Why LinkedIn sends some of the best-quality website visitors you can get, and the one rule that changes how you use links.
LinkedIn is where business owners, managers and buyers go to learn, hire and be seen. People there are in "work mode", so a visitor who clicks through from LinkedIn is often more likely to read, enquire or buy than a visitor from a purely social app.
There's a catch. LinkedIn wants people to stay on LinkedIn, so posts that send people away with a link usually reach fewer people than posts that don't. Independent studies of millions of posts have found noticeably lower reach for posts with an outside link in the main text.
Make every post worth reading without a click. Then give people easy, natural places to click.
That's the approach this guide follows. You'll build a profile that works like a landing page, write posts that earn attention, and use the places LinkedIn is happy for you to link from: your profile, your Featured section, your newsletter and your conversations.
- LinkedIn visitors are often high-quality, work-minded readers
- Posts with outside links usually get less reach
- Write posts that stand alone, and link from the right places
Most people who see your posts will check your profile before they visit your website. Make it do the selling.
Your headline
Your headline follows you everywhere: next to every post, comment and connection request. Don't waste it on a job title. Say who you help, what result you get them, and where to go next.
- ✕Owner at Jones Design
- ✕Marketing professional
- ✕Passionate about digital
- ✓I help small accountancy firms win clients with better websites
- ✓Bookkeeping for tradespeople | Free VAT checklist ↓
- ✓Helping cafés fill quiet afternoons | Weekly tips below
The five profile fixes that drive clicks
People are far more likely to click "Free 12-point website checklist" than "my website". Link to a useful page that then leads them to your services.
- Treat your profile as a landing page
- Your headline says who you help, the result and the next step
- Pin a free resource and your newsletter in Featured
Traffic only matters if it's the right people. Decide exactly who you're talking to and what you'll be known for.
LinkedIn's feed now tries hard to show posts to people who are genuinely interested in the subject. If you post about everything, it struggles to work out who to show you to. If you post consistently about a few themes, it gets better at finding your people.
| Topic pillar | Example post ideas | Links naturally to |
|---|---|---|
| Teach | How to fix a slow website in 3 steps; the 5 pages every accountant needs | A free checklist or how-to article |
| Prove | Before-and-after of a client site; what changed and the results | A case study page |
| Personal | A lesson from a mistake; why you started your business | Your About or services page |
You are a LinkedIn content strategist. My business: [what you do]. My ideal client: [who they are, their job title, their biggest frustration]. My website has these pages: [list key pages]. 1. Suggest 3 content pillars that would attract this client. 2. For each pillar, give 10 specific post ideas written as hooks. 3. For each idea, tell me which page on my website it leads to naturally.
- Pick one audience you serve best
- Post around three topics so LinkedIn knows who to show you to
- Every topic should lead to a useful page on your site
The posts that travel furthest give real value right there in the feed. They build the trust that makes people want more.
Most accountancy websites lose clients in the first 5 seconds.
Here are the 3 things I fix first on every site:
1. A headline that says who you help
2. A phone number at the top
3. One clear "book a call" button
The full 12-point checklist is in my Featured section.
Formats that tend to work
Upload a short PDF of 5 to 10 slides. People swipe through, which keeps them on your post for longer.
A strong hook and a few short paragraphs or a numbered list. Easy to read on a phone.
Upload video straight to LinkedIn rather than sharing a YouTube link. Add captions, as most people watch without sound.
Useful to learn what your audience wants, but don't rely on them for traffic.
- Write the first two lines last. They decide whether anyone reads the rest.
- Use short paragraphs and white space.
- End with a question that's easy to answer to start a conversation.
- Post 3 to 5 times a week at times your audience is working.
- Give the value in the post itself
- Hook, value, proof, next step
- Carousels, short text and native video travel furthest
You can still send lots of people to your website from LinkedIn. You just choose where the link lives.
| Where the link goes | Reach impact | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Your profile, Featured section and custom button | None | Your main lead magnet and website |
| Your LinkedIn newsletter | None; subscribers are notified | Articles that link to your blog or offer |
| A reply in a conversation | Low | Answering someone who asks for the resource |
| Direct messages | None | People who comment "send it" or ask for details |
| The main text of a post | Usually lower reach | Occasional launches when you have a big audience |
The old trick of putting the link in the first comment no longer seems to be a reliable workaround. Instead, many people write a complete post and say "the full checklist is in my Featured section" or "comment checklist and I'll message it to you".
Add UTM tags to your links (for example ?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=checklist) so you can see exactly which LinkedIn link brought each visitor in Google Analytics.
- Profile, Featured, newsletter and DMs are your link homes
- Avoid outside links in the main text of most posts
- Tag your links so you can measure them
A LinkedIn newsletter notifies your subscribers every time you publish. It's one of the best ways to reach people beyond the feed.
When you start a newsletter, LinkedIn invites your connections and followers to subscribe. Every issue is a full article, so you can include links to your website, free resources and services naturally, without the reach worries of a feed post.
- 1Go to Write article and choose to create a newsletter.
- 2Give it a clear name that says what readers get (for example The Small Firm Website Fix).
- 3Choose a schedule you can keep: weekly or fortnightly.
- 4Write each issue around one problem, with 1 or 2 links to helpful pages on your site.
- 5Share each issue as a short post with a key takeaway.
Turn this blog post into a LinkedIn newsletter issue of about 600 words: [paste your post]. Keep it practical and friendly, in British English. Use short paragraphs and subheadings. Include 2 natural places to link to [page URL] and end with one clear call to action.
- Newsletter subscribers are notified when you publish
- Each issue can link to your site naturally
- Pick a schedule you can keep
Thoughtful comments on other people's posts put your name in front of their audience, and send curious people to your profile.
- ✕"Great post!"
- ✕"So true 👏"
- ✕Pasting a link to your site
- ✓Adds an example from your own experience
- ✓Asks a smart follow-up question
- ✓Disagrees politely with a reason
Aim comments at posts your ideal clients read: industry leaders, trade bodies and local business networks. A great comment can be seen by thousands of people, and the ones who like what you said click your name to find out more.
LinkedIn Groups are much quieter than they used to be, but a few well-run, niche groups are still worth joining. Help first, and only share links when the group rules allow it.
- Reply to every comment on your posts
- Comment thoughtfully on posts your clients read
- Good comments lead people to your profile
More of the right connections means more of the right people seeing every post you share.
People with the job titles and industries you serve.
Businesses that serve the same clients but don't compete with you.
People who regularly react to your posts or your peers' posts.
Old colleagues, clients and alumni from your college or university.
Send personal invitations
Add a short note to every connection request saying why you'd like to connect. LinkedIn limits how many invitations you can send each week, so make each one count.
Write 3 short LinkedIn connection notes (under 200 characters each) for a [your job] reaching out to [type of person]. Mention something specific about them: [detail, e.g. a recent post or shared group]. Friendly, no sales pitch, British English.
When someone accepts, thank them and share something useful, like a relevant article or your free checklist. Never send a sales pitch straight away.
- Connect with clients, partners and engaged commenters
- Always add a personal note
- Follow up with something useful, not a pitch
Video builds trust quickly. LinkedIn is pushing video harder than ever, including a dedicated video feed.
- Vertical or square video works best on phones.
- Say the hook in the first 3 seconds.
- Show your face: people buy from people.
- Reuse each video on your website and other channels.
LinkedIn Live lets you broadcast live sessions, interviews and Q&As. It has eligibility rules, so check LinkedIn's help pages to see if your profile or page qualifies. After the event, the recording stays on your profile and you can link to a page with the slides or resources.
- Short, captioned, native video works best
- Mention your Featured resource in your videos
- Use Live for Q&As and interviews if eligible
Check your numbers once a week and do more of what works. Ten minutes on Friday is enough.
| Number | Where to find it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions and engagement | Post analytics | Which topics and formats people want |
| Profile views | Your profile analytics | Whether posts make people curious about you |
| Newsletter subscribers | Newsletter analytics | How fast your owned audience is growing |
| Visitors from LinkedIn | Google Analytics (referrals and UTM tags) | Which links actually send traffic |
| Enquiries from LinkedIn | Ask "how did you hear about us?" | Whether the traffic turns into business |
Here are my last 4 weeks of LinkedIn post results: [paste post, format, impressions, reactions, comments, link clicks]. Spot patterns. Which topics, hooks and formats did best? Give me 5 specific changes for next month and 10 new post ideas based on what worked.
- Review your numbers weekly
- Track website visits with UTM tags
- Double down on the best topics and formats
Get more mileage from every post by reusing it and pointing your other channels at your LinkedIn profile and newsletter.
- Add a LinkedIn link to your email signature and website footer.
- Mention your newsletter in your emails and at the end of blog posts.
- Turn your best carousels into blog posts with the slides as images.
- Use a scheduling tool to keep a steady rhythm.
Work through one task a day for a week. By the end you'll have a profile that converts, three posts out and a newsletter started.
Fix your profile today, post three times this week and start your newsletter. Then check your numbers every Friday.