If you’re a salesperson using LinkedIn as acquisition channel, you surely know the importance of finding and connecting with the right people. But with over 700 million users on the platform, it can be overwhelming to navigate through all the profiles and find those who are most relevant to your business. That’s where LinkedIn X-Ray Search comes in. This powerful tool allows you to search for users based on specific criteria and get more targeted results than the default LinkedIn search.
In this article, we’ll explain how to use LinkedIn X-Ray Search and give you an example of how it can help you as a salesperson on the platform.
What is LinkedIn X-Ray Search?
It’s an advantageous search tool that allows you to find more specific results on LinkedIn than the default search. With LinkedIn X-Ray Search, you can use additional parameters in your search queries to narrow down your selection and get as much data as possible.
LinkedIn X-Ray Search works by using Google to search LinkedIn’s database. By using specific search operators, you can search for people based on their job title, industry, location, and more. This allows you to get more targeted results than the default search on LinkedIn.
Why Should You Use LinkedIn X-Ray Search?
You really can’t overestimate just how much X-Ray search levels up your LinkedIn game. By using this powerful tool, you can bypass the limits of LinkedIn’s default search and get more accurate and targeted results. So, why settle for the same old search results when you can unlock a wealth of untapped potential with LinkedIn X-Ray Search?
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One of the biggest benefits of LinkedIn X-Ray Search is that it allows you to get more search results. Gone are the days of being limited to the first 1000 results, with X-Ray Search, you can access an entire world of potential leads and contacts that you never knew existed.
Here we can clearly see that there are actually 4 960 000 search results, while usually only 1000 are shown when browsing with the regular search.
But it’s not just about quantity, LinkedIn X-Ray Search also delivers quality. With the help of X-Ray, you can refine your search and get exactly what you need. Whether you’re looking for people with specific job titles, in certain industries, or located in a particular region, X-Ray Search has got you covered.
Let’s also not forget about the power of connections. LinkedIn’s default search algorithm prioritizes your connections and 2nd-degree connections. But with LinkedIn X-Ray Search, you can broaden your search and connect with people outside of your immediate network. This opens up a whole new world of potential leads and connections that you may have missed otherwise.
By using LinkedIn X-Ray Search, you can save time and be more productive. Instead of sifting through a sea of irrelevant information, X-Ray Search helps you get to the heart of what you’re looking for, so you can spend more time connecting and less time searching.
LinkedIn Xray search provides the option to exclude irrelevant words from the search results. This allows you to conduct more accurate searches and find the information you need faster and more efficiently. For example, with the following search:
site:linkedin.com SEO AND USA AND – SMM
we exclude everyone who has “SMM” in their profile with the help of the “-” operator.
How to Use LinkedIn X-Ray Search
In order to make LinkedIn X-Ray search work for you, you have to get used to dealing with Boolean operators.
Here’s how to use Boolean operators with LinkedIn Xray search:
First, start with a basic search query that includes the keywords you want to search for.
You can combine job title + location + city + company name keywords.
For example, if you’re searching for a “marketing manager” position in Germany, you could start with the following search query:
site:de.linkedin.com marketing manager
To refine this search query using Boolean operators, you can add additional search parameters like location and company name.
If you’re searching for marketing managers specifically in Berlin, you could modify your search query by including the following:
site:de.linkedin.com marketing manager Berlin
You can also use Boolean operators to exclude certain terms from your search results. For instance, if you’re searching for marketing managers but want to exclude results from a specific company, you could modify your search query to include the following: “marketing manager -company: ACME”.
Boolean Operators for LinkedIn Search
| Boolean Operators | Purpose | Examples |
| site: | Includes a website in search | site:linkedin.com/in |
| AND | Includes multiple words in search | Writer AND Manager |
| OR | Lets you specify alternatives | CSS# OR jQuery |
| NOT | Lets you exclude certain keyword | Lead generation specialist NOT Sales manager |
| () Parenthesis | Lets you combine previous operations | Sales (Representative OR Manager) |
| “” Quotations | Lets you search particular terms in a specific order of words, without separating them | “Sales Manager” OR “Customer Representative” |
| – Minus symbol | Alternative way to exclude a keyword | “Sales Manager” -“Customer Support” |
| * Asterisk | Lets you search different phrases with one core keyword | Customer* AND Sales* |
| inurl: | Lets you find a URL with a specific keyword in it | Inurl:sales site:linkedin.com |
| intitle: | Lets you find the exact job title in the work experience section or headline. | site:linkedin.com intitle: CEO |
Search Query Generator for LinkedIn X-ray: RecruitIn
To help you tackle LinkedIn X-Ray, opt for keyword generators, like this one.
This tool simplifies X-Ray search for you. Simply type in all the needed information about the person you’re looking for.
Specify country, job title, keywords to include. Don’t forget to type in keywords you wish to exclude.
Hit “Find the right people on LinkedIn”.
The tool will produce Goo and Google search query.
Click on “Open in Google” and grab the results of your search.
How to Use Boolean Operators to Narrow Down Your Searches on LinkedIn
You can start with pretty basic Boolean operators.
If you type Content manager in LinkedIn search result, it will produce 1,270,000 results. Basically, all the profiles that have “content” + “manager” keywords listed in them.
However, if you add quotes and filter by people, you’ll get refined results — only those people who have “content manager” keywords in their profiles — in this very order of words.
You’ve Found The Right People. Next Step?)
Time to begin your outreach!
Copy the results of your LinkedIn search and go to Closely to launch your LinkedIn Campaign.
If you need a more comprehensive and accurate database for business contact data, Closely Lead Finder is at your disposal! Our business contact data provider offers high-quality database of 143-million records that can help you power up your LinkedIn sales.
Use 8 advanced filters to get your hands on hot leads around. Be on the lookout for new leads, cause we add them to our base regularly.
Filter this base and save the results of your search in a CSV file.
Run LinkedIn outreach campaign or Email Outreach campaign — without leaving the tool. Closely is the first all-in-one platform that will let you do it all: connect with hundreds of leads in autopilot, build hyper-targeted lead lists, and much more.
Here is what you can do with Closely in 2023.
To Sum It Up
In conclusion, LinkedIn Xray search can be a powerful tool for finding relevant connections to pinpoint your ideal target audience. However, it’s important to note that Xray search is not a solve-it-all option and may not always be the most productive way to find the information you need.
