| Quick Answer: LinkedIn skills and endorsements still matter for B2B because skills feed LinkedIn search and endorsements add social proof. List the skills your buyers actually search for, pin your three most relevant to the top, and gather endorsements from credible connections. They are a minor but real trust and discoverability signal — worth optimising once, not obsessing over daily. |
Skills and endorsements are among the most overlooked parts of a LinkedIn profile. Many founders treat them as a leftover from job-seeking days and ignore them entirely. But for B2B, skills quietly influence whether you show up in search, and endorsements add a layer of social proof that reassures buyers. They will not transform your pipeline alone, but optimising them is a quick win that strengthens your whole profile.
Do skills and endorsements still matter on LinkedIn?
Yes, in two specific ways. Skills are indexed by LinkedIn’s search, so the skills you list affect whether you appear when someone searches for expertise like yours. Endorsements — when credible people vouch for those skills — add visible social proof that you genuinely have the capability. Neither is a major ranking lever, but both contribute to a profile that is more discoverable and more trustworthy, which matters when buyers are screening you.
Which skills should I list for B2B?
List the skills your ideal buyer would actually search for and associate with the outcome they want. For a LinkedIn and AI agency’s client, that might include “LinkedIn Marketing,” “Lead Generation,” “B2B Marketing,” “Personal Branding,” and “Content Strategy.” Avoid filler skills that dilute the signal. Choose terms that match how buyers describe the problem you solve, because those are the words they type into search.
How do I prioritise my top skills?
LinkedIn lets you pin a small number of skills to the top of your profile, and those are the ones that show most prominently. Pin the three that best represent how you want to be found and remembered. Order matters: your most important, most searched skill should sit first. Treat the pinned skills as a headline for your capabilities, reinforcing the same positioning as your actual headline and About section.
How do I get quality endorsements?
Endorsements carry more weight when they come from credible, relevant connections rather than random contacts. The simplest way to earn them is to give them — endorsing people you genuinely know often prompts reciprocity. You can also ask clients and colleagues directly to endorse a specific skill. A handful of endorsements from respected people in your space is far more persuasive than dozens from unknown accounts.
Are endorsements the same as recommendations?
No, and the distinction matters. Endorsements are one-click confirmations of a skill; recommendations are written testimonials that appear on your profile. Endorsements add quick, lightweight proof, while recommendations are far more powerful because they tell a story in a real person’s words. Use endorsements to round out your skills section, but invest more effort in gathering strong written recommendations, which do heavier lifting for B2B trust.
How do skills help me get found in search?
LinkedIn’s search considers the words across your profile, including your skills, when matching you to a query. Listing the right skills increases the chance you appear when a buyer searches for someone who does what you do. Combined with a keyword-rich headline and About section, well-chosen skills strengthen your overall discoverability. Since LinkedIn is where four out of five members drive business decisions, according to Sprout Social, being findable by the right ones is well worth the few minutes it takes.
How often should I update my skills section?
Skills are not a set-and-forget field, but they also do not need constant tinkering. Revisit them whenever your offer, positioning, or target buyer shifts — for example, if you move from general marketing into a specific niche, your skills should follow. A good habit is to review them as part of a quarterly profile check, alongside your headline and About section, so everything stays aligned to who you serve now rather than who you were a year ago. Watch which skills your buyers actually search for and care about, and prune anything that no longer reflects your work, because outdated or off-message skills dilute the signal you are sending. The aim is a focused, current set that matches the language your ideal client uses, with your most important skills pinned to the top. Treated this way, your skills section quietly reinforces your positioning and keeps you discoverable for the right searches without becoming a chore to maintain. A few minutes each quarter is all it takes to keep this small but real signal working in your favour.
How can an agency optimise this for me?
Skills and endorsements are part of a profile engineered to be found and trusted. Attention Grabbers optimises every profile element — skills, search keywords, recommendations strategy, and more — as part of our LinkedIn management service. If you want your whole profile working to win buyers, book a call with our team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many skills should I list?
List a focused set of relevant skills rather than the maximum. Quality and relevance beat quantity, and the top pinned skills matter most.
Do endorsements affect search ranking?
Skills feed search; endorsements mainly add social proof. Both help, but the listed skill is what aids discoverability.
Should I endorse others?
Yes. Endorsing relevant connections is genuine and often prompts reciprocity, helping you build your own endorsements.
Can I remove irrelevant endorsements?
Yes. You control which skills and endorsements appear, so prune anything off-message to keep your profile focused.
Are skills more or less important than recommendations?
Recommendations are more persuasive for B2B trust. Skills aid search and quick proof; prioritise strong written recommendations too.
Key takeaways
- Skills feed LinkedIn search; endorsements add lightweight social proof.
- List the skills your buyers actually search for and pin your top three.
- Earn endorsements from credible connections by giving them and asking directly.
- Prioritise written recommendations too — they carry more weight than endorsements.