Quick Answer
You should include the contact information on your LinkedIn profile that you are comfortable sharing publicly and that will be most relevant to connecting with other professionals. At a minimum, this usually includes your current job title and company, as well as a professional email address. You may also choose to add links to your website, social media profiles, phone number, and mailing address, depending on your preferences and career circumstances.
Should I include my email address?
Yes, you should include a professional email address on your LinkedIn profile. This allows other users to contact you privately about job opportunities, business proposals, consulting offers, and any other professional correspondence.
An email address looks more professional on a networking profile than social media handles or personal emails unrelated to your career. It is best to use an email specific to your name, rather than a shared company email.
Personal vs company email
A personal professional email address like [email protected] comes across better than a shared company email like [email protected]. A unique email tied to your name helps you stand out and build your personal brand.
Security considerations
When including your email, keep privacy and security in mind. Consider setting up a separate professional email just for networking sites if you prefer to keep your main email more private. Also, be cautious about sharing your birth year or other personal information in your professional email address.
Should I include my phone number?
Whether to add your phone number depends on your comfort level and career circumstances. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
- Allows for quick, direct contact from recruiters
- Conveys full contact information if clients expect that
- Shows you have nothing to hide and welcome inquiries
Cons
- Risk of unwanted cold calls or solicitations
- Less privacy and separation of work and personal life
- Not as common or expected on LinkedIn currently
Consider your tolerance for unknown calls and how you handle inquiries outside of business hours. If those factors do not concern you, including your phone can benefit your networking and be more convenient for serious contacts.
Should I include my social media profiles?
Linking to your other social media can be advantageous on LinkedIn. Profiles like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok allow you to showcase more personality and connections.
However, be strategic about which social media platforms make sense professionally, and tailor the content on those accounts appropriately. For example, harmless personal posts on Facebook could taint your professional brand if recruitment managers review it.
Tips for linking social media
- Choose sites that highlight your expertise like Twitter, Medium, GitHub, or industry blogs
- Make sure your profile photos, bios, and recent posts appear professional
- Limit personal accounts to ones without controversial opinions or content
- Use a public Instagram account if it shows relevant events, conferences, or work projects
With care, linking certain social platforms can build your professional presence. But be selective about which accounts align with your brand.
Should I include my mailing address?
Generally, there is no need to list a mailing address on your LinkedIn profile. Physical addresses are less important in the digital age, and you likely prefer to keep home privacy separate.
Here are instances when you may want to add an address:
- You operate a home business office for tax/registration purposes
- You are a real estate agent listing properties in your area
- Displaying a prestigious company office builds credibility
- You regularly meet clients at your listed workspace
Otherwise, your location stated in text (i.e. “New York, NY”) is sufficient without the full street address. You can provide a mailing address separately as needed.
Should I include links to my website & portfolio?
Yes, you should include clickable links to any professional websites or content that complement your LinkedIn presence. This could include:
Personal website/portfolio
- Showcases your services, experience, and capabilities
- Lets you share long-form writing, visual projects, academic work, etc.
- Directs visitors to your purpose-built professional platform
Company website
- Displays your employer and role focus
- Connects your contributions to organization goals
- Includes bio pages, press releases, achievements related to you
Blog or publications
- Demonstrates your subject matter expertise
- Shows your thought leadership on industry topics
- Highlights your writing, research, or speaking experience
Relevant links provide credibility and let visitors learn more about your capabilities outside of LinkedIn. The optimal contact information strengthens your professional brand and opportunities.
Conclusion
The best LinkedIn contact information to include are:
- Professional email address
- Current job title and company
- Industry-specific social media profiles
- Links to personal website, portfolio, blogs, and publications
Optional details depending on your preferences:
- Phone number
- Mailing address if applicable
Choose contact details tailored to your field and that showcase your capabilities beyond LinkedIn. Always present your best professional brand when networking online.
| Contact Item | Include? |
|---|---|
| Professional email address | Yes |
| Phone number | Optional |
| Social media profiles | Relevant ones |
| Personal website / portfolio | Yes |
| Mailing address | If applicable |
Why is contact info important on LinkedIn?
Adding complete and accurate contact details on your LinkedIn profile has several advantages:
Increases networking opportunities
Recruiters, colleagues, potential clients, and other users can reach out to you directly about job openings, business proposals, consulting offers, speaking engagements, and other opportunities.
Supports your professional brand
A customized email address and links to your best work online enhance your image as an expert in your field.
Conveys credibility
Contact info, like links to websites or a company address, provide proof points and legitimacy about your background.
Expands visibility
Giving connections avenues to contact you and access your content outside of LinkedIn boosts your overall digital presence.
Directs traffic to your sites
LinkedIn’s large user base can drive more views and engagement to your personal websites, portfolio, or published articles.
Builds relationships
Direct contact information nurtures your network by making it easy to develop one-on-one relationships with connections.
Saves time
By listing details upfront, you avoid having to repeat your contact information each time you interact with new connections.
What contact info should you avoid on LinkedIn?
To maintain a professional brand, avoid sharing the following as contact details:
- Personal email addresses
- Phone numbers unrelated to work
- Links to accounts with controversial opinions
- Home addresses
- Work information no longer current
- Links to unprofessional social media content
Keep your listed contact information strictly professional. Personal details, outdated jobs, and unvetted social media links can undermine your career network and credibility.
How do you customize your LinkedIn URL?
To customize the web address for your LinkedIn public profile:
- Go to your profile and click “Edit public profile & URL”
- Click “Edit” next to your LinkedIn URL
- Edit the URL to something memorable using your name
- Check availability to confirm your new custom URL
- Click “Save” to create your new vanity URL
This makes your profile web address neater and easier to remember/share.
For example, turn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/random-numbers-and-letters
Into:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-smith-marketing
You can customize your URL once without restrictions, and change it again after 90 days if needed.
Do you need a unique LinkedIn URL for SEO?
Having a customized LinkedIn URL that includes your name can improve your personal SEO in a few ways:
Clickable anchor text
Your name in the URL acts as a clickable anchor text link when shared, which search engines count more than plain URLs.
Name association
A URL with your name helps associate any mentions, shares, or links of your profile with your professional identity.
Improved CTR
Custom URLs are more memorable and descriptive, which can boost click-through rate from search engine results.
However, LinkedIn profile optimization depends much more on your content, activity, and network than your exact URL. A customized URL is just the icing on the cake for overall SEO.
How often should you update LinkedIn contact info?
To keep your LinkedIn presence current, you should update your profile contact details any time you have a significant professional change. This includes:
- Starting a new job
- Taking on a new role at your company
- Earning a certification or award
- Relocating to a new city
- Launching a new website, blog, or portfolio
- Publishing major content like articles, research, or features
You should also review your profile every 3-6 months for any contacts in need of updating, like:
- Changed phone numbers or email addresses
- Expired links
- Outdated accomplishments or volunteer work
- Irrelevant social media accounts
Proactively keeping all sections of your profile accurate and fresh will ensure you make the best impression and get found for current opportunities.
Conclusion
The most important LinkedIn contact information to include is:
- Custom professional email address
- Current job details
- Links to active professional sites
Additional options like a phone number or address depend on your preferences and industry needs. Keep your profile contact details updated to maximize the opportunities and connections available through robust LinkedIn networking.
