LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking sites, with over 800 million members worldwide. Having a strong LinkedIn presence can be invaluable for networking, job searching, and establishing yourself as an authority in your field.
One of LinkedIn’s premium features is the ability to see who has viewed your profile. This can help you identify who is interested in connecting with you or learning more about your background and skills. However, this feature is only available to LinkedIn Premium subscribers.
So can you see who viewed your LinkedIn profile if you don’t have a Premium account? Here is a quick overview of what free LinkedIn members can and cannot see when it comes to profile views.
Overview
In short, no – LinkedIn’s free account does not allow you to see who has viewed your profile. The ability to see profile viewers is a Premium-only feature. With a free account, you can only see the number of profile views over a certain period of time.
Some key facts about viewing LinkedIn profiles with and without Premium:
- Free account holders can see the total number of profile views over the last 90 days.
- They cannot see the names or profiles of who viewed them.
- Premium account holders can see the names of their profile viewers for the last 90 days.
- Your own profile views do not count towards the numbers shown.
- LinkedIn does not notify someone if you look at their profile.
So in summary, having a Premium account unlocks the ability to see exactly who has been looking at your profile recently. With the free version, you only get totals for the last 90 days.
What Free Users Can See
While LinkedIn’s free account option does not provide the full viewer insights that Premium offers, you do still get some useful visibility into who is looking at your profile.
Here is what a free LinkedIn account allows you to see:
- Total profile view count – You can see the total number of times your profile has been viewed over the last 90 days.
- Top profile viewers by industry and location – LinkedIn will show you summary data on the top industries and locations of those who have viewed your profile.
- Profile view graphs – Graphs show you the fluctuations in your profile views over time.
- Who’s viewed your updates – See which LinkedIn members have viewed or liked updates you’ve posted.
While not as robust as Premium insights, this information can still help you understand who is interested in you and your professional brand. Seeing spikes in certain industries or geographies can inform your networking and job search efforts.
What Premium Users Can See
Upgrading to one of LinkedIn’s Premium packages unlocks more detailed analytics on who is viewing your profile. Here are the key viewing insights Premium offers:
- Full list of viewers – See the name and headline of every LinkedIn member who has viewed your profile over the last 90 days.
- Viewer details – Get additional details on viewers such as location, industry, company, job title, and relationship to you.
- Recurring viewers – See who has looked at your profile multiple times.
- Anonymous viewers – Premium shows when someone has viewed your profile anonymously.
Premium also gives you more control over your own LinkedIn activity, such as looking at other profiles anonymously and removing yourself from someone’s list of profile viewers if you don’t want them to know you looked at their profile.
Should You Upgrade to Premium?
The ability to see exactly who is looking at your LinkedIn profile can provide valuable insights and help focus your networking efforts. But is it worth paying for Premium just for this benefit? Here are some factors to consider:
- Job search – Identify recruiters, hiring managers, or senior professionals at target companies who are viewing you. Reach out directly.
- Lead generation – See decision makers researching you or your company to focus sales efforts.
- Relevance of viewers – Premium may matter more if top industry players view you versus random connections.
- Current goals – Weigh the benefits against where you are in your career now. It may matter more when job seeking.
- Cost – Premium ranges from $29.99-$59.99 per month depending on plan. Assess if the investment is worth it.
Overall, Premium’s viewer insights can provide a beneficial edge, but the free account may be sufficient for many professionals’ needs. Focus on creating an outstanding profile and engaging content to organically draw profile views and connections.
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about seeing who viewed your LinkedIn profile:
Does a profile view notify someone?
No, LinkedIn does not notify a user when someone views their profile. The only way to know is by having a Premium account that shows your viewers.
Can you see who viewed you incognito?
LinkedIn does not show fully anonymous viewers in the Premium account viewer list. However, Premium will indicate if someone has viewed your profile anonymously.
Can profile views be inaccurate?
In some cases, the profile view counts may not be 100% precise. Things like bots, openings in emails, and caching can inflate numbers slightly. But it’s generally a reliable source of data.
Do your own views count?
No, self-views of your own profile do not count towards the totals shown in your Premium account.
Is there a free way to see viewers?
No, there is no free third-party tool or hack that can reveal who viewed your LinkedIn profile. Premium access is required to see the specific people viewing your profile.
Does turning off profile view history work?
In your account settings, you can opt out of having your profile views included in others’ viewer lists. This means they won’t see that you looked at their profile. But this does not let you see who viewed yours.
Conclusion
Being able to see who has viewed your LinkedIn profile can provide valuable insights into who is researching you or interested in connecting. However, this feature is only available to Premium subscribers. Free account holders can see metrics like total profile views, top locations, industries, and content engagement, but not full names of viewers.
Before upgrading, weigh the benefits against your current career goals and need for viewer insights. Focus on optimizing your profile and engaging your network for the time being. But a Premium account can be a wise investment when you need more visibility for your job search or business opportunities.
Plan | Price (Monthly) | See Who Viewed Profile? |
---|---|---|
Free Account | $0 | No |
Premium Career | $29.99 | Yes |
Premium Business | $59.99 | Yes |