01
Profile Picture
The first signal of trust. A bad photo costs more than no photo.
Professional headshot — face clearly visible, no group photos, no logos as avatar
Plain or blurred background — removes visual noise and keeps attention on the face
Consistent with other platforms — same photo across LinkedIn, website, and email signature builds recognition
Recent — updated within 2 years, reflects how you actually look today
Minimum 400×400px — LinkedIn will crop and compress; upload at least 800×800px for sharpness
02
Headline
220 characters. The only line visible before someone clicks through — make it earn the click.
Lead with outcome, not title — "I help law firms reduce compliance risk" beats "Senior Associate at XYZ"
Include your ICP explicitly — name the person you serve so the right reader self-selects immediately
No buzzwords — "passionate," "visionary," "guru" signal nothing; replace with specifics
Use the full 220 characters — the more keyword-rich your headline, the better LinkedIn's search surfaces you
Formula: [Role] | [Who I serve] | [Outcome] — a clear structure is more scannable than a clever one
03
About Section
2,600 characters. Your only long-form real estate on the profile — most people waste it on a bio no one reads.
Open with a hook in line 1 — only the first 3 lines show before "see more"; make the first line pull
Speak to the reader, not about yourself — "If you're a managing partner worried about X…" over "I've worked 15 years in…"
State clearly what you do and for whom — by paragraph 2, the ICP should know this profile is for them
Include a specific social proof or result — one concrete outcome is worth more than a list of skills
End with a clear CTA — "DM me" or "Visit [link]" — tell them the exact next step
Use line breaks and short paragraphs — walls of text get skipped; white space is part of the copy
04
Banner
1584×396px of visual real estate sitting above your photo — the most underused space on any LinkedIn profile.
Communicate your positioning visually — a banner that just looks nice is a missed opportunity
Include text — your tagline, your ICP, or your core offer; a visitor should learn something from it
Brand-consistent — same colors and fonts as your other visual assets; recognition compounds
Avoid templates that look like templates — Canva defaults are overused; distinguish yourself
Check mobile display — LinkedIn crops banners differently on mobile; ensure text isn't hidden behind your avatar
05
Services Section
An often-ignored feature that tells LinkedIn (and your visitors) exactly what you offer — which unlocks search visibility.
Enable it — go to "Add profile section" → "Services"; many skip this entirely
Select every applicable service tag — each tag is a searchable keyword LinkedIn indexes
Write a service description — 500-character field; use it to describe who you serve and what outcome you deliver
Set your location correctly — service search is location-filtered; accuracy matters for discoverability
06
Featured Section
Your curated portfolio window. Choose what goes here with the same care as a website's homepage.
Pin your top 3 posts — best-performing content that shows your POV and value in action
Add a link to a case study or portfolio page — moves visitors from LinkedIn to an asset you control
Include a lead magnet if you have one — a checklist, guide, or free resource with its own landing page
Rotate content quarterly — stale featured posts signal inactivity; update as your best content changes
Use custom thumbnails on links — auto-generated link previews rarely look right; upload a custom image
07
Custom Link
The one clickable URL on your profile header — visible on every page without scrolling. Treat it like a CTA button.
Link to a high-intent destination — a booking page, contact form, or specific landing page over a generic homepage
Set a custom link text — "Book a 20-min call" beats a raw URL; LinkedIn allows you to label it
UTM-tag the link — track LinkedIn traffic separately from other sources in your analytics
Test it monthly — broken links are embarrassingly common on professional profiles
08
Experience
Not a résumé. The experience section is another credibility and keyword signal — write it accordingly.
Lead with outcomes, not responsibilities — "Reduced client audit exposure by 30%" beats "Responsible for compliance reviews"
Use the description field for every current role — a blank description is invisible to LinkedIn's search
Include relevant keywords naturally — the same terms your ICP would search when looking for someone like you
Add media to current and past roles — a case study PDF, a presentation, or a results graphic raises perceived credibility
Remove or condense irrelevant early roles — a 1995 entry-level job dilutes the signal; keep what serves the narrative
09
Skills
100 skills allowed. Used right, it's an SEO layer. Used wrong, it's a list of things everyone claims.
Prioritize skills your ICP would search — not what you're proud of, but what they're looking for when hiring you
Pin your top 3 — these appear above the fold; make them the most strategically valuable three
Request endorsements for pinned skills — endorsed skills rank higher in LinkedIn's search algorithm
Remove generic "soft skills" — "Leadership" and "Communication" add no search value; replace with specific technical or domain skills
Take LinkedIn skill assessments — verified badges on top skills add a trust signal visible on your profile