Despite how important transparency is to build an in-demand personal brand on LinkedIn, the platform itself has never been very transparent about its inner workings. Lately though, things have seemed even more chaotic than usual, leaving a lot of us feeling like anything we do on LinkedIn is pointless. The changes to the LinkedIn algorithm have caused confusion, but there is a method to this madness. And we’ve uncovered it for you.
Well, there is a method in this madness. And we’ve uncovered it for you.
Here are the main updates to LinkedIn’s algorithm:
- A greater focus on relevant content and updates
- More importance placed on who is in your network
- Engagement history now plays a bigger part
- Expertise matters more than ever
- Likes/views are no longer the only way to boost profiles
Let’s break down exactly what this means…
How the New LinkedIn Algorithm Ranks Content
“Popularity” has taken on a new meaning with the LinkedIn algorithm change. What’s popular isn’t based on views or impressions anymore. Now, it’s about how relevant your content is to your audience. This is why you’re seeing older posts (2 weeks +) in your feed – LinkedIn is favouring relevant posts over recent posts.
What should you be doing on LinkedIn?
Posting regularly isn’t the only way to boost your reach anymore. What you’re reading, commenting on and interacting with will influence your feed. You might have noticed the same people appearing over and over again – this is all based on your activity.
Who should you connect with on LinkedIn?
There are a lot of big names on LinkedIn that might have once carried influence if they engaged with you on the platform. Now, your old classmate could rank higher than them. It all depends on how relevant that connection is to your network.
Content vs. Outreach Under the New LinkedIn Algorithm
While we always recommend having a strong content strategy, that’s not what’s going to create opportunity with LinkedIn’s new algorithm. With less emphasis on likes/impressions, it’s going to be more about if a post led to a DM, profile views or collaboration. So, you need to make sure whatever content you are posting is created with outreach in mind.
Has LinkedIn finally run its course with this new algorithm?
Algorithm updates can feel like the enemy for anyone using social media to sell. Thanks to LinkedIn not being as forthcoming with their updates as other social media apps, a lot of people have been wondering if LinkedIn’s place in social selling has passed.
In actual fact, this update is a good thing! When you break it down as we have in this article, you can see that it’s not a complete change but a shift. Less noise, more signal. This means a greater focus on intent over quantity and connection over engagement. If you’re looking for more in-depth strategy to take advantage of these changes, this detailed guide from Hootsuite provides a great breakdown of how to make the most of the new LinkedIn algorithm.