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5 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn SEO and Reach More Employers

5 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn SEO and Reach More Employers by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job seekers who want to take charge of their online job searches need to start applying search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to their social media profiles – especially LinkedIn. Employers are using Google to vet you. When they enter your name, there’s no telling what they might find. The negative comments others have made about you could derail your job search.

If you want to increase the quality of your job prospects and ensure a smoother job search, you must take control of your online image.

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Proactive SEO efforts may produce short- and long-term positive results in the way employers view your job candidacy. If you don’t have an online presence, you can’t compete in today’s job market. Even more important than just having a presence, however, is having the right strategy for your presence. The impression you create on LinkedIn and other sites can either help or harm your candidacy, depending on the steps you take.

Listen to LinkedIn SEO with Susan P Joyce

So, how can you use SEO to ensure employers find you – in a positive light, no less – on Google?

Susan P. Joyce is the founder of Job-Hunt.org and owns WorkCoachCafe.com. She is a personal SEO researcher and writer. I talked to Joyce to glean some insights on using SEO in your job search:

1. Google Yourself

Joyce states there are several reasons to Google yourself, including:

– To ensure your name is not associated with any unsavory acts, such as crimes (Even if you haven’t run afoul of the law yourself, someone with the same name could have.)
– To ensure there is no negative information about you in the search results
– To decide how you want your name to appear to employers
– To plan how you will distinguish yourself from competitors

If you have a common name, you may need to add a middle initial or middle name to distinguish your professional presence.

“Find one version of your name that’s relatively clean on Google, and use that version of your name for all of your online professional visibility, badges at meetings, and business cards,” Joyce says. She also recommends using this version of your name on job applications and resumes.

2. Use Several Different Browsers and Search Engines

Joyce recommends searching your name using a few different browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) and a few different search engines (Bing, Yahoo, Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.). Different browsers and search engines may return slightly different results, so you will get a fuller picture of your online footprint by running multiple searches. The goal is to ensure your LinkedIn profile is the first result no matter what engine or browser a prospective employer uses.

Listen to Defensive Googling and The Obsolete 40-Hour Work Week

3. Conduct a Private Search

For best results, Joyce recommends using incognito mode – or “private browsing,” as it is called on Firefox – to conduct your searches. This private mode prevents your cookies and browsing history from impacting your search results. In essence, your SEO research will be purer – but not perfect. Joyce says it is beneficial to conduct such a search once a week.

4. Update Your Terminology

If you have degrees or certifications from years ago, they may make you appear irrelevant if they contain outdated terms. For example, Joyce mentions “management information systems” (MIS), which has largely been replaced today by “information technology” (IT).

If you’re still using “MIS,” you have “1999″ written all over yourself. Find out what terms employers are using to describe your position, certifications, and skills. Use these terms on your LinkedIn profile and elsewhere. You may want to try several searches with alternative terms to see which is best for SEO purposes.

5. Effectively Use the Headline and Summary Spaces of Your LinkedIn Profile

Joyce notes many people don’t make full use of their LinkedIn headlines, which she describes as “a billboard on a superhighway that’s empty.”

Simply listing your title is a waste of space, and it won’t distinguish you from the competition. Instead, use this space as valuable SEO real estate.

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Use terms associated with your profession that will help you appear in employers’ Google searches.

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Improve your LinkedIn and social media SEO by using the steps highlighted above. Employers will have an easier time finding you, and the information they find will be positive. This, in turn, translates to an easier job search for you.

And one more thing: Make sure you have professional profile photos for each of your social media profiles. Profiles without photos are a little off-putting.

This article was previously published on Fox Business News!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Be Figureoutable on LinkedIn Before They See Your Profile

This is another job search trend where I continue to dive into one trend and not just a listicle of trends. Networking is hard for so many, but if it were easy, more people would do it. We’ll see how this goes, and I’ll try digging deeper than three lines and a period.

I changed the way I write my profile while noticing my own LinkedIn habits. I want others to know who I am and to check me out before I want to know about them. It’s a large investment of time and curiosity people don’t want to waste. I think recruiters and employers want their time to count, and they process profiles even more judiciously. That’s what they’ll do but in secret.

Whom I connect with is important, and although my philosophy differs from so many other networkers, I, too, want my connections to offer quality. It’s not possible with all on my list, but it is possible with whom I want my content to complement. I want every job seeker to create content from when they write a note to request a connection to produce their own regularly. I know many career professionals will not accept a connection without a note. My thought is, ultimately, how will they learn if I don’t teach them?

The one networking habit most users on LinkedIn will want to know is who you are and your proposed value. Why should they have to go to your profile to understand? When they put their cursor over your name, the intrigue is there, and they want to know more. By not providing it, you are stunting your LinkedIn possibilities and potential opportunities.

The O’Jays song, “Give the People What They Want,” comes to mind.

I could preach all day about filling out the profile completely, but my networking strategy has everything to do with the first impression. There are a few ways to do it before or even without looking at your profile.

Quality comments in two sentences on my connection posts.

Thoughtful comments can be long or short, but I keep them short most of the time on regular posts. It is possible to be thoughtful, compelling, and serve in two or three sentences most of the time. People seem to engage brevity, especially when most users are commenting long-form, and sometimes, longer comments can be useless.

Below is what I do and what has worked for me. You don’t have to do what I do, but I found them sound strategies for me. You find your sweet spot and keep showing up the way you want and tweak along the way.

Compel a peek at your profile.

Responding to comments on my posts.

Brevity is important here, but I am grateful someone takes the time to post, and I want it to come across that way. Many in my tribe are so thoughtful when they post.

I have a wonderful “tribe” on LinkedIn who provide so much value in their posts to help job seekers. Their thoughtful comments provide inspiration and positive provocative insight sometimes bringing me back to writing an update to what I’ve written. There were also times my mind was changed just by a short sentence or two. It helps when there are more than a few who want to be a resource, and also help you to be a better resource.

Everyone should have a “tribe” of professionals who vary in thought, but want to provide value for their network and perhaps, the world on LinkedIn.

Kind and useful LinkedIn comments on 2nd and 3rd connection posts.

Since I usually don’t know the person, I’m commenting to invites a connection. Even here, I’m intentionally brief mostly, and it often ends up in a connection request with a note. My goal is to offer more value to everyone, but a genuine first impression provides a pathway to an interactive relationship.

Most of the time, respond to those who wrote a note.

I use a short one or two-sentence response to let them know I am not using the auto-respond messages. It’s a small way to show you’re thoughtful and personable. Mention how you found them whether they were referred, you saw them on your “People viewed also,” or your homepage.

I like it when someone says, “Thank you for connecting.” If you get a lot of requests, it’s difficult to respond to everyone. But, if someone writes a thoughtful and meaningful note to connect, it’s worth the time to respond in some way.

Not everyone who writes a note is deserves connection or access.

I do say “no” to those who emphasize selling in their headlines (especially those who help entrepreneurs get to seven figures in the podcast) or anything similar. Furthermore, I delete connection requests with notices that say they want to know more about what I do. Arrgh! I couldn’t be clearer in my messaging and LinkedIn profile. Must we do this dance? No.

I also ignore those who see a clearly written headline and complete profile sending a connection notice that says, “I want to know more about you and your business. Here’s my calendar link to set up a virtual coffee.” No.

What gets a “yes” is, “I am intrigued by the article you wrote, the podcast interview, the comment you made on this thread. This inform my thoughts about XXXXX. Could I talk to you more about it?”

Thoughtful posts or updates

When I started writing mini-articles in my posts, my engagement skyrocketed and 3x-4x connection requests. But they also enacted many Zoom call invites for tea and great conversations. I try to be personable without being personal. I also try to throw a few lyrics from songs or compelling analogies. I update with far more useful and practical tips than offering up my accomplishments.

People who are helpful win the day. If you’re not sure what to post, start with the question, “How can I be helpful?” Start with liking and commenting, but graduate to posting your thoughts and perspective. I know many users are afraid of being wrong or controversial. If your perspective is meaningful, then don’t post it as authoritative. Post it as a first-hand witness to things you repeatedly see.

Linkedin live streams

I do two or more a week with experts I really respect (Jack Kelly and Damian Birkel). These conversations spark other offline conversations or provide the basis for additional networking with viewers.

I know LinkedIn users may take these opportunities for granted, but I found these strategies effective. Networking is naturally hard for me, but it energizes my long-term business efforts. If your net is truly working, you’ll find these small changes to your strategy will stimulate and attract quality connections on LinkedIn.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

LinkedIn Recommendations Are as Good as Talking to References

There will be a lot of value to have up to ten references showing on your LinkedIn profile. Right now, it’s good enough for transactions and contracts, and doggone it, good enough for permanent hiring. Five well-written, detailed recommendations or more will increase interest in you if you don’t have that many now.

Hiring could be quicker.

Hiring would be efficient.

Hiring would take a common-sense approach. Well, maybe.

We can debate what’s permanent hiring will look like later. Let’s say employment with benefits.

Consider the person who wrote the recommendation:
The references credentials as a direct boss
Maybe they wrote it as a mentor or sponsor.
If they worked closely as a teammate
If they can speak to skill, character, or was providing fluff

If they are exchanging recommendations (there’s good and not so good)
The employer interested in interviewing and hiring you may have standard connections with your reference(s). Forget six degrees of separation as relevant for employment sake. Second connections and weak ties will be more significant than ever. They’ve been notable for a while, but a deeper dive will occur once employers realize recommendations don’t grow on trees.

It will be worth going back and connecting with your reference long before needing them or realize they no longer have relevance as a reference. In other words, the supervisor who permitted you to do projects on Lotus in 1992 is not helpful to the employer who needs an Excel ninja. The social media director who allowed you to master Google Plus in 2014 will not serve you in 2020.

I was not arguing oxford commas in 2020. I’m claiming a refresh on your references from the last five years will matter more than 15 or more years ago. We can argue depending on the position’s market, C-Suite or mid-professional, there are no broad strokes. What you’ve accomplished in the last year to three years will matter more.

Your references should change. Your relationship building is a necessary strategy as a job search is a lifestyle. Your knowledge and skills applied with various degrees of difficulty matter. Your ability to demonstrate it in front of employers and embody the articulation of its value shines more as someone witnesses it rather than you bragging about it.

A good example is how you have repositioned your skills to increase its values during the pandemic and work remotely. If you have bosses and former bosses who can positively speak to how quickly and adeptly you adapted to the completion of work in this time of a worldwide crisis is something employers will want to see. Resilience and perseverance always have value, no matter the job.

An employer or recruiter may also check the validity or substance of the person recommending you. In fact, with the current reference check process, they could do that. I told a story where a former client was disqualified as a job candidate during a reference check. Although this happens more often than most people think, this should give you more reasons to keep relevant references as part of your tools to close the deal, secure your reputation, and give employers great reasons to hire you as a valuable asset.