Can LinkedIn help you rank higher in the SERPs?

May 2, 2024

If you run a business, you’re probably very familiar with LinkedIn. And it’s no longer just a platform for networking and job hunting. It’s also a hub of valuable content that can help you establish thought leadership, expand your reach, and get your brand noticed in the SERPs.

So what does LinkedIn have to do with SEO?

LinkedIn advice pages are blowing up, with estimated traffic rising from 73k to 1.2m over the past 12 months. These pages rank in the top three positions on Google for 1,500 keywords in the UK, and for 20,000 keywords in the US.

And they’re not going anywhere.

The total number of articles on the platform has risen from 38k to 295k over the year. They even seem to be unaffected by recent algorithm updates such as the Helpful Content Update and the recent AI penalties. 

But why?

They showcase EEAT. Although self-admittedly ‘powered by AI’, the articles feature insights from human experts. A tick in the EEAT box – expertise, experience, authority and trust. Google has also been shown to reward sites which utilise user generated content.

Well… sometimes. 

Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to gain the system. I’m the ‘top expert’ for a result that ranks number one for ‘How to enter BIOS’, with 1,200 searches. But no one else has contributed to this article! 

This is something that Google needs to work on – displaying articles from authoritative sites, with genuine EEAT. It’s rather shocking that an AI generated answer, posted on an AI generated article outranks Tom’s Hardware, HP, Lenovo and Reddit. 

But LinkedIn articles cover thousands of topics – everything from A/B testing to YAML. And clearly they rank well, for thousands of informational intent keywords, presenting so many opportunities for creators to share their expertise and get in front of the right audience. While some AI or just generally poor quality content is bound to slip through the cracks, Google is heavily focusing on rewarding helpful content from genuine experts.

How to contribute to a LinkedIn article: our tips for success

Find the most relevant articles to your expertise

LinkedIn articles cover thousands of topics. Everything from A/B testing to YAML. And they rank well, for thousands of informational intent keywords. 

Ahrefs is a great platform to find articles with high search volume, in good positions for relevant niches. You can filter by position and keyword phrase to get more specific results. Once you’ve selected your article, all you have to do is hit the ‘Start a Contribution’ button to have your name and business featured in just minutes.

Write your contribution

Found an article you can add your own expertise or experience to? It’s time to get writing. Make sure you’re providing additional value to the content. This can be done by sharing personal anecdotes, offering data, posting thought-provoking questions or actionable tips. This is the type of content that Google loves – insights from real people, backed up by real-life experience and statistics.

Monitor engagement

Your work isn’t done once your contribution is published. Keep an eye on the comments tab on your LinkedIn profile (under Activity) to see how people are responding to your contribution. Here you can see interactions, the reach of your contribution and spot further opportunities for engagement. 

Cheating the system?

Google is trying to improve quality all the time, but with trillions of URLs to crawl, lower quality AI content often slips through the cracks. 

While you won’t improve rankings for your own site, this method can help improve brand awareness and personal authority within a multitude of niches by contributing to articles which receive targeted traffic for lucrative search terms.

Will the bubble burst?

Will LinkedIn advice traffic drop off a cliff with the next algorithm update? How many ‘top contributors’ actually know what they’re talking about? Should LinkedIn moderate contributions? Time will tell. But good quality, authoritative content can never do your brand any harm. 

Looking for more ways to boost brand awareness? Say no more – we offer a full suite of digital marketing services to get your business in front of the right people. Send us a message to get in touch.