Starting your day with a LinkedIn account suspension message highlighted on your profile is not a good sign. While you may sigh with relief if it is a temporary restriction, finding yourself in LinkedIn jail is dreadful, especially for sales personnel and marketing teams who use LinkedIn for outreach and lead generation.
What went wrong? There are a few reasons why your account is restricted, and there are some best practices to help you stop this from happening again.
Let’s delve deep to protect your LinkedIn account.
What is LinkedIn Account Restriction or Suspension?
LinkedIn account restriction or suspension refers to the action LinkedIn takes when they detect a violation of their user agreement, community guidelines, or terms of service. When an account is restricted or suspended, users may face limitations, lose access to certain LinkedIn features, or even temporarily suspend their entire account. You will get a notification regarding the same.
What is LinkedIn Jail?
LinkedIn jail refers to a permanent account suspension. It also refers to the situation where your LinkedIn account falls into an endless loop of review processes after it has been restricted many times.
Now let’s understand the most common reasons why your LinkedIn account may get restricted.
What are the Key Reasons for LinkedIn Account Restriction
LinkedIn account restrictions can occur for various reasons, and understanding these key factors is crucial to maintaining a healthy and compliant presence on the platform. Here are the key reasons for LinkedIn account restrictions explained in detail:
1. Violation of LinkedIn User Agreement: LinkedIn has a User Agreement that outlines the rules and guidelines users must follow when using the platform. Any violation of this agreement, such as creating multiple fake accounts, impersonating others, or engaging in fraudulent activities, can result in account restrictions.
2. Excessive Connection Requests: LinkedIn encourages users to connect with professionals and build networks. It is very typical even if you have 2000+ LinkedIn connections. However, trying to create your profile too fast by sending excessive connection requests within a short period can trigger spam filters and lead to account restrictions. While building 2000 connections as time passes is customary, sending too many connections just after creating your profile will trigger the algorithm, leading to account restrictions. LinkedIn sets daily limits on connection requests to prevent misuse of the platform. On average, sending up to 20 connections per day is recommended.
3. Low Acceptance: A low acceptance rate is linked with excessive connection requests. If you are trying to connect with everyone, then there’s a possibility that many people may ignore your invitation requests, hurting the acceptance rate. This clearly shows LinkedIn that you are not building your network naturally but forcing people you don’t know. Develop your profile organically by sending requests to people who match your skillsets, domain, and industry. As your network gains traction, it will naturally grow in different directions without issues.
4. Inappropriate Content or Behavior: Posting or sharing inappropriate content, engaging in harassment, hate speech, discriminatory behavior, or violating LinkedIn’s professional standards can result in account restrictions. LinkedIn aims to maintain a professional and respectful environment for its users.
5. Spamming and Unsolicited Messages: LinkedIn restricts users who engage in spamming activities, such as sending unsolicited messages, mass messaging campaigns, or promoting products or services aggressively. If you send excessively repetitive messages to a wide range of profiles daily while simultaneously viewing many profiles, don’t be surprised if your account is restricted.
6. False or Misleading Information: Providing false or misleading information on your LinkedIn profile, such as inaccurate job titles, misleading qualifications, or misrepresentation of professional accomplishments, can lead to account restrictions. LinkedIn emphasizes the importance of maintaining accurate and truthful profiles.
7. Too Much Automation: Anything in excess must improve on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn automation can help you boost your lead generation and revenue, using it safely and responsibly is imperative to avoid negative consequences. If your account behavior appears un-human and automated, the platform may restrict your account. It is wise to automate slowly and scale up gradually. It’s better to leverage a LinkedIn automation tool with safety limits to prevent your profile from getting restricted. This is where AI Avatars (AIAs) can be of great assistance.
Leveraging AI Avatars is the safest way to propel your LinkedIn efforts. This army of robust Avatars acts as an extension of your team. You can easily plugin these AI Avatars into your favorite automation tools and overcome the automation limits LinkedIn imposes.
All our Avatars feature:
- Real-life, uniquely AI-generated photo
- 100+ connections in their network
- 100+ followers, likes, shares, and comments
- Outstanding professional history
- Degrees from reputable universities
- Fully editable Headline, Role/Title, About section, & LinkedIn header
These salient features ensure that your profile is as human as possible so that you don’t fall under the radar of LinkedIn.
9. Intellectual Property Violations: Sharing copyrighted content without proper authorization or infringing on the intellectual property rights of others can result in account restrictions. LinkedIn takes intellectual property violations seriously and encourages users to respect copyright laws and the rights of content creators.
10. Multiple Reports from Other Users: If several users report your account for spam, harassment, or inappropriate behavior, LinkedIn may investigate and impose restrictions on your account. LinkedIn relies on user reports to identify and address violations, and constant reporting can lead to account ban consequences.
11. Violation of Commercial Use Limitations: LinkedIn imposes commercial use limitations on its free users, such as restrictions on advanced search features or viewing complete profiles of users outside their network. Violating these limitations, such as using automated tools to scrape data or exceeding usage thresholds, can lead to account restrictions.
It’s important to note that LinkedIn’s algorithms and systems continuously monitor user activities and behavior to identify potential violations. In some cases, automated systems may mistakenly flag or restrict an account. If you believe your account has been banned unfairly, contact LinkedIn’s support for assistance and clarification.
To maintain a healthy LinkedIn account, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with LinkedIn’s User Agreement, community guidelines, and best practices. By adhering to these guidelines, respecting others’ privacy and professional boundaries, and engaging in genuine and meaningful interactions, you can avoid account restrictions and build a positive and productive presence on LinkedIn.
What to do When Your LinkedIn Account gets Restricted?
If your LinkedIn account gets restricted or suspended, here are some steps you can take to address the issue:
1. Disconnect LinkedIn Tools: Leveraging LinkedIn tools, especially automation tools, is against the platform’s terms of service. Even if the reason for the restriction is not the use of tools, it is wise to disconnect any LinkedIn tools associated with your account and browser. Log out and clear the browser cache.
2. Wait for the Restriction Period: Don’t hesitate to create a new account once restricted. The platform can easily detect and permanently ban your account, especially if you create it from the same browser, because the browser stores information in your cookies, allowing the platform to see that you have a first restricted account. So, it’s wise to wait till the end of the restriction period before taking action.
3. Review the Reason for Restriction: Carefully read any notifications or emails from LinkedIn regarding the restriction or suspension of your account. LinkedIn usually provides information about the reason behind the action taken.
4. Contact LinkedIn Support: Contact LinkedIn’s support team for clarification and assistance. Use LinkedIn’s website’s “Help Center” or “Contact Us” options to submit a support ticket or request.
5. Follow LinkedIn’s Instructions: If LinkedIn has provided specific instructions to resolve the issue, follow them diligently. This may involve providing additional information, verifying your identity, or taking specific actions to address the violation or concern.
6. Provide Necessary Documentation: If LinkedIn requests any documentation or proof to resolve the issue, gather the required documents and submit them promptly. This may include identification documents, employment proof, or other relevant information.
7. Be Patient and Persistent: Resolving account restrictions or suspensions can take time, so be patient. Follow up with LinkedIn’s support team if you are still waiting for a response within a reasonable timeframe. Persist in your efforts to communicate and resolve the issue.
8. Review and Adjust Your Activities: Reflect on your previous activities on LinkedIn and identify any potential violations of their terms and guidelines. Adjust your behavior and ensure compliance with LinkedIn’s policies to prevent future issues.
9. Learn from the Experience: Use the situation as an opportunity to learn and improve your LinkedIn usage. Familiarize yourself with LinkedIn’s terms of service, guidelines, and policies to avoid similar issues in the future. Stay updated on any changes or updates to LinkedIn’s rules.
It’s important to note that each situation is unique, and the steps to resolve a restriction or suspension may vary. LinkedIn’s support team will guide you through the process and provide specific instructions based on your situation.
What to do After Getting Your Account Back from LinkedIn Restriction?
Great news that you have got your account back. Now is the time to rebuild your presence on LinkedIn and maintain a positive professional image. You must be cautious because any misstep may lead to a permanent ban. Here are some of the best practices you must follow:
1. Wait for a Couple of Days: Once the account restriction is lifted, wait 2-3 days before taking any actions on LinkedIn. Avoid visiting profiles and groups. Don’t read the feeds.
2. Address the violations: Identify the specific actions or behaviors that led to the account restriction and address them. This may include removing inappropriate content, adjusting your outreach strategies, updating your profile information, and aligning your automation practices. If you are unclear on the reason for the restriction, contact LinkedIn’s support team to seek clarification and guidance.
3. Update Profile and Headline: Revise your LinkedIn profile and headline to represent your professional identity accurately. Ensure the information is truthful, relevant, and aligned with LinkedIn’s guidelines. Avoid any misleading or deceptive statements.
4. Warm-up Your Account: Consider your recovered account as new and leverage the outreach best practices to build your account back. Start with sending a few manual connection requests per day. Focus on connecting with people you have mutual connections with who align with your industry or interests—Personalize connection requests with friendly, custom, engaging, humanized messages. Send invitations during regular working hours/days only. Avoid connecting with 3rd connections at the beginning.
5. Delete Pending Requests: Remove all the pending connection requests that have been ignored or marked as spam by the recipients. This improves your account’s acceptance rate.
6. Monitor Your Activity: Regularly review your LinkedIn activities to ensure ongoing compliance with LinkedIn’s guidelines. Stay current on any changes or updates to the platform’s policies. In case of any doubt or questions, contact LinkedIn’s support team for guidance.
Remember, rebuilding your LinkedIn account takes time and effort. It’s crucial to demonstrate professionalism consistently, engage genuinely with others, adhere to the policies, regain trust, and rebuild your network effectively.
What to Do if Your Account is Banned Permanently?
LinkedIn permanently bans your account if you have received multiple restrictions for the same issue. Creating a new LinkedIn account from scratch is your last respite in case of a permanent ban. Start with deleting the browser cache and cookies. Now create a new email account and then create a new LinkedIn account. Once the account is created, add your profile details with a catchy headline. And start the outreach efforts gradually.
Have you still got questions? Reach out to our LinkedIn experts at https://getaia.io.
