn profiles increase their findability and relevance in searches.
What makes a strong LinkedIn profile keyword?
Here are some characteristics of impactful keywords for LinkedIn profiles:
- Relevant – Keywords should accurately represent experience, skills, interests and specialties.
- Specific – More specific and niche keywords can help profiles stand out against competition.
- Industry-focused – Keywords tailored to the target industry help profiles surface in industry-specific searches.
- Skills-focused – Expertise and niche skill keywords attract opportunities seeking those capabilities.
- Search-optimized – Keywords used in member searches can boost findability in those queries.
Additionally, keywords should be organically woven into profile content in a natural way that reads well.
How to research the best keywords for LinkedIn profiles?
Here are some tips to research relevant keywords for inclusion in LinkedIn profiles:
- Analyze LinkedIn job postings in your industry for commonly used keywords.
- Review profiles of professionals in similar roles to identify relevant keywords.
- Use LinkedIn search to test keywords and see volume of matching profiles.
- Research industry keywords through tools like Google Keyword Planner.
- Identify niche skillsets not many competitors are mentioning.
- Ask colleagues and connections for keyword suggestions.
Brainstorming and testing keywords through research will yield a list of terms tailored to each member’s unique background and goals.
What are some examples of strong LinkedIn profile keywords?
Here are some examples of effective keywords in key LinkedIn profile sections:
Headline Keywords
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Software Engineering Lead
- Account Executive | SaaS
Skills Keywords
- Social Media Marketing
- JavaScript
- Business Development
Experience Keywords
- SEO optimization
- Agile methodologies
- Customer retention
Keywords should be adjusted based on each member’s specific skills and background. Research will uncover terms that set each profile apart.
What keywords should be avoided on LinkedIn?
Here are some types of keywords that should be avoided:
- Broad terms like “marketing” or “sales” that nearly everyone uses
- Buzzwords that are overused like “guru” or “ninja”
- Soft skill keywords like “team player” that are hard to prove
- Keywords unrelated to background and irrelevant to target audience
- Stuffing too many forced keywords that sound unnatural
The best keywords flow naturally within concise, engaging profile content.
How many keywords should you use in a LinkedIn profile?
There are no hard rules on ideal keyword numbers, but moderation is key. Here are some guidelines on LinkedIn profile keyword usage:
- Headline: 1-3 keywords focusing on role and industry
- Skills section: 10-30 relevant skill keywords
- About section: 5-10 keywords naturally woven in
- Experience: 3-5 keywords per position integrated in descriptions
- Interests: 5-10 engaging interest keywords
Spread keywords evenly across sections for the most natural integration. Avoid cramming in too many keywords which can diminish quality.
What tools can help strengthen LinkedIn profile keywords?
Some tools to optimize LinkedIn profile keywords include:
- Google Keyword Planner – Research keyword search volume and competition.
- SEMrush – Identify keywords your competitors are ranking for.
- Mention – Monitor keywords and phrases being used about you online.
- LinkedIn ProFinder – View keyword terms clients use to find freelancers.
- LinkedIn skills assessment tests – Passing tests can add validated skill keywords.
Using both free and paid tools can provide valuable intelligence to refine keyword selection and usage in profiles.
What are some LinkedIn profile keyword best practices?
Some top best practices for optimizing keywords in LinkedIn profiles include:
- Research before adding keywords – Use data and tools to identify effective options.
- Use keywords naturally – Weave into content in a way that flows and reads well.
- Include niche terms – Combine wider terms with specific phrases distinguishing your expertise.
- Review profiles of leaders in your field – Examine what keywords they feature.
- Update keywords regularly – Adjust terms to reflect latest skills gained.
- Use keyword tracking – Monitor clicks and views of key terms within your profile.
Following best practices will lead to impactful, natural keyword integration optimized for visibility and engagement.
What are some common LinkedIn profile keyword mistakes?
Some frequent mistakes to avoid with keywords on LinkedIn include:
- Using too many broad, generic keywords
- Including keywords not actually related to your background
- Having keywords be out of date with your latest experience
- Stuffing keywords repetitively instead of integrating them naturally
- Not including keywords in key profile sections like the headline
- Only using keywords clients don’t actually search for
Avoiding these errors and aligning to keyword best practices will boost the strength of your LinkedIn profile keywords.
Conclusion
Strong keywords are tremendously impactful on LinkedIn by increasing findability, visibility and demonstrating sought-after expertise. Researching audience search behavior and profiling industry leaders reveals the terms with highest relevance. Weaving these keywords naturally throughout key LinkedIn profile sections makes them appear organic.
Optimized keywords tailored to each member’s unique skills and goals results in greater engagement with the ideal opportunities. Tracking keyword performance provides insight to help continually refine keyword targeting over time. Following LinkedIn keyword best practices will showcase the strength of your capabilities to the audiences that matter most.
