With over 810 million users as of 2022, LinkedIn has established itself as the premier platform for professionals globally. Over 63 million senior-level influencers are on LinkedIn, making it a goldmine for establishing powerful connections.
But with great opportunity comes some risk to your privacy. Specifically — who can see that you viewed their profile?
As a technology professional with 10+ years optimizing LinkedIn, I‘ll share my insight on navigating profile visibility along with tips to enhance your brand.
Key LinkedIn User Statistics
First, let‘s ground ourselves in some key data points regarding LinkedIn usage:
- LinkedIn has 810 million members as of 20221
- 76% of users state networking as a primary goal on LinkedIn2
- 92% of recruiters use LinkedIn to source and vet candidates3
- 30 million companies have LinkedIn Business Pages4
Additionally, LinkedIn usage continues to grow at a healthy clip:
- User base expanded by 15% year-over-year5
- Corporate post impressions rose 50% in 20216
So whether you want to find a job, market a business, or rub virtual shoulders with influencers — LinkedIn is indispensable.
The Value of LinkedIn‘s "Who Viewed Your Profile"
One of LinkedIn‘s most useful features shows you who has been looking at your profile. Typically, you‘ll see the last 5 visitors with the option to upgrade for more.
As a professional, this visibility enables tracking your brand reach and impact. Job seekers can indicate recruiter interest, while business owners see potential leads checking them out.
Privacy Settings For Profile Views
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However, the confidentiality of your own browsing on LinkedIn depends on your account settings:
Private Mode
Premium subscribers have access to private mode for anonymous viewing of other profiles. Your identity and company details will not show up in the other user‘s visitor list.
Semi-Anonymous Mode
With this enabled, profile visitors will only see your company and title rather than full name. The rest of your data remains protected.
Full Visibility
Free accounts operate on full visibility where profile visitors will see your name and headline. By clicking, they can access your public profile.
As you can see in this table, the highest browsing confidentiality comes with the Premium upgrade:
| Mode | What Others See | Level of Anonymity | Account Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Nothing | Fully Anonymous | Premium only |
| Semi-Anonymous | Company, Title Only | Mostly Anonymous | Premium only |
| Full Visibility | Full name, headline | None | Free or Premium |
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How to Control Your LinkedIn Visibility
You can adjust these settings by going to your Privacy & Settings. Click on visibility and edit your "Profile viewing options".
For recruiters and active job seekers, full visibility is recommended. Sales professionals may prefer semi-anonymous browsing when researching leads.
Checking Who‘s Viewed Your Profile
Here‘s how to see visitors of your LinkedIn profile:
- Tap your profile icon
- Select "View profile visitors"
- Scroll down to see last 5 visitors
- Filter by timeframe, company etc.
Bear in mind — private mode users won‘t show up in this list. You‘ll only see people who have full visibility on.
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Strategic Uses for Profile Views
Monitoring your profile views enables multiple advantages:
Connect with Visitors
Influential visitors are great targets for personal outreach. A friendly hello can turn an anonymous visit into a powerful ally. As experts suggest, take the initiative to guide the relationship.
Optimize Your Profile
By studying visitors, you discern what specifically attracts them — skills, experience, education etc. Then tailor your profile even further. Are technical recruiters visiting? Showcase your top coding accolades. Executives browsing? Summarize leadership results.
Track Performance
A steady influx shows your activity resonates. But a plummeting viewer count signals less interest recently. Use this to guide engagement — share more content, make new connections, offer insights via comments.
LinkedIn Etiquette To Avoid Blunders
While leveraging profile views, avoid these faux pas:
- Stalking profiles excessively. This looks desperate rather than interested.
- Messaging "I see you visited my profile". Instead, make a warm personalized introduction.
- Sending spam connection invites with no context provided. Tell them why you want to connect.
- Posting unprofessional updates that damage your brand as an expert.
- Exaggerating skills or credentials on your profile. Authenticity builds credibility.
Are Premium Accounts Worth the Cost?
LinkedIn offers several tiers of premium accounts for purchase:
| Plan | Price (monthly) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Career | $29.99 | Job seekers |
| Business Plus | $59.99 | Sales & networking |
| Sales Navigator | $64.99 | Lead generation |
| Recruiter Lite | $99.99 | Petite recruiters |
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I recommend premium for salespeople wanting inside information to turn cold outreach warm. Recruiters may also benefit from seeing all profile visitors. Plus the ability to privately browse maintains discretion.
For most professionals though, the free account adequately serves needs as long as you utilize full visibility.
So in closing, the question of who can see you viewed profiles has nuance. But controlling visibility plus sound etiquette allows smoothly leveraging LinkedIn connections.
Still hungry for pro tips? See my detailed guide on optimizing your LinkedIn profile to attract opportunities.
