Quick answer
The Social Selling Index measures your LinkedIn® effectiveness across four dimensions. Here's what each score means and how to improve them.
LinkedIn®'s Social Selling Index (SSI) is a score from 0 to 100 that measures how effectively you're using LinkedIn® to build your professional brand, find the right people, engage with insights, and build relationships. Originally designed for sales professionals, the SSI has become a useful benchmark for any LinkedIn® creator or professional who wants to understand where their LinkedIn® presence is strong and where it's lagging.
What Is the LinkedIn® SSI Score?
The Social Selling Index (SSI) is a score between 0 and 100 that LinkedIn® calculates daily for every user. It was built to help sales teams measure how effectively they're using LinkedIn® Sales Navigator, but the four underlying pillars apply equally to any professional or content creator.
LinkedIn® divides the score evenly across four components, each worth up to 25 points. Your score updates every 24 hours and is visible at linkedin.com/sales/ssi — you don't need a Sales Navigator subscription to view it.
Higher SSI scores don't directly unlock algorithm boosts, but the behaviors that improve SSI are the same behaviors that improve your organic reach and professional authority on the platform.
0–100
Total SSI score range
25 pts
Maximum score per pillar (4 pillars)
51
Average SSI score for LinkedIn® users in professional roles
Daily
How often your SSI score updates
The 4 SSI Pillars Explained
Each of the four pillars measures a different dimension of how you use LinkedIn®. Understanding what drives each one is essential to improving your score strategically.
- Pillar 1 — Establish Your Professional Brand (0–25 pts): Measures profile completeness, quality of your About section, whether you have a custom profile URL, post frequency, and whether you share original content. A complete, content-rich profile with regular publishing scores highest here.
- Pillar 2 — Find the Right People (0–25 pts): Measures how effectively you're using LinkedIn®'s search tools and connection recommendations to find relevant professionals. Using filters, viewing profiles of relevant people, and sending targeted connection requests all contribute.
- Pillar 3 — Engage With Insights (0–25 pts): Measures how actively you engage with content: commenting on posts, reacting to industry content, and participating in conversations in your area of expertise. Quantity and consistency of engagement matter.
- Pillar 4 — Build Relationships (0–25 pts): Measures how successfully you grow your network with relevant connections. Accepted connection requests, mutual interactions, and relationship growth within your industry all count.
Pro tip: Pillar 3 (Engage With Insights) is the lowest score for most users and the easiest to improve. Spending 10 minutes per day leaving thoughtful comments on posts in your industry can add 3–5 points to this pillar within a week.
What's a Good SSI Score?
LinkedIn®'s own benchmarks provide useful context for what SSI scores mean in practice. Your score is more meaningful when compared to your industry peers rather than as an absolute number.
40–50
Average professional user
Most LinkedIn® users fall here
60–70
Active content creator or sales professional
75–85
Top 25% in most industries
85+
Top 10% — typically LinkedIn® influencers or Sales Navigator power users
Technology & Software: avg ~58 | Marketing & Advertising: avg ~61 | Financial Services: avg ~52 | Healthcare: avg ~44 | Manufacturing: avg ~41. These vary year-to-year as LinkedIn®'s user base grows.
How to Improve Each Pillar
Each pillar responds to specific, repeatable behaviors. Here's the fastest path to improvement for each one:
- Pillar 1 — Professional Brand: Complete every profile section (especially Skills, Featured, About). Publish at least 3 original posts per week. Add media to your About section and Featured. Get 5+ skills endorsed.
- Pillar 2 — Find the Right People: Use LinkedIn®'s 'People You May Know' tool daily. Search for specific roles/companies and view profiles (even without connecting). Send personalized connection requests with a brief note.
- Pillar 3 — Engage With Insights: Comment on 5 posts per day in your industry. React to content from your connections. Share articles with added commentary instead of silent reposts.
- Pillar 4 — Build Relationships: Focus on quality over quantity — connect with people you've interacted with or have mutual relevant connections. Follow up with new connections through a brief, non-promotional message.
Pro tip: Don't try to improve all four pillars simultaneously. Pick the one where you score lowest, implement the behaviors for 2 weeks, then move to the next. Focused effort produces faster gains than scattered activity.
Does SSI Affect Your Post Reach?
SSI does not directly boost post reach, but it is not entirely irrelevant either. LinkedIn® has stated that SSI is not a direct input to the feed algorithm that determines post reach.
However, the behaviors that produce a high SSI score — consistent publishing, active engagement, network growth, profile completeness — are the same behaviors that build algorithm authority. A creator with an SSI of 75 who publishes consistently will outperform a creator with an SSI of 45 not because the SSI score itself unlocks reach, but because the underlying habits are stronger.
Think of SSI as a health metric: it correlates with outcomes but isn't the mechanism. Use it as a diagnostic tool to identify weak spots in your LinkedIn® habits, not as a goal in itself.