The keywords to place in your Malt bio to rank

Contrary to a common belief, Malt doesn't only match your official skill tags. The algorithm also scans the text content of your bio, your title, your experience descriptions, and weights each word based on several signals.

Signal 1 — Density: a keyword appearing 3-4 times in your bio weighs more than a keyword mentioned once. Watch out: beyond 6-7 occurrences of the same term in 400 words, you trigger the spam signal and get penalized.

Signal 2 — Position: keywords in the first 60 words (hook + start of proof) weigh 2 to 3 times more than those at the end of the bio. Same logic as classic Google SEO.

Signal 3 — Coherence: Malt checks that your bio's keywords match your skill tags and your title. If you write "React expert" in the bio but React isn't in your tags, the algorithm devalues.

Signal 4 — Semantic context: "React" alone ranks less than "React for SaaS apps" or "React Native fintech". Long-tail combinations are overvalued because they match clients' precise searches.

Understanding these 4 signals is understanding how Malt ranks the 500 profiles that answer the same query. The first places the right keyword in the right place in the right context.

Before writing, you must know what you want to rank on. Levan structures keywords in 3 clusters.

Cluster 1 — Profession + specialization (primary keywords) These 3-5 keywords define what you fundamentally do. Examples for a dev: "React Native developer", "mobile fintech developer", "cross-platform developer". For an SEO consultant: "e-commerce SEO consultant", "Shopify SEO consultant", "DNVB SEO".

These keywords should appear 3-4 times each in your bio, with at least one occurrence in the first 60 words.

Cluster 2 — Techs, tools, methods (supporting keywords) 5-8 precise technical terms you master. For a dev: React Native, TypeScript, Redux Toolkit, Firebase, Bitrise. For a designer: Figma, Design System, prototyping, user testing. These keywords appear 1-2 times each, mostly in the offer block and the method block.

Cluster 3 — Sector + client type (long-tail keywords) 3-5 terms qualifying your target: "fintech scale-ups", "Series A B2B SaaS", "DNVB brands", "industrial SMEs". These are the highest-ROI keywords because clients typing these queries have clear buying intent. Placement in the hook and method block.

Overall, aim for 12-18 unique keywords, distributed intelligently across 400 words of bio.

Guessing isn't enough. Here's the Levan method in 4 steps to identify high-value keywords.

Step 1 — Look at incoming briefs Reread the last 20 briefs (or prospect emails) you received. Note the exact words clients use to describe their need. That's your target vocabulary. Freelancers often use internal jargon ("hexagonal architecture") when clients type simpler terms ("Java backend developer").

Step 2 — Use Malt's search from the client side If you can log in as a client (separate account) or browse logged out, test searches in your niche. Malt's search bar suggests popular terms. Note the 10-15 suggestions closest to your profession.

Step 3 — Use AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) Type into ChatGPT: "I'm a client looking for a freelancer for [your service]. Give me the 10 exact terms I'd type into Google and Malt." AIs return the real search patterns of clients in your niche.

Step 4 — Audit SuperMalter profiles in your category SuperMalters rank well. Look at the keywords they use in their bio. Not to copy, but to identify the combinations the algorithm rewards in your niche. Levan built his optimization method partly through this reverse-engineering on 250+ profiles.

Result: a prioritized list of 15-20 keywords you'll place strategically.

A well-chosen but poorly placed keyword loses 60% of its SEO weight. Here's the optimal mapping.

Hook (30-50 words): place 1 main profession keyword + 1 sector keyword. Example: "I help fintech scale-ups ship production-ready React Native apps in 8 weeks." (2 keywords in 20 words, ideal density).

Quantified proof (50-80 words): repeat the profession keyword + add 1-2 supporting keywords (techs, years, logos). Example: "7 years in mobile dev, 40+ React Native apps delivered, ex-Qonto & Payfit." (4 strong SEO keywords).

Listed offer (5-8 items): this is the block with the highest SEO density. Each line should contain 1-2 precise technical keywords. Example: "Migration from native Swift/Kotlin to React Native" (3 keywords in 6 words).

Method (60-100 words): reinject the main profession keyword once + methodological keywords ("short cycles", "strict TypeScript", "pair-programming").

CTA (1-2 sentences): no forced keyword, but you can slip in a re-mention of the sector ("for your fintech project...").

Overall density rule: over 400 words, your bio should contain 12-18 unique keywords (with some repeats), or about 15-20% keyword density. Below 10% you're under-optimized, above 25% you trigger the spam signal.

Levan regularly sees these 5 mistakes weighing down bios that are otherwise well written.

Mistake 1 — Keyword stuffing Citing "React" 8 times in 300 words or stacking 15 techs in one sentence. The algorithm detects it, the bio becomes unreadable for humans, and you lose on both sides.

Mistake 2 — Keywords not aligned with your tags If your bio talks about Vue.js but your skill tags don't mention it, Malt devalues. Both must be systematically synced.

Mistake 3 — Too many synonyms Mixing "dev", "developer", "programmer", "coder" in the same bio dilutes each term's SEO weight. Pick ONE dominant term per concept and stick with it.

Mistake 4 — Isolated keywords without context "React, TypeScript, GraphQL, AWS" listed with no sentence around them = weak SEO spam signal. The right format: "React and TypeScript apps with GraphQL API, deployed on AWS". Context multiplies the weight by 3.

Mistake 5 — Forgetting ecosystem keywords A React Native developer should also mention "iOS", "Android", "mobile", "cross-platform" to capture peripheral searches. Don't limit yourself to the main technical keyword.

By fixing these 5 mistakes on an existing bio, Levan observes a notable increase in profile views in the following weeks, without changing a word of the narrative structure.

Without measurement, you improvise. Here are Levan's 4 metrics to track your keyword strategy's effectiveness.

Metric 1 — Profile views (before / after) Note your average monthly views for the 30 days before the overhaul. Compare to the next 30 days. A good keyword strategy generates +25-40% views in 30 days.

Metric 2 — Malt positions on your target queries Once a month, search your 5 main keywords in Malt's search bar (logged out or in a client account). Note your position. Goal: move from page 3-5 to page 1-2 in 60-90 days on at least 3 of 5 queries.

Metric 3 — Organic Google traffic to your Malt profile Your Malt page is indexed by Google. Search "[your name] Malt" and "[your main keyword] freelance" on Google. If your profile appears on Google page 1-2 for sector searches in 6-8 weeks, your keyword strategy works beyond Malt.

Metric 4 — Quality of inbound briefs Briefs should match your target niche. If you target "React Native fintech" and 80% of inbound briefs are "WordPress vitrine", your keywords attract the wrong traffic. Adjust.

A tool like profil-score.com gives you an objective score of the density and relevance of your bio keywords, by cross-referencing your skill tags, your title, and the text content. Useful to validate your strategy before publishing.

Real Levan case — Sophie, SEO consultant (anonymized).

BEFORE (initial bio, 280 words, 4 weak keywords): "Passionate about digital marketing for more than 8 years, I'm a referencing consultant for companies looking to improve their online visibility. Trained in business school, I worked several years in an agency before going freelance.

I support my clients in their digital strategy, running audits, optimizing their content, and working on their netlinking. I offer tailor-made engagements adapted to each company's needs.

Don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your project."

SEO keywords present: digital marketing, referencing, audits, netlinking. Low density, no long-tail keyword, no vertical.

AFTER (rewritten bio, 380 words, 17 strong keywords): "I help DNVB brands structure their e-commerce SEO to go from 10k to 100k visitors/month. 8 years in e-commerce referencing, 50+ DNVB brands supported, average results +250% organic traffic in 6 months.

Typical missions: - Full technical SEO audits (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom) - SEO editorial strategy 6-12 months (evergreen content, semantic clusters) - On-site optimization (structure, internal linking, Core Web Vitals) - Whitehat netlinking editor relations (press, partnerships)

I work on measurable performance. Simple monthly reporting: organic traffic, positions, SEO revenue. I also train internal teams so they can take over after the mission.

Even a rough brief, response within 24h with 3 concrete leads for your e-commerce SEO."

Sophie's result: +180% profile views in 45 days, moved from page 5 to page 1 on "Paris e-commerce SEO consultant", 6 qualified inbound briefs in month 2 vs. 1-2 previously. Day rate (TJM) went from €550 to €720 within 4 months.