Being found on LinkedIn for what you do is really important, but even more important is being found on Google because of LinkedIn. Because LinkedIn is in the top 5 sites that Google indexes (YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) leveraging that power is pretty awesome. Before you begin, make sure you know the keywords and phrases people are using to find your products and services. You can leverage sites like Moz.com or other tools to identify the keywords and phrases people are using in searches. While you don’t want to “keyword stuff” you do want to use the words and phrases naturally throughout LinkedIn.

1. Name your headshot, banner and images – Google searches images pretty heavily. So, before you upload your photo to LinkedIn – don’t simply name it your name, but include primary keywords or phrases people are using to find your products and services. So if you sell payroll services in a specific geographic area, the name of your photo might be “Best Payroll Service in Manhattan”. When someone Googles that phrase, there is a good chance your image will come up in the search. It does take a few weeks for Google to index it, so give it a little time.
2. Include Keywords and Phrases in Your Headline, Summary and Job Description – while you may think this is a no brainer, I am surprised how many people just have their title and company name in the headline. Make sure  your headline, summary and job description talk about the value you bring and that should always include those search terms as well.`
3. Add to Skills Section – because this section was created for recruiters to find candidates with specific skills, it is highly indexed by Google. Keep the key skills in the tip 3 of the list, as that is how many appear in your profile without having to click on “see more”. In addition, pad your endorsements by asking your co-workers and network to endorse you.
4. Use The Keywords and Phrases in Your Pulse Posts – Pulse is LinkedIn’s blogging platform and because it is LinkedIn and Content – Google loves this section. Label your images and be sure to get the phrases in. Like for me “LinkedIn SEO tips” would be ideal for this post!
5. Name Images and Upload Them to Your Newsfeed – while this won’t necessarily lead them to your profile, those images will be found. So tag them with your handle, name and/or logo so you get the credit.
6. Name Your Links in the Contact Information Section – don’t just keep the default “company website” but choose “other” the drop-down and name your link with keywords and phrases.
7. Leverage the Projects and Publications Sections – when you are listing case studies, collaborative projects, eBooks, white papers and articles you have the opportunity to use keywords and phrases to be found. Use them in the title of the project or publication as well as the description to maximize keyword exposure.

While being passively found isn’t all that matters when it comes to social, it certainly is nice when it happens. Maximize your LinkedIn SEO and get found by the buyers who are looking for your products and services!

Looking to learn more about leveraging LinkedIn and Social Selling for Business Development? Check out PeopleLinx’s up-coming and on-demand library.