5 Reasons to Verify Your LinkedIn Profile

When I first joined LinkedIn in 2007 the digital world was completely different than it is today. There were already many hackers and people sending viruses, but the number of online scammers was far less than we have today.

This, along with the growth in the popularity and usefulness of LinkedIn, has meant that our LinkedIn profiles are much more important than they ever were.

Your profile acts as your professional identity online, where people you meet will check out your profile to research your experience and credibility.

Verifying is something that most people don’t really think about, it’s another task, right? However, verifying your profile can significantly boost your presence and credibility with those who visit it.

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider verifying your account:

1. Boost Your Credibility

A verified badge on your profile boosts your personal brand and trustworthiness. It's a clear signal that you're a genuine professional, you take your online presence seriously and are committed to maintaining a high-quality professional image. This added layer of authenticity can make a significant difference in how others perceive you, but also how long they stay on your profile.

2. Stand Out from the Crowd

With over a billion users on LinkedIn, with many people doing similar things to you, verifying your account is a way to differentiate yourself. Verification helps you do just this compared to those that don’t. Winning is about maximising opportunities and verifying your account gives you an advantage over non-verified users.

3. Improve Networking Growth and Opportunities

People are more likely to connect with verified profiles. This can open doors to valuable networking opportunities that might otherwise remain closed. As the old saying goes, your network is your net worth, and verification can help you reach more potential clients.

4. Protect Against Impersonation

In an era of increasing online fraud, verification helps prevent others from posing as you. It safeguards your professional reputation and network, giving you peace of mind and control over your online identity.

5. Increase Your Profile Views & Engagement Rates

Verified profiles get a boost from LinkedIn. They become more noticeable in searches and often see higher engagement rates for posts and comments. This increased visibility can lead to more profile visits, potentially opening doors to new opportunities.

Whether you're job hunting or looking for new clients, more views can translate to more chances for success.

This boost from LinkedIn will only get bigger and bigger with time, as LinkedIn 'incentivise' users to do so, as they want as clean and safe a platform as possible for their users.

How to Verify Your LinkedIn Profile

Now that you know the benefits of verifying your LinkedIn profile, the next step is to verify your account.

The process of doing this is different for different countries but starts in the same way. It starts with clicking on the 'Add verification badge' (see below) that you'll find on the RHS of your name on your LinkedIn profile page. Once you have done this, follow the process for your country.

Every country has a different process. So rather than copy the LinkedIn help section for every country here, please click here to find the process and information for your country.

Conclusion

55 million of the 1 billion LinkedIn users have verified their accounts (5.5%). Verifying your LinkedIn profile is an opportunity to put yourself in a better position than the 94.5% who haven’t done this.

It boosts your credibility, enhances your professional online presence, increases your visibility, and opens up new opportunities for networking and career growth.

We live in a world where first impressions matter and these are often made online. A verified profile could be the difference between being overlooked and standing out.

Don't underestimate the impact of this small but significant feature. It’s relatively simple to do, so what’s stopping you? Take action today.