Skip to main content

LinkedIn to permit website owners to view anonymized visitor profile data

LinkedIn is now using profile data to show businesses just who is visiting their websites. A new LinkedIn Website Demographics tool, announced Thursday, July 26, allows companies to see data about who is visiting their website by using anonymous demographics from LinkedIn users. The new tool is designed to help companies analyze whether or not they are reaching the right audience by using information users already put inside their profile, like industry and job title.

The tool uses data from each LinkedIn user’s profile, divided into eight different categories. With the analytics, businesses can see factors like the job title, industry, company and location of website visitors that have a LinkedIn account. Designed largely for business-to-business companies and other businesses that target customers in specific industries, the tool can help IT companies see if they are reaching potential customers in that desired industry. Using that data, businesses can gauge the effectiveness of their advertising and adjust accordingly.

Recommended Videos

For users, LinkedIn says that the new tool works “in a way that respects user privacy” — the tool isn’t going to give companies individual names of website visitors. What the tool does offer, for website visitors with a LinkedIn profile, is job title, industry, job seniority, job function, company, company size, location and country.

The tool also allows businesses to sort the data by dates, which allows companies to see if an ad taken out on a certain date had an impact in not just how many people visited the website, but who visited. Companies can also create custom audiences to monitor continually.

“LinkedIn Website Demographics is a major leap forward in helping you make more informed marketing decisions to grow your business,” the announcement reads. “With the ability to gather insights before, during, or after campaigns, you can improve your strategy and make smarter marketing decisions.”

The tool is installed directly into the website using JavaScript and allows website owners to monitor separate pages as well as the website as a whole.

The feature, LinkedIn says, will be rolling out over the next few weeks. While not yet fully live, businesses can find more details on LinkedIn’s Website Demographics page.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
How to deactivate your Instagram account (or delete it)
A person holding a phone with the Instagram app open on it.

Oh, social media. Sometimes it’s just too much, folks.

If you’re finding yourself in a position where shutting down your Instagram account for a period of time sounds good, the people at Meta have made it pretty simple to deactivate it. It’s also quite easy to completely delete your Instagram, although we wouldn’t recommend this latter option if you plan on returning to the platform at a later date.

Read more
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Incogni: Recover your privacy and remove personal information from the internet
Incogni remove your personal data from brokers and more

Everything you do while online is tracked digitally. Often connected to your email address or an issued IP, trackers can easily identify financial details, sensitive information like your social security number, demographics, contact details, like a phone number or address, and much more. In many ways, this information is tied to a digital profile and then collated, recorded, and shared via data brokers. There are many ways this information can be scooped up and just as many ways, this information can be shared and connected back to you and your family. The unfortunate reality is that, for most of us, we no longer have any true privacy.

The problem is exacerbated even more if you regularly use social media, share content or images online, or engage in discussions on places like Reddit or community boards. It's also scary to think about because even though we know this information is being collected, we don't necessarily know how much is available, who has it, or even what that digital profile looks like.

Read more