Here is a complete guide on How to activate LinkedIn Private Mode. Follow the steps & explore what you can do with your LinkedIn Private Profile:
Many of us know LinkedIn informs us about those who have visited our profile. But then, there is a disadvantage that one couldn’t browse someone’s profile without their knowledge.
Here comes the role of LinkedIn private mode. Through this, you can now view other people’s profiles without them knowing it was you unless you want them to.
In this article, we will tell you how to make LinkedIn private, browse anonymously, hide your profile from public search, anonymous access, and more. But remember, it might take some time for the search engine to detect the change in the settings in your profile and refresh accordingly.
Table of Contents:
What is LinkedIn Private Mode
When you visit the Analytics section on your LinkedIn profile, you can see how many people have visited your profile and posts and how many times you have appeared in the search results.
When you click on them, you can see a list of everyone who visited your profile, their name, detailed profiles, etc. However, if someone is browsing in private mode, you will just see a bit of information, or it will just say ‘1 LinkedIn member, like in the image below.
If you visit someone’s profile, they will see your name and your connection to them and can visit your profile. If you turn it on, you appear as one of the two highlighted in the image above, depending on your options.
If you have a free LinkedIn account and you go private, you cannot see who has visited your profile either. However, if you are a premium member, you can see who visited your profile, even if you browse privately.
Steps to Activate Private Mode LinkedIn
It’s not rocket science to activate private mode on LinkedIn. Here’s how you can do it.
On Desktop
- Click on your profile picture.
- Select Settings and Privacy.
- Click on Visibility.
- Click on Change beside Profile viewing options.
- Select how you want your profile to appear.
That’s it, and you are done. When you browse through someone’s profile, they will see the headline you picked, not your name or any information about you.
On Mobile App
The process is very similar to the desktop.
- Open the LinkedIn app.
- Click on your profile picture.
- Select Settings.
- Go to Visibility.
- Click on Arrow beside the Profile viewing option.
- Select how you want your profile to appear.
How to Make LinkedIn Private
The LinkedIn profiles appear in public search results by default. Also, those who are not logged in can see your profile.
Here’s how you can make LinkedIn private:
- Click on your profile picture.
- Select Settings and Privacy.
- Click on Visibility.
- Click on Change beside the Edit your public profile option.
- Toggle the button under Edit your visibility option to off.
- Choose what you want to show and to who if you keep the visibility on.
You can see the preview on the left of how your profile will appear to anonymous users with updates. If you want to disable access to your profile for LinkedIn partners and permitted services like Outlook, toggle the visibility to off.
You can also change this setting by clicking on the Me option and selecting View My Profile. Then, on the right-hand side, click on Edit Public Profile and URL and toggle Your profile’s public visibility button to off.
How to Make the Most of Private Mode LinkedIn
There’s a lot you can do with LinkedIn private mode.
#1) Grow Your Network
If you have just joined LinkedIn, you might want to look around and optimize your profile. When you are doing that, it will help to stay anonymous. Don’t connect with many people until your profile is optimized.
They might not want to connect with you if they don’t know what you are good at and how you can help them. So, stay anonymous and look through the profiles of those close to what you do, take notes, improve your profile, and then go public, building your connections.
#2) Generate Leads
The best way to generate leads is to create a cold audience first. A cold audience is those people who are completely unaware of your content. When doing that, it is best to hide that you are visiting their profile and might message them.
Once you have a list of leads or people you want to send messages to and know what to say, you can make your profile visible. Then, when you visit their profile and send a connection message, they will know who you are and that you have seen their profile.
#3) Competition and Option Research
If you are looking at your competitors or looking for other job options while you are still employed, you might want to keep your visits hidden. You wouldn’t want your competitors to know you are spying on them or your employers to know you are looking for other opportunities.
Suggested Reading =>> Review of the Top Competitive Intelligence Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Q #1) Can people see me in private mode?
Answer: No, they will just know someone was there. You will appear as 1 LinkedIn member.
Q #2) What happens in private mode on LinkedIn?
Answer: If you browse in private mode, no information about you will be visible to those whose profiles you have visited. In semi-private mode, some of your basic information will be visible.
Q #3) Can LinkedIn premium see private mode viewers?
Answer: No. Even if you are a premium member, you can’t see the profiles of those who visited you in private mode.
Q #4) Can someone see if I looked at their LinkedIn?
Answer: Yes, unless you have private browsing turned on.
Q #5) What does 3rd mean on LinkedIn?
Answer: 3rd means third-degree connection. 1st-degree connections are those directly connected to you on LinkedIn. Those connected to your 1st-degree connections are your 2nd-degree connections, and the ones connected to those 2nd-degree connections are your 3rd-degree connections. It’s like a friend of a friend of a friend.
Also Read => How To Make Your Twitter Account Private
Conclusion
The LinkedIn private mode can come in handy on many occasions. It’s not just to hide you from those whose profile you visited or from search results. You can use it to optimize your profile, grow your network and check on your competitors.
In this article, we have talked about how to make LinkedIn profile private and how to use them. Please take advantage of it and benefit from it.