The Downsides of Ignoring Your LinkedIn Endorsements

Your LinkedIn endorsements are more than just a nice-to-have feature. They’re a quick, visible way to validate your skills. They provide immediate credibility to those who know your work and to potential clients or employers who come across your profile. Ignoring endorsements—or letting them languish without any updates or attention—can hold your LinkedIn presence back and make you miss out on valuable opportunities.

Here are three downsides of overlooking your LinkedIn endorsements. Not to worry. I've included tips on how to use them to maximize your credibility and visibility.

1. Missed Social Proof: Endorsements Boost Your Credibility

One of the biggest downsides of ignoring endorsements is that you miss out on one of LinkedIn’s simplest forms of social proof. Social proof is powerful—when people see that others have endorsed you for specific skills, it strengthens their trust in your expertise. In today’s competitive landscape, potential clients and collaborators are more likely to reach out to people with profiles that clearly convey credibility. Endorsements are a great way to achieve that, but only if you make use of them.

I’ve worked with clients who initially overlooked their endorsements. They didn't realize how much potential they held for attracting attention and inquiries. Once we focused on collecting and managing endorsements for their top skills, they reported receiving:

• more profile views
• more connection requests
• and even more direct messages from potential clients

For one client in digital marketing, highlighting “Content Strategy” and “SEO” led to an immediate increase in profile engagement, and within weeks, they secured a major client who found them through a LinkedIn search. Just imagine the missed opportunity if they had continued to ignore those endorsements.

Your Action Tip: Take a few minutes to review your endorsements and make sure they reflect your most relevant skills. If they don’t, it’s time to reach out to trusted colleagues or clients to endorse you for specific skills that are most valuable in your field.

2. Lowered Profile Visibility: Endorsements Impact LinkedIn’s Algorithm

The LinkedIn algorithm is designed to boost profiles with higher levels of engagement and social proof. Endorsements play a significant role here because they indicate that other professionals in your network recognize your skills. Profiles with more endorsements for relevant skills are more likely to appear higher in LinkedIn search results, especially when people are searching for those skills.

Once a client of mine initially struggled with low visibility on LinkedIn. They weren’t coming up in search results for “Project Planning” or “Team Leadership,” even though they had years of experience in both areas. After we updated their skills and reached out to colleagues and former clients to endorse them for these top skills, they began seeing their profile pop up in more searches. Within a month, their profile views increased by 50%, and they started connecting with people in their industry who could help them grow their business.

When you ignore your endorsements you limit your chances of being discovered, especially if you’re trying to connect with people outside your immediate network. Endorsements are an essential part of LinkedIn’s ranking system, and without them, you’re missing out on valuable visibility.

Your Action Tip: Reach out to colleagues and clients who know your expertise well and ask them to endorse you for key skills. Don't forget to be specific in your request to make sure you’re boosting the skills that align with your professional goals.

3. Unrealized Opportunities for Networking and Business Growth

You don't want to miss out on networking opportunities and business growth. Endorsements tell others what you’re known for. They make it easier for potential clients and collaborators to recognize your strengths and expertise. When you ignore endorsements, you’re not showing potential connections the full scope of what you offer, which can lead to missed chances for collaboration or business.

When I worked with an entrepreneur who wanted to connect with other professionals in the tech industry to expand their consultancy we first reviewed their LinkedIn profile, I noticed that their “Technical Writing” and “Product Management” skills had few endorsements, even though these were core parts of their business. We reached out to past clients and colleagues who had seen their skills firsthand, requesting endorsements for these areas. Once their skills were validated with endorsements, other tech professionals started reaching out, leading to new consulting projects and partnerships.

Networking on LinkedIn is often a matter of people finding the right profile at the right time, and endorsements make your profile stand out, showing that you’re respected in your industry. Ignoring this tool limits your reach and the impact of your networking efforts.

How to Make the Most of LinkedIn Endorsements

So now it’s time to turn your LinkedIn endorsements around. Here are two easy but effective tips to help you start leveraging endorsements that will strengthen your profile and attract new opportunities:

Tip #1: Select and Highlight Your Core Skills

What skills best represent your brand? Think carefully. Especially those that align with your current goals and target audience. LinkedIn allows you to feature up to 100 skills, but focusing on your top three is key because these are the ones that appear first on your profile and carry the most weight. These should be skills that your audience searches for or that are essential to your career growth.

If you’re a marketing professional, for example, top skills might include “Content Marketing,” “SEO,” and “Social Media Strategy.” If you’re a project manager, “Project Planning,” “Team Leadership,” and “Risk Management” might be more relevant. Updating your skills list to reflect your core expertise helps LinkedIn’s algorithm identify your profile as relevant when others search for those skills.

Your Action Step: Reorder your skills to ensure that your top three are the ones that best define your brand and expertise. This small change makes a big difference in how you’re perceived by new connections.

Tip #2: Request Endorsements from Relevant Contacts

Don’t hesitate to ask for endorsements. Many people assume that endorsements will come automatically, but a proactive approach is far more effective. Reach out to people in your network who can genuinely vouch for your skills, and don’t hesitate to return the favor when appropriate. Colleagues, clients, and mentors who have firsthand knowledge of your strengths are usually happy to help, especially when you explain how it supports your professional growth.

Taking this step boosts your credibility and makes it more likely that you’ll show up in searches for those skills.

Your Action Step: Contact five to ten connections who know your work well and request endorsements for specific skills. This simple action can quickly elevate your profile’s authority.

Tip #3. Share Your Results With Me

If you’ve been ignoring LinkedIn endorsements, I encourage you to take these steps today and start experiencing the benefits of a well-endorsed profile. Whether you’re looking to grow your business, make new connections, or just boost your online presence, LinkedIn endorsements can help you achieve those goals with minimal effort.

After implementing these tips, let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear about your experiences—did you notice an increase in profile views, connection requests, or direct messages? Drop me a message or connect with me on LinkedIn to share your results. Let’s keep the conversation going and make LinkedIn a powerful tool for your professional journey!

I have 2 spots left for my in-person LinkedIn workshop to help Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals develop strategic solutions for their business to be seen, build authority, and brainstorm ideas to create meaningful partnerships. This is an intimate setting for up to 16 attendees. We want to have great conversations with time to answer all the questions.

How to Leverage Your LinkedIn Presence With Winning Content

Location: The Village Hive Coworking

Date: Tuesday, November 5th / 10am to 1pm

CLICK TO secure your spot today.

~ Dee Boswell-Buck- Digital Marketing Strategist