7 Ways LinkedIn Can Drive More Traffic to Your Website

For online marketers, success usually boils down to two simple things: traffic and conversions. But how does someone cut through all of the noise online to capture the prized attention and fans? One of the best, and often overlooked traffic sources online is LinkedIn. Yes, LinkedIn. The site is chock full of business decision makers and potential clients. The trick is getting them to your site. Here are seven ways to drive more traffic to your site using LinkedIn:

1. Create a killer profile. It doesn't take a lot of research to realize that the human eye is drawn to attractive things. So the better looking your LinkedIn profile is -- meaning professional and complete -- the more qualified you'll appear to your audience and the more interested people will be to check out your site.

2. Increase your connections. A good LinkedIn profile has a lot of "1st degree" connections -- the people you accept as a friend or connection. More 1st degree connections equal more clicks and traffic to your site simply because the more people you have looking at your site and your updates, the more views you'll receive. Your goal should be to have at least 500 1st degree connections and continue growing from there. Related: 5 Underutilized LinkedIn Marketing Tools 3. Update your status often. I see a direct connection between my LinkedIn activity and traffic to my site. Even more so, I often see more traction from my posts on LinkedIn than on Twitter and Facebook. The more content you share, the more opportunity people have to see it and engage with it. Aim to update your status once or twice a day, or more if it makes sense for your brand.

4. Join targeted groups. One of the best places to share articles or links is within groups. Look for groups that are related to your brand or business. Some groups on LinkedIn have more than 500,000 members. That's a large audience you can be engaging with and direct back to your site.

5. Create your own group. Creating a group should be a top priority for business owners. It allows you to build an audience inside of LinkedIn and send a message to that targeted audience each week. Send messages to helpful resources and articles on your site. This way you not only become the go-to resource to these group members, you also drive traffic as well.

6. Customize your profile links. Instead of having the generic links such as "my website" or "my blog" that LinkedIn provides, create a unique "call to action" where you directly tell visitors to click on the links you've placed, such as "Increase Your SEO" or "First Time Home Buyer -- Click Here".

7. Use the blog app. Add the blog app to your profile. This displays the most recent articles from your blog directly on your LinkedIn profile. This not only makes your profile look more advanced, it gives viewers a reason to go back to your articles on your site.