LinkedIn isn't just a digital resume dump anymore. It's basically a massive publishing house with high domain authority that Google absolutely loves. Most people treat the platform like a place to humble-brag about a promotion, but they’re missing the bigger picture. If you understand how to write a LinkedIn article correctly, you aren't just reaching your network; you’re hijacking Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
Think about it.
Your personal website might struggle to rank for a competitive industry term. But LinkedIn? LinkedIn has a Domain Rating (DR) of 98 or 99. When you publish there, you’re standing on the shoulders of a giant. You’re using their credibility to push your ideas into Google Discover feeds and the top spots of Google Search. It’s a shortcut. Honestly, it's one of the few "hacks" left that actually feels organic because it is.
The Reality of Google Discover and LinkedIn
Getting onto Google Discover is kinda like winning the lottery, but you can definitely rig the game in your favor. Discover is that feed on your phone that shows you stuff it thinks you’ll like before you even search for it. It relies heavily on "entity-based" SEO. This means Google needs to recognize you as an authority on a specific topic.
When you’re figuring out how to write a LinkedIn article for Discover, you have to stop thinking about keywords for a second and start thinking about "visual hooks" and "freshness." Discover loves high-quality imagery. If you use a boring, stock photo of people shaking hands, you’re dead in the water. You need something custom. Maybe a data visualization or a high-contrast photo that makes someone stop scrolling.
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Google’s own documentation on Discover emphasizes the importance of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). LinkedIn provides this in spades because your profile is literally a map of your professional history. When Google crawls your LinkedIn article, it sees your job title, your endorsements, and your connections. It’s not just a random blog post; it’s a verified expert speaking.
Picking a Topic That Actually Moves the Needle
Don't just write about your morning routine. Nobody cares.
If you want to rank, you need to find the intersection between what people are searching for on Google and what professionals are arguing about on LinkedIn. Tools like Ahrefs or even just looking at "People Also Ask" on Google can give you a starting point. But the real magic happens when you add a contrarian take.
- Find a common piece of "best practice" advice in your industry.
- Explain why it's actually wrong or outdated.
- Back it up with a specific, real-world example from your career.
This creates a high engagement rate on the LinkedIn platform itself. And here is the secret: Google uses "user signals." If a lot of people are commenting, sharing, and clicking on your LinkedIn article within the platform, Google interprets that as a sign of high-quality content. This internal velocity often triggers a boost in external search rankings. It’s a feedback loop.
The Technical Stuff You Can't Ignore
SEO isn't just about vibes. You need to get the structure right. Your H2 and H3 tags matter. When considering how to write a LinkedIn article that ranks, you have to treat the LinkedIn editor like a WordPress site.
- The URL Slug: LinkedIn generates this from your title. Make sure your primary keyword is in the first four words of your title so the URL stays clean.
- The Meta Description: LinkedIn takes the first 150-ish characters of your article for the snippet. Start strong. Don't waste space with "Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great week." Get to the point.
- Alt Text: People forget this constantly. Click on your images and add descriptive alt text. It helps with Google Image search and accessibility.
Why Long-Form Content Wins
Short posts are for the feed. Articles are for the library.
If you want to rank on the first page of Google, aim for at least 1,200 to 1,500 words. I know, it sounds like a lot. But Google rewards "topic clusters" and "topical authority." If you’re writing about "Supply Chain Resilience," you can’t just scratch the surface. You need to talk about logistics, inventory management, geopolitical risks, and software solutions.
A long article allows you to naturally weave in "LSI keywords"—these are just related terms that help Google understand the context. For example, if you’re writing about how to write a LinkedIn article, you should also be mentioning things like "LinkedIn Pulse," "Newsletter feature," "SEO metadata," and "engagement metrics."
The Engagement Factor: Comments Are Your SEO Fuel
LinkedIn's algorithm is heavily weighted toward "dwell time." This is how long someone stays on your page. Long-form articles are great for this, but only if they’re readable. Use short sentences. Use bold text for emphasis. Break up the wall of text.
But the real kicker is the comments section.
When you reply to every single comment, you double the comment count. This signals to LinkedIn that the conversation is "hot," which keeps it in the feed longer. The more traffic it gets from the feed, the more "authority" it builds in the eyes of Google’s crawlers. It’s all connected. Honestly, the first hour after you hit "Publish" is the most critical. You should have a few colleagues or friends ready to jump in and start a genuine discussion—not just "Great post!" but actual questions.
Real Examples of LinkedIn Success
Look at someone like Liz Ryan or Katelyn Bourgoin. They don't just post; they build narratives. They use the LinkedIn article format to deep-dive into psychology or workplace dynamics. Their articles often rank for specific long-tail keywords because they use very specific, niche language that isn't cluttered with corporate speak.
I remember seeing an article about "The Death of the Open Office" that stayed on the first page of Google for months. Why? Because it used a LinkedIn article to host a massive debate. The article itself was the "hub," and the 500+ comments were the "spokes." Google saw that level of activity and decided it was the most relevant resource for that search query.
What Most People Get Wrong About Formatting
Stop using those giant, generic stock photos of "Digital Transformation" (usually a glowing blue brain or something equally tacky).
Use a photo of yourself, or better yet, a screenshot of a process. If you’re explaining a strategy, draw it on a napkin and take a photo. It sounds "unprofessional," but it’s actually the opposite. It’s authentic. Authenticity is a massive trust signal for both users and search engines.
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Also, avoid the "Link in Comments" trap for articles. While it works for short feed posts to avoid the algorithm's penalty for external links, for a long-form article, you want to link out to high-authority sources within the text. Linking to Harvard Business Review or a McKinsey report makes your article look like a well-researched piece of journalism. Google loves that.
Getting into the Discover Feed
To hit Google Discover, your article needs a "click-worthy" title that isn't clickbait. There’s a fine line.
- Bad: You won't believe what happened in my meeting today!
- Good: Why Most B2B SaaS Companies Are Wasting 40% of Their Ad Budget.
The second one promises a specific value. It targets a specific person. Google Discover’s AI is incredibly good at matching specific topics to specific users. If you write a generic article, you’ll get generic (or zero) results.
Use the "Inverted Pyramid" Style
Journalists use this for a reason. Put the most important information at the top. If someone only reads the first three paragraphs, they should still walk away with the "who, what, where, and why." This helps with the "snippet" that Google often displays in search results. If you answer the user's question clearly in the first 200 words, you have a much higher chance of winning a Featured Snippet.
The Role of the LinkedIn Newsletter
If you have the option to turn your articles into a Newsletter, do it yesterday.
Newsletters on LinkedIn send a notification to your subscribers every time you publish. This guarantees an initial spike in traffic. For SEO, this "spike" is a signal to search engines that the content is timely and relevant. It’s like a jump-start for a car battery. Once the "car" (your article) is running, the organic SEO takes over and keeps it moving.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't copy and paste the same article from your company blog onto LinkedIn without changing anything. That’s "duplicate content." While Google isn't as punitive about this as people think, it still prefers to rank one version over the other.
If you want to cross-post, change the headline and the intro. Make the LinkedIn version more "opinionated." The company blog is for the brand; the LinkedIn article is for the person. Write like a human, not a department.
Also, don't forget your CTA (Call to Action). But keep it subtle. Instead of "Buy my product," try "If you’re struggling with this, I’ve got a template that might help."
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Article
You don't need to be a professional writer to get this right. You just need a process.
First, identify a "pain point" your audience has. Not a big, abstract pain point like "marketing," but something small and annoying, like "how to get stakeholders to approve a budget for SEO."
Second, do a quick Google search for that topic. See what's already ranking. If the top results are all boring corporate blogs, you have a massive opportunity to outrank them with a more "human" LinkedIn article.
Third, draft your article with a focus on a "thesaurus-free" zone. Use the words your customers use. If they call a problem a "headache," use the word "headache." Don't call it a "suboptimal operational challenge."
Fourth, pick a header image that actually relates to your point. Avoid the "shiny" look. A bit of grit or real-world texture goes a long way.
Fifth, once you publish, don't just "share" it once. Share it, then three days later, share a specific quote from it. A week later, share a screenshot of a comment someone left. Keep the "entry points" to that article open for as long as possible.
Measuring Success
Don't just look at "Views." Look at who is viewing. LinkedIn tells you the job titles and companies of your readers. If you’re trying to reach CEOs but you’re only reaching entry-level interns, your "SEO" might be working for the wrong keywords.
Check your Google Search Console if you’ve linked back to your site from the article. You’ll often see a "Referral" spike. That’s the real goal—turning LinkedIn’s massive audience into your own audience.
Moving Forward With Your Strategy
Success on LinkedIn requires a mix of ego and humility. You need the ego to believe your ideas are worth 1,500 words, and the humility to engage with everyone who takes the time to disagree with you.
Start by looking at your most successful short posts from the last six months. Which one sparked the most debate? That’s your first article. Expand on it. Add data. Add a story about a time you failed. Use the structural tips mentioned here, and don't be afraid to be a little messy. The best LinkedIn articles feel like a conversation at a bar after a long conference, not a PowerPoint presentation in a boardroom.
- Select a high-intent keyword that aligns with your professional expertise.
- Draft a headline that addresses a common industry misconception or a "how-to" that isn't being covered well.
- Structure the content using H2 and H3 tags to make it scannable for both humans and Google's crawlers.
- Incorporate unique imagery and avoid generic stock photos to increase your chances of appearing in Google Discover.
- Engage deeply with the initial wave of comments to boost the article's internal and external visibility.