18 Steps to Nailing Your LinkedIn Profile

18 Steps to Nailing Your LinkedIn Profile With millions of other members creating noise on LinkedIn,  it can be tough  to get your profile to stand out from the crowd. So if you want to get noticed, its important that you put your best face forward and put  the  time and effort into filling out each section in detail. Techniques such as adding keywords to your profile help to optimise it for search results and the more complete your profile is and better connected you are, the higher you will appear in search results, boosting  your chances of getting discovered. If your LinkedIn profile is in need of a revamp, this guide by TruConversion could be of some help. What makes LinkedIn the best professional network? LinkedIn is responsible for 80% of businesses social media leads. 77% said that LinkedIn has allowed them to research people and companies using the search function. 76% of Premium users report that the Who Viewed Your Profile feature is the most useful and the option to introduce people is good for referrals. How to craft the perfect LinkedIn profile: 1) Headline Your headline should work as a mini value proposition using verbs and other active language 2) Your profile picture Your profile is 11 times more likely to be viewed if you have a picture, but make sure it is professional and portrays you in the best light. 3) Background  photo Your background photo can say a little bit more about you and your interests. Be creative, but remain professional. 4) Contact information Always provide people with a way to contact you, such as an email address, phone number, Twitter handle, etc. 5) Summary Write a brief description of yourself and round up of your professional background. Keep it brief and to the point. 6) Customise your URL Make your profile more professional and easier to find by customising your public profile URL to your full name. 7) SEO Optimise your profile for search results by using keywords and terms across your profile and adding skills relevant to your experience. 8)  Optimise website link You can optimise the anchor text in your URL in the website section by selecting the Other option. In order to get more clicks make it keyword rich and attention grabbing. 9) Emphasise professional skills Your LinkedIn profile is 13 times more likely to be viewed if you add your  skills and it will encourage other users to provide you with endorsements. 10) Promote projects Highlight previous projects that you have completed or contributed to and include any links or material to the project website if possible. 11) Publications Add any article written by you or about you to add credibility to your profile. 12) Join groups Join and participate in groups related to your industry or niche to get yourself noticed by other professionals in the sector. 13) Share honours and awards Boost your credibility by  listing any rewards and honours you have received. 14) Share your interests Allow people to build a fuller picture of you as an individual by listing your hobbies and interests. Use keywords to optimise for search. 15) Connect with others When connecting with other users, be sure to personalise your invitation to explain why you would like to connect and to introduce yourself if you do not know them. The best option to select is Weve done business together, rather than friend. 16) Showcase volunteer work 42% of hiring manager said that they regard voluntary work as equal to other formal work experience and one in 5 have chosen a candidate based on their volunteer work, so its worth including. 17) Be active Try to log in each day to share updates and interact with other users. It takes 20 posts a month to reach 60% of your audience. 18) Best time to post LinkedIn updates between 10am-2pm EST get the most shares. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]