The LinkedIn Algorithm; Ranking Updates You Need to Know!

LinkedIn is fuelled by content, and it is the backbone of all engagement and community-building on the platform. 

LinkedIn is on a quest to heighten its users’ experience with content, and the latest algorithm updates are doing just that by creating a more personalised, relevant affair, while driving conversations with the people who matter.

LinkedIn Algorithm Changes for Content Rankings

Users to have more control over their feeds

LinkedIn users now have the power to limit the content that doesn’t interest them. Whether updates from a specific author or individual posts, LinkedIn users can shape their feed into a stream of content at the heart of their interests.

Consistently hiding posts of common themes allows the LinkedIn algorithm to recognise this theme as low-value or of no interest to the user. The algorithm will then be able to prevent future posts of this topic from appearing in the user’s feed.

Linda Leung, Director of Product Management at LinkedIn said; “We’re testing new ways for how you can receive status updates on each report that you submit.

“We’re always seeking to improve, so there’s more to come in feed controls.”

LinkedIn users will see less irrelevant news and updates

The morning scroll typically consists of, “Hugo First liked this” or “Anne Teak and 3 other connections commented on this,” resulting in a feed of content that neither interests nor inspires. These days are almost over.

LinkedIn’s latest algorithm update will show more meaningful content to its users, including:

• Posts, videos and content relevant to individual interests
• Opportunities for authentic engagement
• Safe and productive conversations

 …and filter out low-value activity, such as:

• Connection updates, e.g. a comment on a post of someone not in your connections
• Polls from outside of your network
• Updates of every position change in your network

Users can opt out of seeing political posts

While some say LinkedIn is the perfect place for political conversations, others believe that LinkedIn is not the right platform, and neither opinion is right or wrong.

To ensure that the platform is a comfortable space for all, users can now limit the amount of political content shown on their feed. This feature is currently under testing in the US, but positive feedback could see the feature rolled out in more regions and languages.

LinkedIn Favours Organic Engagement: ‘Growth Hackers’ May be Penalised

2022 is the year of organic engagement, and LinkedIn is joining the party. 

LinkedIn has gone from strength to strength with record levels of engagement growth over the last six quarters! But, LinkedIn isn’t wholly satisfied yet; the social platform is working to keep the rising engagement authentic, and hoping to nurture genuine connections by doing so. 

Baiting posts will be downranked

If your upcoming LinkedIn posts explicitly ask for interactions, have a re-think before publishing, as LinkedIn will downrank any future baiting posts.

A LinkedIn spokesperson said, “We’ve seen a number of posts that expressly ask or encourage the community to engage with content via likes or reactions – posted with the exclusive intent of boosting reach on the platform.

“…We won’t be promoting this type of content and we encourage everyone in the community to focus on delivering reliable, credible and authentic content.”

LinkedIn aims to provide better quality content to its users and finds that baiting posts hinder this mission; the same goes for too many polls. 

Avoid too many polls!

If your LinkedIn feed is a sea of polls, you can sleep well knowing this won’t be for much longer. 

Polls were once a bit of fun on social media, and they were often a smart way to gather insights for both the audience and the publisher. However, they are also a sneaky tactic to provoke LinkedIn engagement and quite frankly, people believe they are now overused.  

LinkedIn users have had enough, and based on feedback, the social platform will say goodbye to the meaningless polls and only show those with relevance.

A LinkedIn spokesperson said, “We’ve heard feedback that there are too many polls in the feed. We’re taking steps to be smarter and show you only those that are helpful and relevant. That means fewer polls from people you don’t know and more from those you’re more likely to engage with from your network.”

LinkedIn is working on a reduction in notifications

LinkedIn is not shy of spamming you with notifications. Users receive alerts for a connection’s new job, when a connection comments on certain posts, birthdays, and for the most part, they don’t add value to the user. 

As part of LinkedIn’s quest to offer high-value content only, it will reduce notifications to only show targeted activity from a user’s network and situations where they are most likely to join in the conversation.

LinkedIn Search and Discovery Results to be Improved

With improvements to content and engagement underway, the platform will also enhance its search and discovery features and results. 

Users will find it easier to discover relevant content from like-minded professionals, and they will also find it easier to “re-discover” content they have previously seen.

Improvements to accessibility and user profiles will also be part of the search and discovery enhancement.

Creator profiles can now use referral links

If you are a LinkedIn member using ‘Creator Mode,’ a new feature now allows you to add a unique link to the top of your profile. This feature allows creators to personalise their brand and increase their visibility on the platform.

Accessibility matters; real-time captions for audio events

A vital component of any website or social platform is inclusivity and accessibility. Thankfully, LinkedIn is working on ways to improve the accessibility on the social platform, one caption at a time. 

The latest accessibility feature, currently in beta testing, is real-time captions on all audio events. The captions are only in English throughout its testing phase, but will eventually be rolled out to more languages. 

Review sharing for service providers

Up to 95% of customers read reviews before deciding on a purchase, meaning they are one of the most valuable sales weapons for a brand or service provider. 

The latest feature allows its 4 million users to amplify their positive reviews and proudly share them with their LinkedIn community.

LinkedIn’s Chief Product Officer, Tomer Cohen, said: “By sharing reviews in their feed, service providers can multiply the impact of a single review and leverage the benefits of word-of-mouth recommendations across their community.”

Fuel Your LinkedIn with Valuable, Relevant Content

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Drop us a line to see how we can nurture your engagement and growth.

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