LinkedIn has 3 essential credits: to be seen, to find, and to connect. Thus, the B2B social network Excellence, created in 2002, continues to evolve its algorithms to provide an optimal experience for customers, recruiters and advertisers.
What makes LinkedIn different from other social networks? An organic litter on top! Social network gives you high natural visibility in a limited period of time. You can get fame even without advertising.
This article lists several steps to take to get the most out of LinkedIn’s algorithm:
LinkedIn algorithm: 4 steps to determine the reach of your posts
LinkedIn has a four-step process for distributing content on its network. target? Improve user experience by reducing access to spam or inappropriate content. Each publication goes through the following process before the platform decides whether or not to expand its reach.
1. Initial Filter
Whenever you post content on LinkedIn (even if it’s just a view), a bot immediately puts the content into one of three categories:
- spam;
- low quality;
- light.
Your post should be entered in the last category to maximize your reach. However, if they are classified as “low quality”, they can still go to the following checkpoints…
2. Spam Filter
Once your news is classified by the robot, it appears in members’ newsfeeds for testing. Initially, it will be available only to a small group of users.
LinkedIn will take into account the popularity of the post, confirming its good reception by the audience. If the post is flagged or hidden multiple times, its reach will be drastically reduced. On the contrary, it will go through the following stages…
3. Content Scoring
Once published, your content will generate engagement. Except that not all interactions are created equal! LinkedIn will award points based on actions taken by users. We don’t know the exact scale, but the order of importance of the interaction is:
- share ;
- Comment ;
- I love.
The higher the score, the higher the post will go in your contacts’ News Feed.
4. Reviews by Editors
If you get a lot of engagement on your post, it is passed on to human moderators, who will decide whether or not it should appear in the “Featured” tab of social media. If so, your content will also be recommended to users outside of your network, increasing your visibility!
How is content ranked on LinkedIn?
On LinkedIn, users can decide how content is displayed in their feed. They can choose to see recent posts first (for chronological display) or most relevant posts. The default option is the latter, which explains the importance of the LinkedIn algorithm in your visibility…
The factors that affect “relevance” often change, according to the LinkedIn algorithm, but there are two main ones:
1. Social Selling Index (SSI)
The Social Selling Index measures your ability to establish a personal brand, find the right users, engage with ideas and build relationships.
A high SSI puts a user’s post at the top of the feed. Note that this index primarily affects the visibility of the contents of individual accounts. If you are primarily interacting as a single page, this indicator is most likely not relevant.
2. Dwell Time
The LinkedIn algorithm calculates the time a user spends on the content of a post. This is what the social network calls “dwell time”.
The more time a user spends reading and interacting with a post (for example, watching a video or reading a list of suggestions), the more likely LinkedIn is to make it to the top of the News Feed.
LinkedIn Algorithm Ranking Factors
Beyond the factors listed above, there are three pointers LinkedIn’s algorithm uses to rank posts in a user’s feed.
1. Personal Connection
As of 2019, LinkedIn no longer prioritizes the content of mega-influencers. The social network now sheds light on the content of users’ personal connections.
LinkedIn primarily displays the accounts a user works with or has worked with, or with whom they interact frequently.
Bottom line: You’re more likely to see posts from your coworkers or companies you’ve worked for. Similarly, if you interact with a contact or Page regularly, LinkedIn will show you their content first.
2. Relevance of interests
LinkedIn uses an “interest graph” (or knowledge graph) to optimize the relevancy of content. This indicator is based on the relationship between users and subjects. This allows the algorithm to measure:
- User interest in certain topics;
- relationships between different subjects;
- Members of the network who share the interests of the user.
To determine interest, the algorithm also takes into account companies, people, hashtags and topics mentioned in a post. For example, if a user frequently reacts to posts about SEO, LinkedIn will show them updates that include keywords like “SEO,” but not “SEO,” “SEA,” “SERP,” etc. The social network may also send this user articles about Google or Bing.
3. Chances of Engagement
Engagement plays an important role in how posts rank on LinkedIn. The platform uses machine learning to classify interactions in two ways:
- There is a possibility that a user will comment, share or react to a post based on the content and the people they have interacted with in the past.
- How quickly a piece of content gains engagement after it is published. The faster users interact with a post, the more likely it is to appear at the top of other users’ News Feeds.
How to Take Advantage of the LinkedIn Algorithm?
Now that you know more about how the LinkedIn algorithm works, it’s time to keep an eye on it to expand the reach of your publications! Here are some best practices for increasing the organic visibility of your content, whether you manage a personal profile or a business page.
Avoid Spam Trap
The first step to getting a high ranking is to show LinkedIn that your post is not spam.
Here are some tips for passing spam filters:
- Avoid hashtags like #follow, #like and #comment;
- Pay attention to typos and grammar rules;
- post no more than once every three hours (in fact, once a day is already more than enough);
- Do not include more than one link in the text of your post.
In general, always make sure to publish quality content that aims to help your audience. Don’t look for something like this at all costs, but generate a genuine debate with value-added information.
Use the LinkedIn bias to your advantage
LinkedIn is clear about the type of content it wants to display. It is a professional network above all else. Therefore it is recommended:
- Be relevant to your audience, your brand and industry;
- focus on a specific place;
- provide value to one’s career, such as mentoring for professional development;
- Use different formats like Live Video, LinkedIn Stories, LinkedIn Polls, Carousel, etc.
generate engagement within the first hour
The first 60 minutes of a content’s publication are critical to its reach. If a user doesn’t respond to your post within the first hour of posting, chances are low that reach is low.
Notify your employees of the publication
Use your internal means of communication to make employees aware of the importance of sharing your publications. Also use the “Notify Employees” feature available on the pages.
Respond to or reply to each comment under your post
The more communication there is, the more publications will go to your contacts’ news feeds, which will create a snowball effect.
Use mentions and hashtags to increase the reach of your posts
Use at least 5 hashtags in each news item and tag relevant users (employees, colleagues or partners in relation to the published news).
publish original content
When you share content from a platform other than LinkedIn, its performance drops. The social network seeks to keep its users on the platform and limits the visibility of your links, YouTube videos or blog posts.
Solution ? Publish content directly to LinkedIn without external links! You can upload a basic video, share a list of suggestions, or summarize an article in an infographic or SlideShare presentation.
Want to add a link anyway? Comment or edit your post after it is published.
Try LinkedIn’s New Features
Like any social network, the LinkedIn algorithm allows you to use it to its full potential. The platform recently launched new formats like polls, image carousels or events, so take advantage of these options!
You can also pin an important article to your Page or profile to give it more visibility.
Finally, LinkedIn launched frames for #OpentoWork or #Hiring profile photos. The first indicates to your contacts that you are looking for opportunities, thanks for adding a green box, while the second shows that you are recruiting via a purple box.
Also read: Top 20 LinkedIn Accounts To Follow In 2022!
conclusion
Linkedin’s algorithm requires engagement. It depends on the relevance, dynamics of your network and your reputation. To broaden the reach of your publications, take into account the interests and needs of your audience, encouraging them to engage with impactful, useful news that encourages debate!
Need help increasing your visibility on social media? Find a Freelance Social Media Manager on Codeur.com instantly!