What Does “Found You Through LinkedIn” Mean?

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When you scroll through your LinkedIn activity and connection requests, you’ve probably noticed the ‘found you via’ tag below the contact’s name.

In this post we’ll cover these ‘Found You via LinkedIn’ notifications that tell you how you were discovered and ways to increase the number of visits to your LinkedIn profile. 

What Are ‘Found You Through’ Notifications on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn’s “Found You Through” notifications share insights on how someone discovered your profile.  The most common ‘found you via’ notifications are:

  • LinkedIn Profile: The person viewing your profile received a suggestion to connect with you while on their own profile page.
  • Feed: The viewer saw your post, uopdate or comment in their feed.
  • Company Page: This indicates that someone found you on an official company page that you like, commented on, or where you’re employed. 
  • LinkedIn Search: The visitor used search criteria or your name to locate your profile.  
  • People Similar to: LinkedIn suggested that your profile was similar to the profile the visitor was currently searching.  

People can find you on LinkedIn through several ways that we will explore in more detail below.

When you log into Linkedin, you’ll see a ‘Profile Viewers’ link just below your profile picture. 

Depending on your account type, you’ll see information about who’s been viewing your profile. 

Filters are available for Premium members to view even more info like:

  • People who ‘can help you get a job’
  • Senior Leader in your industry
  • Senior Leader in your job function
  • Influencer on Linkedin

Every LinkedIn member who has viewed your profile will have a tag providing you a behind the senses intel about how they found you.  

What Does Found You Via LinkedIn Profile Mean?

In 2024, Linkedin made a slight change to their notifications.  ‘Found you via Linkedin Profile’ means the same thing as ‘Found you through Linkedin Profile’.

Linkedin’s algorithm is constantly optimized to incentivize network growth.  They want you to connect with more people.  When I visit my profile page, the column on the right displays contacts Linking thinks would be valuable to my network.  These include:

  • More profiles for you: Recommendations of people to connect with.
  • Grow your network: Peer suggestions based on my premium membership.
  • People you may know: Members from your school.
  • You might like: Pages recommended for me to follow.

If you click the ‘My Network’ tab at the top of the page, you’ll discover a lot more profile recommendations customized to your preferences.  For example:

  • Invitations
  • People in an Industry you may know
  • People you may know with similar roles
  • People you may know from School
  • Popular people to follow
  • People you may know in your Region
  • Mutual connections

 All of these methods will generate a ‘found you via’ notification on Linkedin.

How to Get ‘Found via LinkedIn Profile’

Keeping your profile up to date, optimized for relevant keywords and not overly restricted by privacy settings is a great start to being found through your Linkedin profile. 

The keywords in your headline, about section, and job description are all searchable.  Think about who you’d want to connect with and what they’re searching for to find someone.  

Here are some examples to increase your ‘found via profile’ impressions:

  • Comment on posts
  • Endorse members via recommendations
  • Link to your profile from website, email signature and social media

What Does Found You through Feed Mean?

Prior to the 2024 UI change, ‘found you via homepage’ was a common way to be discovered.  LinkedIn adjusted the homepage to default to a feed.  

When you log into Linkedin, the default view is your feed.  

Getting found through feed is becoming more difficult as Linkedin members continue to increase their activity on the platform.  

The good news is that most members take a passive approach with the platform and there is still plenty of room to showcase your knowledge and experience.  

Being active on Linkedin makes you more discoverable to people with similar interests. 

How to increase your exposure on a member’s LinkedIn Feed: 

  • Contribute expertise
  • Share content
  • Write an article
  • Start a post or draft with AI
  • Engage with likes or comments
  • Join new groups and participate in discussions
  • Expand your network with connections and follows
  • Update your profile and pages

The ‘found you through feed’ is the easiest metric to impact analytics and increase your profile viewers. 

What Does Found You via LinkedIn Company Pages Mean?

Another example of LinkedIn changing profile analytics is by referring to this as ‘found you through company page.’

‘Found via company’ page isn’t limited to your company profile.  You can be discovered on different company pages that you engaged with.

Here are examples of how to generate a ‘found you through a company page’ tag:

  • Liking or commenting on a Company page that you follow.  
  • Updated a job title at your workplace which has a page on Linkedin. 
  • Following relevant company pages in your industry. 

Pro Tip: If you work for a small company or have your own company, make sure to create an official Linkedin Company page to increase your chances of being discovered.

Staying active on Linkedin and adding Interests that are aligned with your profession can help attract the attention of new connections.

What Does Found Through People Similar to You Mean?

LinkedIn does an amazing job at suggesting specific people that are similar to you or similar to the profile page you’re currently looking at.

For example, if you’re in sales and looking at a new client’s profile, pay attention to the ‘people similar to’ section.  You may discover profiles similar to your existing clients.  This is prospecting gold!

What Does Found You Via LinkedIn Search Mean?

‘Found you through LinkedIn search’ is the most actionable stat in your profile view analytics.

If you have a connection request and notice the person found you through linkedin search, it could signal they were looking for someone who met certain criteria.  

It’s common for a recruiter or a B2B salesperson who is working off a prospect avatar which could include certain keywords, experience, industry, education and location.

Pro Tip: Consider reaching out to anyone who ‘found you through LinkedIn search’ but didn’t connect.  Acknowledge that you saw the notification and ask them if there’s anything you can help with.  

Increase your chances of getting found via LinkedIn search:

  • Use a professional profile picture. 
  • Update your headline.
  • Use relevant keywords in the About section.
  • Add keywords to your Experience section.
  • If you’re looking for a job, use the ‘Open to’ feature.

Remember to use keywords that describe your previous and current role and your desired positions to increase your search appearances. 

Why do people search on LinkedIn?

At its core, LinkedIn search is an incredibly powerful tool that can help you to find and connect with professionals, companies, and jobs in your industry.

Using search filters to narrow down results by keywords, location industry and connections can create targeted opportunities with influencers and decision makers.

Professional Networking: People use LinkedIn to expand their professional network. They might discover your profile while researching connections, industries and topics related to their profession.

Job Opportunities: Recruiters search for talent on LinkedIn. Don’t be offended if a recruiter reaches out.  They are intrigued by your background and may have an opportunity that could change your life. 

Partnerships: Entrepreneurs and Business Development folks may be looking for partners to collaborate on a new product or service. 

Sales Outreach: Many B2B sales professionals use LinkedIn as a tool for prospecting. They are searching for people like you because their clients share similar profile characteristics to yours.

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s “Found You Through” notifications offer valuable insight into how prospects are discovering you, giving you the power to fine-tune your B2B sales outreach email and engagement strategies. 

By analyzing how people find your profile, optimizing your LinkedIn presence, and personalizing your outreach, you can transform casual profile views into meaningful connections and ultimately, more leads.

B2B sales is all about building relationships, and these notifications offer the insight you need to strengthen those relationships right from the start.