Honcho blog, we explain how it works, what it favours, and what it tends to suppress.
LinkedIn's algorithm previously used features like engagement signals and topic relevance, but its new AI approach considers multiple signals together to build a picture of your account, helping determine your authority on a subject.
The algorithm now evaluates your account holistically, considering likes, comments, post context, saves, and text content to rank you by topic relevance and creator consistency.
This could mean that what you are seeing is higher-quality and better content, but some worry about the impact it could have on smaller voices and people who haven't yet found their feet on LinkedIn. In this blog, we will talk about what it actually means and how you can use it to your advantage, but also what to be careful of.
First, it may be helpful to explain LinkedIn’s first steps when evaluating a post and determining how much engagement it receives. Typically, the platform releases a post to small groups of people in waves. If the post receives strong engagement, the distribution is widened and shown to more users. In some cases, this can lead to the post being pushed to people outside your immediate network.
What the LinkedIn algorithm favours
As well as keywords, hashtags and topic signals, the LinkedIn algorithm favours depth, relevance and semantic clarity. In the past, users could boost engagement by leaving quick comments across many posts, but this now seems to carry less value. The algorithm tends to favour more meaningful conversations and replies that contribute to the discussion.
It scans the content you put out and finds the meaning and intent in your words. It can then match this with what else it knows about your account and decide what you are most credible in. This also ties in with your perceived professional expertise and how you market yourself in your About section.
Through these changes, posts can sometimes stay relevant for much longer, occasionally resurfacing weeks later as they continue to drive engagement. One thing that LinkedIn has never favoured much is the reduced impact of external links. LinkedIn wants to encourage users to stay on the app and may reduce the reach of posts that try to bring people to external sites.
Where in the past people have often advertised blogs on LinkedIn with a short snippet and a place saying “link to blog in comments”, this approach appears to be less effective now. The AI can often recognise when posts are trying to send users off the platform, whether that’s through the post itself or the top comments.
Concerns about the LinkedIn algorithm update
One thing that I am sceptical about is the way newer users might find it harder to find a voice now. Since the LinkedIn algorithm favours expertise and semantic meaning, it might be harder for people who are not there yet to find their feet. It might take a certain level of consistency to get there.
I also worry this could lead to users, maybe not intentionally, dominating topics and monopolising conversations. This could happen simply because they are conscientious enough and LinkedIn deems them the most authoritative, so they could be pushed more.
This is worrying in industries like Search Engine Optimisation, where much of the content is opinion and trial-and-error focused. If a small number of creators start to dominate the conversation, it could lead to less well-rounded knowledge being shared across the industry as a whole.
What this change means
This LinkedIn algorithm update feels bigger. The fact that the algorithm is AI and is reading the semantic meaning behind your words means a few things.
One is that people can’t be as lazy anymore. The algorithm rewards genuine, consistent and cohesive posting, rather than low-effort or repetitive content that doesn’t add much value.
To stand out online, consistency is key, as casual posting is now less likely to be recognised.
The LinkedIn algorithm rewards consistency, authority and genuineness while punishing impulsivity, inconsistency and laziness.
What this means for LinkedIn content
For creators and marketers, this LinkedIn algorithm update suggests that content should be more focused and relevant to a specific topic. Posting consistently around a niche may help the algorithm understand what you are credible in, while low-effort engagement tactics appear to be less effective than they once were.