SerpApi’s LinkedIn Public Search Results Scraper API and the supported field: thumbnail

SerpApi recently rolled out a new API for LinkedIn. There are two different LinkedIn searches that they offer, the LinkedIn Public Search Results Scraper API and the LinkedIn Profile Scraper API. Give it a try here in our demonstration area:

SerpApi Playground - SerpApi

SerpApi Playground - SerpApi

I wanted to play around with both of these API’s to become familiar with the new features and to see what made sense in regards to the data being scraped from a customer’s perspective.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of profile pictures/thumbnail in some of the profiles on the HTML that would be getting scraped. The corresponding JSON on the right side of the screen was absent of this data as well.

SerpApi’s LinkedIn Public Search Results Scraper API searching for first name: “jimmy” and last name: “neutron”

Considering SerpApi is using a public search of LinkedIn, I figured that there were some security and account settings on these accounts that didn’t allow these pictures to be shown…So I did a test to see if I changed my own LinkedIn’s account settings, if it would change and how fast it would change.

SerpApi’s LinkedIn Public Search Results Scraper API searching for first name: “justin” and last name: “o’hara”

SerpApi’s LinkedIn Profile Scraper API searching for username: “justinrobertohara”

There’s me! With all my information, profile picture, and even the few blogs I wrote about Advanced Search Operators on SerpApi!

It was no surprise to me that all my information was public information. But to see how fast this information would change with LinkedIn and SerpApi. Would be interesting to me.

LinkedIn’s profile visibility options

From a LinkedIn help page I was able to find a way to limit visibility…I followed the steps below.

1. Click the Me icon con at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
2. Click View profile.
3. Click Edit public profile & URL on the right rail.
4. Under the Edit Visibility section on the right rail, toggle Your profile’s public visibility to Off.

For this example I just switched it to “Your Network”

Instantaneously LinkedIn made these visibility changes and were reflected in SerpApi’s data scraping.

Side by Side comparison of SerpApi’s LinkedIn Public Search Results Scraper API searching for first name: “justin” and last name: “o’hara” and SerpApi’s LinkedIn Profile Scraper API searching for username: “justinrobertohara”

To make sense of the way LinkedIn’s public search and profile search is utilized by SerpApi’s supported API’s, it is important to note the data that is allowed to be scraped is a security and visibility preference internally with LinkedIn. SerpApi is a real-time data-scraper that picks up real time results to all our API’s. And with this particular experimentation, it proves to be true.

You can sign-up for SerpApi here: https://serpapi.com/

You can find the SerpApi user forum here: https://forum.serpapi.com/

You can find the API documentation here: https://serpapi.com/search-api/