Optimize your LinkedIn Profile for SEO

Posted by on Mar 4, 2008 in Blogging, Marketing, Social networks | 25 comments

LinkedIn. Love it or hate it, it’s prominent, it’s a social network, and it lets you post URLs to your profile… except that they’re naked URLs, with no link text to help you in your search efforts, right?

Nope.

Now you can. Go to LinkedIn, make sure you have a public profile set up with a good URL, and then instead of choosing My Blog or My Company, choose Other.

LinkedIn SEO

Cha-ching! Link text in your profile from a prominent, trusted domain.

Speaking of which, are we connected on LinkedIn? If not, connect here:

View Christopher Penn 's profile on LinkedIn

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  • http://www.fiveq.us Reed Smith

    hey very cool. Thanks for pointing out. I am over to my profile now to change…

  • http://www.fiveq.us Reed Smith

    hey very cool. Thanks for pointing out. I am over to my profile now to change…

  • http://trafcom.typepad.com/blog Donna Papacosta

    Very useful tip, Chris. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://trafcom.typepad.com/blog Donna Papacosta

    Very useful tip, Chris. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://topstartup.com Colin

    Chris, unfortunately, that won’t really work. Most sites use “ref=nofollow” which tells search engines to ignore the link. Linked In and Myspace re-encode the link. For example – my site – http://www.topstartup.com becomes http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etopstartup%2Ecom&urlhash=pVU8

    This does nothing for SEO.

  • http://topstartup.com Colin

    Chris, unfortunately, that won’t really work. Most sites use “ref=nofollow” which tells search engines to ignore the link. Linked In and Myspace re-encode the link. For example – my site – http://www.topstartup.com becomes http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etopstartup%2Ecom&urlhash=pVU8

    This does nothing for SEO.

  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    Colin,

    Normally you’d be right, but take a look at the source of your public LinkedIn page. Mine shows completely unobstructed valid URLs without a nofollow in sight.

  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    Colin,

    Normally you’d be right, but take a look at the source of your public LinkedIn page. Mine shows completely unobstructed valid URLs without a nofollow in sight.

  • http://www.ispinit.com Mircea / iSPINIT.com

    Chris is right… the public profile shows unobstructed URLs.

    In fact this solves one of my mysteries: a search for “my podcast” on Google.com http://www.google.com/search?q=%22my+podcast%22&hl=en&start=50&sa=N returned “my podcast” iSPINIT on page 6, and on Google.ca on page 3: http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22my+podcast%22&hl=en&start=20&sa=N

    Very cool! Thx, Penn!

  • http://www.ispinit.com Mircea / iSPINIT.com

    Chris is right… the public profile shows unobstructed URLs.

    In fact this solves one of my mysteries: a search for “my podcast” on Google.com http://www.google.com/search?q=%22my+podcast%22&hl=en&start=50&sa=N returned “my podcast” iSPINIT on page 6, and on Google.ca on page 3: http://www.google.ca/search?q=%22my+podcast%22&hl=en&start=20&sa=N

    Very cool! Thx, Penn!

  • http://www.ispinit.com Mircea / iSPINIT.com

    I forgot to mention on the above comment that the LinkedIn hyper link used to be “My Podcast”…

  • http://www.ispinit.com Mircea / iSPINIT.com

    I forgot to mention on the above comment that the LinkedIn hyper link used to be “My Podcast”…

  • http://reachingforlucidity.net Eban Crawford

    Thanks for that information Chris. I am heading over to set my links up now.

  • http://reachingforlucidity.net Eban Crawford

    Thanks for that information Chris. I am heading over to set my links up now.

  • Peter

    Hi this is a very good website i often visit this website. It provide all the relevant information. The most important thing is that it allows the users to give their suggestions that is comments.
    ==============================
    Peter
    SEO

  • http://www.HybridSEM.com Orange County SEO

    Thanks for the tips, I will definitely try that, it’s a good opportunity. I was actually worried about the impossibility of placing link texts but it looks that they thought about this too and they set everything for a new “link friendly interface”.

  • http://trafficgeyserseo.com/ Traffic Geyser

    I’m one year late on using this application.. but anyway I will try this one also, like everyone says.. its better late than never.

  • http://www.webservices-by-design.com Anthony @WSBD1.com

    very cool, i already used this trick. and now im following you on linkedin

  • http://www.webservices-by-design.com Anthony @WSBD1.com

    very cool, i already used this trick. and now im following you on linkedin

  • http://www.webservices-by-design.com Anthony @WSBD1.com

    very cool, i already used this trick. and now im following you on linkedin

  • http://www.webservices-by-design.com Anthony @WSBD1.com

    very cool, i already used this trick. and now im following you on linkedin

  • http://www.nmgresources.ph Outsourcing Manila

    LinkedIn profile saved my business. I wish I would have thought of it first.

  • ryanconlon78

    Thanks for all your tips. i look forward to more posts from you.

  • http://www.yourminnesotadj.com/index3 YourMNDJ

    Thanks for all your tips. i look forward to more posts from you.

  • http://www.yourminnesotadj.com/index3 YourMNDJ

    Thanks for all your tips. i look forward to more posts from you.