Seeing a “Your account has been restricted” message when you try to log into your LinkedIn account feels like a cold shower, as your career and income often depend too much on this platform. On top of that, LinkedIn’s precise algorithms remain secret, and the explanation you receive regarding your ban may be vague, so you can’t quite figure out what exactly you did wrong. So, how to avoid it? What do you do if you’re already banned? Read on to know practice-proven solutions.

Temporary restriction or permanent ban?

First, do not panic upon seeing a restriction notice, as there are two types of bans. Permanent suspension is way more severe; however, you have to violate rules brutally or repeatedly to earn it, so it’s unlikely to receive it out of the blue. The temporary ban may last from several hours to several days; sometimes, you can still have limited access to your profile, and your chances of getting an account back are high. In some cases, you may only need to outwait a restriction. On the other hand, you may receive it even if you didn’t mean anything bad, but just because you didn’t consider LinkedIn’s philosophy and consequently got on its bad side. It is a business-oriented social media, aiming to create a safe, professional user environment. Any activity that may look like spamming, botting, or other non-human origin or potentially dangerous, triggers its security systems and may lead to bans.

Let’s break it down in more detail. 

6 reasons your LinkedIn account is blocked 

• Fake account 

The platform directly prohibits creating fake accounts, creating accounts for someone else, pretending to be someone else, participating in account selling, or any other harmful networks  – whatever is not you creating an account for yourself using real data and documents, is prohibited. It is clearly stated in the Terms of Service and may lead to a permanent ban without prior warnings. Avoid this at all costs, as getting an account back is impossible in such a case. 

• A vast number of requests 

The more connections you have, the better; however, you must grow them wisely. When you send many requests, LinkedIn may suspect you are a bot or that you use some tools, and restrict you for a bit.

• Declined requests

When many people decline your requests, your acceptance rate becomes low. LinkedIn may think you are sending spam or that your behaviour is inappropriate and ban you. 

• Requests to people you don’t know

While declining your request, a person may hit an “I don’t know this person” button. If you send too many requests to people you aren’t familiar with or people from other industries that don’t have much to do with your occupation, the chances of them using this button are high. Such random requests may signal that you use bots or tools to automate LinkedIn routine and may be a reason for a ban.

• Illegal, inappropriate content or activities 

Posting potentially harmful, untruthful, or illegal content or content that may discriminate or offend someone, and leaving rude, offensive comments on others’ publications, is totally off-topic. LinkedIn doesn’t tolerate such behaviour. Before posting, reread your text to ensure it aligns with LinkedIn’s standards and tone.

• Automation tools of low quality

There are a lot of instruments that can get you rid of your time-consuming routine and help you grow your LinkedIn profile fast. The reality is that not all tools are optimized for LinkedIn and may do more harm than good. They may send too many requests, target random people you don’t have anything in common with, conduct activities at unusual times like holidays, not set time intervals between requests, etc. All of it will signal that it’s not human, but a bot, and LinkedIn won’t make you wait long for restrictions.

Generally, avoiding illegal activities and actions that may look robotic will drastically reduce your chances of receiving a ban.

What to do if your LinkedIn account is blocked?

Your first impulse may be to create a new account, but that is actually what you should avoid. If LinkedIn detects two profiles associated with the same IP address, it will most certainly block them as well, and you will only seem more suspicious to the social media. 

Instead, start with what is really helpful. Turn off any LinkedIn automation tools if you use them. If LinkedIn asks you to confirm your identity, you should do so. That’s why, just in case, keep your ID card or driving licence close. 

Finally, you can use the “Contact Us” form, which is the fastest way to contact LinkedIn and solve your problem. However, it may take some time, so be patient, check your email, and try to log in periodically. If you don’t hear back, you may try filling in the form in a month or so. 

Also, analyze your recent activities with the reasons we listed before. Maybe you can find a clue as to what provoked the security systems. It is important so you won’t repeat the same mistake and be limited again when you get your profile back. 

How to avoid LinkedIn blocks

New and recovered accounts are usually the most vulnerable. However, even if you have an established account, you should still be cautious. The following tips will work fine for all cases. 

• Respect LinkedIn’s Terms of Service 

The tip may sound too trivial, but it works. We often skip that and just tick the box “I have read LinkedIn’s Terms of Service” without having any idea what’s inside them, and it may cost you an account. There are many explanations of what is prohibited or unwanted, so you should familiarize yourself with them. 

• Choose connections wisely 

If you have a new account, the number of requests you can safely send is low, about 5 per day, which makes it about 40 per week. Do not exceed that number, as LinkedIn may react with blocks. As your account grows, this number will increase to 100-200 weekly connections. While you are at the starting point, use your opportunities reasonably. Send requests to people who operate in the same industry as you or people you may know, like those who went to the same university or worked at the same company. Better leave out people who have nothing to do with you. If LinkedIn shows you a pop-up saying that you will soon reach your connection limit, stop right here until next week, when the limit will reset. 

• Customize requests 

Personalized requests will help you hit two targets with one arrow. First, they increase the chances your request will be accepted, and a person will be more interested in doing business with you. Consequently, they will grow your acceptance rate, and LinkedIn will understand that you are a real person and that you send something engaging and valuable. Cold, generic messages may look like spam, and they could be a reason for a low acceptance rate and bans. 

• Share content

If your profile is empty and you never engage in discussions, never write comments under publications, and only send requests, it is a short way to make LinkedIn suspicious of you. Such behaviour is typical for bots. So, you should behave like a human. Leave likes and comments on others’ posts, post your content, and repost. Of course, your publications should align with ToS, be useful and respectful, and not contain foul language, unconfirmed facts, etc. There is no need to write long texts daily, but radio silence isn’t the best idea either.

• Use practice-proven tools 

If you want to try Linked automation tools, choose carefully. Opt for refined enough to give a total human-like behaviour impression, as LinkedIn is triggered by anything that resembles bot activity. Opt for instruments that set intervals between requests and schedule your jobs wisely. For example, it’s unlikely someone will send requests late Friday night, which may alert LinkedIn, so being attentive to even such minor details is a must. Residential proxies are also irreplaceable in that term as they help you set necessary locations, allow you to stick to the same IP for a long enough time, and provide you with additional security. At DataImpulse, you can have 90+ million legally sourced unique IPs from 195 locations and 24/7 human support to level up your LinkedIn routine safely. Contact us at [email protected] or start with us using the “Try now” button. 

Key takeaways

• Temporary restrictions and permanent bans aren’t the same. You are unlikely to receive a permanent ban without any signs, as you should break rules severely or several times in a row. A temporary ban doesn’t mean your account is gone for good; there are still chances to get it back.
• Your LinkedIn account may be banned for various reasons, including sending too many requests, connecting with people you don’t know, or not customizing your messages. Also, illegal or offensive content, automation tools, and direct violations of LinkedIn’s ToS (like creating a fake account) may lead to a permanent ban without prior escalation.
• If your account is blocked, don’t rush to create a new one. Carefully read LinkedIn’s explanation and do what you are required to do. Confirm your identity if necessary. You can also use LinkedIn’s “Contact Us” form to contact them and try to get your account back.
• To avoid bans altogether, stick to the ToS, send a reasonable number of requests, and choose people from the same niche or those you may know. Customize requests and use automation tools carefully. Post content, repost, and engage in discussions so LinkedIn understands that you are a real human, not a bot.