Comment by Robert Taub on October 19, 2010 at 8:00am

You clearly sound like you know what you're talking about. I trust you also know the difference between a good 'branded, search-optimization-friendly synopsis' and an average or mediocre one. I'd be curious to know from you how I might improve upon mine, at /in/robtaub.

Thanks for your insightful posting in any case. I appreciate it

Rob Taub

Comment by Laura Smith-Proulx Resume Writer on October 19, 2010 at 12:30pm

Rob,

Thank you for the feedback! I'd be glad to pass comment on the profile, as I believe you have great content but there are many more upgrades you can make to it.

The great thing about keyword content and SEO on LinkedIn is that you can populate nearly every field with meaningful data, even when the information is contained inside blocks of text. However, the basis for good SEO is to analyze what others look for in relation to you.

For example, who is your target audience? If it's job seekers, chances are that they're not searching for a "careers industry professional," but a "job search coach" or a "career coach." The same goes for "blogger" - if you're seeking an opportunity to be found as a social media expert or thought leader, then this phrase might apply.

It's incumbent upon a LinkedIn user to figure out what their target audience is thinking and how they're searching. This is why the Home page and the keywords that pop up in the Who's looking at My Profile section are so important. If you see a list of terms in this section (shown on the right when you scroll down) that are relevant to how you want to be positioned, then you're doing great. Otherwise, you'll want to tweak the content of your profile to get more hits on desired terms.

From a content standpoint, I'm a fan of LinkedIn profiles written in first-person. While third-person text sounds a bit more important, the whole point of LinkedIn is personal connectivity, and you just can't get that without a profile that reaches out in a personal way.

Your audience also likes to see the ROI they'll get from your help, with something along the lines of "Your benefit to working with me on your job search? Improved networking that creates connections among those likely to hire you." (etc., just my thoughts).

One other major point to consider in your profile is metrics. Nothing grabs a reader faster on the Web than succinct sentences, so even your "over a quarter-century" would look good (and take up less space) as "25+ years of educational...", followed by "50%+ market penetration..."

You can also use categories or headings within your Summary (see mine as an example of all-caps headings), as this helps break up the text for readability. Don't forget that LinkedIn just added new Categories where you can list Certifications, Skills, Publications, etc.

I hope my $.02 on this is helpful to you. It sounds like you have a lot to offer, and can give others a solid idea of the benefit of your services by using LinkedIn.

Kind regards,

Laura

Comment by Robert Taub on October 22, 2010 at 10:22am

Well Laura, I took as much advice as you were able to offer: Went 1st oerson; metrics; caps; targeted titls and interests... I feel my LinkedIn is more Linked InlLne. Thanks!

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