How to Create a LinkedIn Company Page

For Australian small business owners, a LinkedIn Company Page is more than just a social profile; it is your digital shopfront for professional networking. Whether you are looking to build brand authority in Brisbane, recruit local talent, or generate B2B leads, a well-optimised LinkedIn page establishes credibility that a personal profile alone cannot match.

Establishing your presence here allows you to separate your personal updates from your business brand, providing a dedicated space for your company’s achievements, services, and culture.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need Before Starting

Before you dive into the setup process, ensure you have the following ready to go:

• A Personal LinkedIn Account: You cannot create a Company Page without a personal profile to act as the administrator.
• A Verified Email Address: Your LinkedIn account must be associated with a verified email address.
• Company Details: Your official business name, website URL, and ABN (while not strictly required for the form, it's good to have your business registration details handy for consistency).
• Branding Assets: A high-quality logo (300 x 300px) and a cover image (1128 x 191px).
• A Short Tagline: A one-sentence summary of what your business does.

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Step 1: Access the Creation Suite

Log in to your personal LinkedIn account on a desktop or laptop. While you can do many things on the mobile app, the full suite of company page tools is much easier to navigate on a larger screen.

Look at the top right-hand corner of your homepage. Click on the 'For Business' icon (it looks like a grid of nine squares). A sidebar menu will slide out from the right. Scroll to the very bottom of this menu and click on 'Create a Company Page +'.

Step 2: Choose Your Page Type

LinkedIn will present you with three options:

• Company: For small, medium, and large businesses (Most Australian SMEs should choose this).
• Showcase page: For sub-brands or specific initiatives under an existing parent page.
• Educational institution: For schools and universities.

Click on 'Company' to proceed.

Step 3: Enter Your Identity Details

This is where you provide the core identification for your brand. Fill in the following fields:

• Name: Enter your full, legal business name. This is how you will appear in search results.
• LinkedIn Public URL: LinkedIn will automatically generate a URL based on your name (e.g., linkedin.com/company/local-marketing-group). If your name is common, you may need to add your city or state (e.g., local-marketing-group-brisbane) to keep it unique.
• Website: Enter your full website URL, including the https://.

Step 4: Add Industry and Company Size

LinkedIn uses these details to categorise your business and help the right people find you.

• Industry: Choose the most relevant category from the dropdown menu. If you are a local service provider, try to find the closest match (e.g., 'Professional Services' or 'Construction').
• Organisation size: Select the range that fits your current headcount (e.g., 2-10 employees).
• Organisation type: Most local businesses will select 'Privately Held', 'Sole Proprietorship', or 'Partnership'.

Step 5: Upload Your Visual Branding

Your logo is often the first thing a potential client sees. Upload a square logo (300 x 300 pixels). Avoid using a logo with tiny text that becomes unreadable when shrunk down into a notification icon.

Next, add your tagline. Think of this as your 'elevator pitch'. You have 120 characters to explain exactly who you help and how. For example: "Helping Brisbane small businesses grow through data-driven digital marketing strategies."

Step 6: Confirm and Create

Tick the checkbox to verify that you are an authorised representative of the organisation and have the right to create the page. Click the 'Create Page' button.

Step 7: Craft a Compelling 'About' Description

Click the 'Edit Page' button (usually indicated by a pencil icon). Go to the 'About' section. You have up to 2,000 words here, but the first 150-200 characters are the most important as they appear in Google search results.

Write for your customers, not just for yourself. Instead of saying "We were founded in 2010," try "Since 2010, we have helped over 500 Brisbane homeowners with..."

Step 8: Add Your Location

For local marketing, this is the most critical step. Click on 'Locations' in the edit menu. Add your physical office address if you have one. If you are a service-area business (like a mobile mechanic), you can still list your primary city to help with local search relevance.

Step 9: Customise Your Call to Action (CTA) Button

By default, LinkedIn might set your button to 'Follow'. However, as a business, you likely want more direct action. Change your button to:

• Visit website (Best for general traffic)
• Contact us (Best for lead generation)
• Learn more (Best for complex services)

Ensure the link goes to a specific landing page or your contact page (e.g., https://lmgroup.au/contact).

Step 10: Upload a Professional Cover Image

Don't leave the default grey geometric pattern. Your cover image is prime real estate. Use a photo of your local Brisbane team, your storefront, or a graphic that highlights your core services. The dimensions are 1128 x 191px. Keep important text away from the edges, as it may be cropped on mobile devices.

Step 11: Create Your First Post

Before you start inviting people to follow the page, make sure there is content for them to see. Create a 'Welcome' post. Introduce your business, share a photo of your team, and explain what kind of content followers can expect (e.g., industry tips, local news, or special offers).

Step 12: Invite Your Connections

LinkedIn provides a monthly 'Invite Credit' system. Click on 'Admin Tools' at the top right of your page and select 'Invite Connections'. Select people from your personal network who would genuinely be interested in your business updates.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using a Personal Profile as a Business: Never create a personal profile with your business name (e.g., a profile named 'Brisbane Bakery'). This violates LinkedIn’s Terms of Service and makes it impossible to run ads or see analytics.
• Ignoring the Page: Creating a page and never posting is worse than having no page at all. It suggests the business may no longer be active.
• Low-Quality Images: Pixellated logos or stretched cover photos scream 'unprofessional'. Use free tools like Canva to get the dimensions right.

Troubleshooting

• "I don't have permission to create a page": Ensure your personal profile is at least a few days old and you have a reasonable number of connections. LinkedIn sometimes restricts new accounts from creating pages immediately to prevent spam.
• "The URL is already taken": If another business has a similar name, try adding your state (e.g., '-QLD') or your primary service to the URL.
• Logo not uploading: Ensure the file is a PNG or JPEG and is under 2MB in size.

Next Steps

Now that your LinkedIn Company Page is live, your next goal is engagement. Aim to post at least once a week to keep your brand top-of-mind for your Brisbane network.

If you need help developing a content strategy or managing your social media presence, the team at Local Marketing Group is here to help. Contact us today to discuss how we can grow your professional presence online.