LinkedIn is the granddaddy of business/professional networking sites. With nearly 50 million users around the globe it is the professional networking site.
LinkedIn has great authority with Google and other search engines so why not use it as another source of SEO links for your Author Platform? Where do you begin and how do you tap into LinkedIn for some SEO strength?
Let’s start with your profile on LinkedIn and the website links you can add there. Creating unique anchor text links to your website on your LinkedIn profile is easy to do and provides a ‘dofollow’ attribute that is invaluable if your profile has content relevant to your website’s content. Adding your name to your LinkedIn profile URL adds to the search friendliness of your name. To create anchor text links to your website on LinkedIn select “Profile” on the left side of the home page.
A new window will pop open with a tab titled “edit my profile.
Scroll down the screen to where lines “Website” and “My Company”. Select the edit button. A new window opens and there are several pop down menus. First select “other” in the website bar, then to the right type in the keyword rich name of your author-based business or book title followed by the URL where you wish people to land first. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and select “save”.
You can add three up to three URLs so add your blog and maybe a second website for your book’s website and a third for your Author Facebook page. These are all live, direct, ‘do follow’ links which are happily scanned by the search engines! Using the “other” selection rather than the default selection allows you to add relevant anchor text which then adds to your link strength.
Make sure you also set your profile so that your public view exhibits your website and adds to your Page Rank. To do this go to the bottom of your “edit my profile” page and select “edit” beside “Public Profile.” Editing your links in this fashion is seldom done by even savvy LinkedIn users so take advantage of it.
This will take you to another page where you can select what the viewing public can see. To get the most “bang” for the search engine optimization buck select “Full View Recommended” and fill in all the dots but most importantly the “website” button.
This will help your profile get indexed by the search engines and your website collect a Page Rank influence from having your profile page on a high authority site (LinkedIn).
Now let’s shift attention to the actual contents of a profile. First and foremost the use of relevant keywords is critical to the process! The headline, personal interests, summary and job description should be populated with keywords related to your website or blog. Avoid keyword stuffing but do utilize important words that are relevant.
Headline– While this is such a small piece of information it is really valuable as your headline is what shows up in lists, groups, and email updates. It says in a nutshell what you do and what your position is. Optimize your job title using your highest ranking descriptive relevant keywords. Instead of stating your title as “Author” use “Historical Fiction Author” or “Non-Fiction Critique Writer” for better leverage. Avoid throw away words such as experienced, savvy, veteran and other modifiers. They offer no search value and waste space better used for quality keywords.
Current– This segment cannot be technically ‘edited’ as it is pulled from the “I currently work here” from your experience list. It can be optimized for search if you make sure the description of what you are currently doing is keyword rich and relevant to your website. Pay special attention to your current job title as that is what shows up first on your profile!
Summary and Specialties– Use keywords relative to your website to explain what makes you different or what makes you stand apart yet are related to your brand/industry. Previous books, service, and consulting details that help someone make a decision whether they want to connect with you. Avoid empty words like: quality, fun, innovative, significant, etc. They add no search value. You can either list your skills or you can create a descriptive paragraph of your specialties. Avoid pasting your cover letter and resume in this section.
Experience– Provide a rich keyword description of your current work. Elaborate in detail on your responsibilities and current writing efforts. Your previous position descriptions should be brief but also filled with keywords that sell your current expertise and add to your credibility.
Connections– It is interesting how adding connections on LinkedIn improves your website’s SEO. It improves your personal visibility online as well as your website’s and your blog’s visibility.
Groups– Joining groups that are industry related helps you get found by others. Participation in the groups helps draw attention to you and your book(s).
Answers– The answers section of LinkedIn allows you to not only improve your reputation it also allows you to construct internal links to your profile which provide more “go juice” for your profile in search engines. These pages are indexed and so are returned by search engines in their search results. The answers you provide create another opportunity for your website to get exposed as you will add a link to it or your blog in your signature line of your interaction with those who are seeking your expertise or who are reading your answer.
LinkedIn is an incredibly valuable SEO resource for you just waiting to be tapped. All it takes is a little time, some good keywords, and persistence when building a network of connections. If you build it and tend it carefully, ‘they’ will come (search engines).
LinkedIn by itself is a powerful tool you should take advantage of and use to promote your expertise as well as your web presence as you build your Author Platform. With the added bonus of providing valuable links to your website don’t miss making the effort to optimize your profile.
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