Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in Seven Steps

John Mark Ivey, writing for Global Knowledge, admits it. He Googles himself. Why? He's curious to see the ranking Google gives sites he's on, such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, Blog Talk Radio (yeah, he's as surprised as you are), and LinkedIn.

He was even more surprised to find that his LinkedIn profile was at the top of the list of his Google search results. If you're on LinkedIn, search yourself on Google and see where your LinkedIn profile ranks.

LinkedIn has been around longer than Twitter and Facebook, but that can't be the only criteria Google used to give an advantage to LinkedIn profiles in their search results. More likely, it's the professional nature of LinkedIn as opposed to the more personal, leisurely nature of the majority of Facebook posts and tweets.

Since Google favors LinkedIn when it comes to search results, keep that in mind if you're networking or job hunting. If a potential employer considers you for a position, don't think they aren't Googling you too. If your LinkedIn profile comes up first, then you certainly want to make sure it's up-to-date.

Here are a few tips Ivey has identified to help you improve your LinkedIn profile.