LinkedIn is often regarded as the best social media site for businesses and working professionals. No matter what industry or field you work in, having a high-quality LinkedIn profile and a solid foundation of connections can be an enormous asset in expanding your professional knowledge and exposure.

However, a lot of users aren’t getting the most out of their profiles.

Here are some suggestions for how to optimize your LinkedIn profile for success.

Fill out your profile
A survey by Powerformula.net shows that only 50.5% of users have a completed profile. It doesn’t take much to enter in your basic details, and the benefit of completing your profile is well worth your time. It doesn’t have to be super detailed, but you should fill out the Summary, Experience, Education and Basic Information sections with relevant information. Also, try to remember the words and key phrases that people would use to search for you, and include those in your descriptions. The Skills section is a good add-on to your profile since it showcases the key terms related to your skills. Here is a tutorial for how to setup the Skills section. Finally, be sure to add a profile photo. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but something that shows your face is definitely helpful in proving that you’re a real person. Try to keep it professional and focus on the shoulders upward; full body shots aren’t really necessary.

Recommendations
Request recommendations from co-workers (past and present) who can speak to your strengths. It’s always a good idea to write reviews for your co-workers in return, or you could write them a review first and kindly ask them to return the favor. Recommendations allow you to reconnect with former colleagues and enhance both of your profiles at the same time.

Join groups
41.5% of Linkedin users have joined between 1 and 9 groups, and 32.2% of users are in 10 to 29 groups. The reason is simple: groups increase your networking possibilities and allow you to interact with users who share your interests or professional expertise. How do you find the right groups? For business purposes, the best way to get started is to look for groups that are related to your industry and participate in member discussions. Be sure to join groups that have a large amount of members in order to maximize your reach. A lot of groups require approval before you can become a member, so this is where having a photo and completed profile is helpful.

Add connections
Your networking reach will be greatly enhanced if you have a large number of connections. The easiest way to send connection requests is to find users who are second degree connections. This could mean they’re connected to someone you’re connected to or you’re members of the same group. The more people you connect to, the higher number of second degree connections you will be able to connect with. Many LinkedIn are willing to accept connection requests if the profile looks legitimate, so don’t be shy. It’s always a good idea to be respectful and explain why you’re interested in connecting when you send the request.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to improve your Linkedin profile visibility, check out this link from Social Media Examiner.