LinkedIn Profile Optimization: A Practical Checklist

The 10-minute checklist

• Profile photo: clear, recent, your face, at least 400 × 400 px.
• Cover image: 1584 × 396 px, saying what you do or who you help.
• Headline: role + who you help + outcome, in plain words people search for.
• Custom public URL: a variation of your name.
• About: who you help, how, proof, and how to contact you.
• Featured: your best post, case study or offer.
• Experience: outcomes, not just duties, for each recent role.
• Skills: the skills you want to be found for, kept relevant.
• Recommendations: two or three recent ones from clients or managers.
• Verification: add a free verification if you are eligible.

Details for each item follow.

2. Headline: the most important line

LinkedIn’s Help page on editing your headline says the headline is the text below your name, is displayed in search results, and can be different from your current job title. Edit it from the Edit (pencil) icon in your introduction section.

A practical formula is Role | Who you help | Result or specialism:

• Weak: “Founder at Acme”
• Better: “Founder, Acme | Payroll software for UK restaurants | Cut payroll time”
• Weak: “Looking for opportunities”
• Better: “Data Analyst | SQL, Power BI | Retail and e-commerce analytics”

Use words your buyers or recruiters would actually type. LinkedIn doesn’t state a headline character limit on that Help page, so we don’t quote one; the edit box will stop you if you go over.

Stuck for wording? Our free LinkedIn headline generator turns your role, skills and results into options you can edit.

4. About section

About is part of the Core sections you add through Add profile section (LinkedIn Help: Add sections to your profile). Write it in the first person, for the reader you want:

1. Opening line: who you help and the problem you solve.
2. How: your approach, services or specialisms in two or three short lines.
3. Proof: named clients (with permission), results, awards or credentials you can back up.
4. Call to action: how to contact you, for example “Message me here or book via the link in Featured”.

Keep paragraphs short; most people read on a phone. Draft it in our character counter so you can see its length as you edit.

6. Recommendations and verification

Recommendations. LinkedIn lets you request a recommendation from a connection’s profile (More, then Request a recommendation) or from the Recommendations section of your own profile. You choose the relationship and your position at the time, and can personalise the message. LinkedIn notes that recommendations can only be requested in your primary profile language. Ask recent clients or managers, and suggest what to mention, such as a specific project.

Verification. LinkedIn’s page on verifications on your LinkedIn profile says you can currently verify your identity, workplace or educational institution, that verification is optional and has no additional cost, and that availability depends on the type of verification and where you are. A verified badge appears next to your name for signed-in members.

Open to Work (job seekers). LinkedIn’s Open to Work setting lets you choose whether all members, recruiters only or only you can see your job preferences. LinkedIn says it takes steps to hide this from recruiters at your current company but can’t guarantee complete privacy.

Step-by-step instructions for each method, including DigiLocker in India and work email codes, are in our LinkedIn verification guide.

Personal profile vs Company Page

This checklist is for personal profiles. For a business, your Company Page and your founders’ or employees’ personal profiles do different jobs:

• Personal profiles carry trust and conversation, which suits opinions, lessons and behind-the-scenes posts from founders and leaders.
• The Company Page is the official home for jobs, product news, events and company updates, and it is where employees link their experience.

Align both: the same positioning in the founder’s headline and the Company Page tagline, consistent visuals, and regular cross-sharing. Use our image size guide for page images.

Setting up the Page itself? Follow our LinkedIn Company Page optimization checklist.

Want your LinkedIn presence managed?

We optimise founder and company profiles and write and publish LinkedIn content every month, in your voice. Start with a free social media audit or ask for a custom quote. If you prefer chat, message us on WhatsApp at +91 8827409728. See our LinkedIn management service.