With more than 900 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. LinkedIn statistics indicate that a total of 134.5 million users use LinkedIn every day.
LinkedIn uses an algorithm to determine which content appears in users’ feeds to ensure its members have a positive experience and are shown content that they’re interested in.
Optimizing your profile and posts for your LinkedIn algorithm can help you reach a broader audience and improve your visibility on the platform.
What Is an Algorithm?
An algorithm is a set of well-defined rules and instructions used to solve problems or complete tasks. Examples of algorithms include the recipe for baking a cake, an instruction manual on assembling furniture, and the functionality of a search engine.
In the case of LinkedIn, the algorithm is a formula that determines which posts and profiles show up in a user’s feed. It considers dozens of factors to predict how relevant your content is and whether or not users will engage with it.
How Does the LinkedIn Algorithm Work in 2023
We don’t clearly know how social media algorithms work. But what we know for sure is that LinkedIn doesn’t show posts in chronological order. It uses complex algorithms to prioritize posts, which are based on a variety of factors.
The following are the ways we’ve estimated that the LinkedIn algorithm works in 2023.
Assesses Your Post to Decide Whether They’re Spam or Genuine
LinkedIn considers the quality of your posts and assesses whether they are spam, low-quality, or clear content. High-quality posts are given priority as they provide value to the users.
High-quality posts: “Clear content” encourages engagement by providing helpful information to the users. This type of content is relevant, includes fewer hashtags, and has a good mix of visuals and text.
Low-quality posts: They are considered less valuable to LinkedIn users and, therefore, get a lower priority in terms of visibility.
Spam: This kind of content is usually promotional in nature and contains links to third-party websites or products.
Pushes Your Posts to a Small Group of Followers
Once the post has been filtered for spam, it is shown to a small group of followers for about an hour, known as the golden hour.
If the followers engage with the post through likes, comments, and shares within this hour, then the algorithm will push it to more people. However, if there is no interaction or the followers hide or mark it as spam, the algorithm will not give it further visibility.
Expands the Audience Based on Engagement
If your post is receiving engagement, the LinkedIn algorithm starts showing it to a wider audience. The algorithm uses three ranking signals to decide who sees your post. These signals are personal connection, interest relevance and engagement probability.
Personal Connection: The more closely you’re related to a follower, the more likely they are to see your content. That means people you work with or have worked with or whom you’ve interacted with in the past.
Interest Relevance: To determine a user’s interest, the algorithm considers the LinkedIn groups, pages, hashtags, and people they follow. If your post is based on a topic that aligns with the user’s interest or mentions company pages or hashtags that the user follows, it is more likely to be seen in their feed.
Engagement Probability: The platform evaluates how likely a user is to share, comment, and react to a post. It also takes into consideration the speed at which the audience engages. The faster they engage, the better your post’s chance of gaining high visibility.
Practices to Make LinkedIn Algorithm Work for You
The following are some practices you can use to ensure the LinkedIn algorithm works in your favor.
Setup a Detailed Profile
Ensure you fill out all sections with relevant information, including details about your experience, skills, and education. Also, remember to include keywords that describe expertise, as this will help you appear in search results.
Create Relevant Content
Consider what topics your target audience wants to learn more about, and create content accordingly. Share relevant articles and insights that add value, as this will help build your authority in the field.
Try Different Formats
Videos, podcasts, and slideshows are great ways to grab people’s attention. The LinkedIn algorithm will recognize the effort you put in to curate different types of content.
Post at the Right Time
It’s important to post at times when your followers are active, as this will help you reach more people. Review analytics to see when your followers are online and plan accordingly.
Focus on Engagement (Don’t Force Anyone)
Don’t feel pressured to make every post a sales pitch. Instead, build relationships with your audience by creating posts that prompt discussion and invite their input.
Promote Your Posts (On and Off LinkedIn)
Don’t forget to promote your posts beyond LinkedIn. Share them on other social media platforms, emails, and your website.
Post Consistently
It’s best that you post at least once or twice a day. LinkedIn says that companies that post weekly receive twice more engagement on their content as those that post less frequently.
Avoid Outbound Links
It’s best to avoid outbound links in your posts, as the algorithm may flag them as spam. Focus on creating content that will drive engagement on the platform.
Use an Automation Tool
Managing your LinkedIn presence can be time-consuming. Consider using an automation tool such as Publer to help save time when curating, scheduling, and analyzing content.
Key Takeaways
The LinkedIn algorithm is a set of rules the platform uses to determine which posts will appear on a user’s feed. It ranks posts according to what it predicts a user will interact with.
Here’s what we’ve covered in the article above:
- The algorithm assesses the quality of your post to filter out spam and low-quality content.
- It then shows your post to a few followers to see how they engage (if at all).
- If your post receives positive engagement, it is pushed to a broader audience.
- To maximize visibility on LinkedIn, make sure to set up a detailed profile including keywords, create relevant content, try different formats like videos and slideshows, and post at the time when your followers are active.
- Also, focus on engagement by creating posts inviting input, promoting your post on other social media platforms, consistently posting, and avoiding outbound links.
- Lastly, use an automation tool to help manage your LinkedIn presence.
Take the hassle out of managing your LinkedIn presence with Publer, the ultimate automation and analytics tool for LinkedIn. Sign up and see how easy it is to create and schedule posts, measure analytics, and boost your engagement.
Ervin Kalemi
