How To Be No. 1 On Google By Optimizing Your LinkedIn Presence

by Kathy Bernard

If you search “LinkedIn expert, St. Louis” or “LinkedIn trainer, St. Louis” on Google, I show up first in search results. That’s not because I spend the most money on Google advertising. (I don’t spend any!) I show up highest because I have learned that if you maximize your LinkedIn presence, Google will score you higher for what you do or what your company sells.

Here’s how you can do the same:

- Visit RecruitmentGeek.com. Click “LinkedIn X-ray Search Tool.”

- Type in your job title + St. Louis (“Tax Attorney, St. Louis”) or type the service that you offer + St. Louis (“Copying, St. Louis”) into its Google search box. See if you show up in its LinkedIn public profile search results. The people listed highest have the most LinkedIn connections, the most job entries mentioning relevant titles like “Tax Attorney,” or have the most endorsements for skills like “Tax Accounting” or “Copying.”

- Study the listed profiles to determine why people score high. Use similar wording that they have used in your profile’s About summary or experience section. Add similar skills into your Skills section. Also grow your network and be more active on LinkedIn.

By studying your competitors, you can learn how to improve your LinkedIn presence, and within weeks of your efforts, Google will start scoring you higher in its search results. Try it!

Kathy Bernard (kathy@wiseru.com), CEO of WiserU.com, is a St. Louis-based LinkedIn expert/trainer who equips businesses to maximize LinkedIn for sales, marketing, or fundraising.