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The LinkedIn Cheat Sheet
Simple tweaks to turn your profile into a 24/7 credibility engine.
Aaron Fowler
May 02, 2025
Keeping an active LinkedIn profile can be time-consuming, but it pays off
First question, why should I bother?
Google loves LinkedIn. With a Domain Authority of 99/100, LinkedIn profiles rank exceptionally well on page one of Google for name searches.
Because of that visibility, an optimized profile becomes your digital business card; executives who invest in it can capture up to 80% of their social media leads on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is 277 % more effective at generating leads than Facebook.
Your LinkedIn credibility checklist (and why you should care):
Section | What “Great” Looks Like | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Profile Photo | Recent, high‑resolution headshot, good lighting, friendly but professional expression | 14× more views → more inbound profile traffic and connection requests |
Header | Branded graphic—company logo, keynote stage, media quote, or brand colors | Instantly signals authority and creates visual consistency with company pages (boosts recall). |
Headline (220 character count) | Value proposition first (“AI‑driven CFO Scaling growth to $500M+”) + keyworded specialties second | This is your opportunity to “differentiate” yourself from others with a similar position. |
Custom URL | linkedin.com/in/firstname‑lastname(‑keyword)* keyword optional if first-last is unavailable | Clean URLs rank and share better; reinforces SEO for your name/sector. |
About / Bio | 2–3 short paragraphs: what you solve, why it matters, social proof. | Well‑written summaries convert visitors to leads; appears in Google meta description for your profile, indexing your profile with all keywords associated. |
Featured Section | Top podcast appearance, media quote, whitepaper, keynote reel, recent coverage, company announcements | Keywords here help LinkedIn’s algorithm surface you in recruiter & prospect searches. |
Experience | Bullet results (“Grew ARR $120M → $310M”) with rich media links per role | Keywords help LinkedIn’s algorithm surface you in recruiter & prospect searches. |
Skills (>5) & Endorsements | Only current, revenue‑relevant skills | Listing ≥ 5 skills makes you 31× more discoverable in search. |
Activity Cadence (how many posts to share) | Aim for 2+ original posts/week with daily thoughtful comments on industry leaders | Keeps you in followers’ feeds; consistent activity boosts “People also follow” visibility. |
The Payoff
Discoverability: Your optimized profile can lead to branded search results, elevating earned media over random third-party sites on Google.
Lead Engine: LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook or X.
Brand Halo: A polished executive presence elevates company perception—talent, investors, and media equate a strong leader brand with a strong organization.
Ready to put this checklist to work?
Get a complimentary LinkedIn profile audit from Qnary. We’ll score each section, highlight quick wins, and map out clear next steps for improvement.
➡️ Click here to request your free audit, or email [email protected], and let's turn your profile into a magnet for opportunity.
#Overheard at Qnary
From a Qnary customer and Chief Strategy Officer of a residential service company:
“One of the biggest unforeseen benefits of this is that I've had so many people that I've crossed paths with, either professionally or just met at a conference, messaging me to say they loved what I was posting! Your team is doing a fantastic job bringing ideas and concepts to life, and the short clips from some of the podcasts I've done were a hit, just like you said they'd be."