Every month, millions of people search Google for jobs and that number is growing. If your job postings aren’t found, the next amazing candidate may go to your competitor. The point is, you need to be there when people are searching for you, and search engine optimization, or “SEO recruitment”, should be a vital part of your candidate attraction and employer brand strategy.
Effective search engine optimization for your job categories and titles can help you:
- Attract new talent to build your candidate pool
- Grow your employer brand in job categories you aren’t known for
- Increase the visibility of your brand and job postings to generate more applications
Using SEO for recruitment is very competitive – job boards are large websites with a lot of clout and are often the only websites found on the first page of a Google search. What people don’t realize is that if they use SEO effectively in their job postings, they can actually leverage those job boards to drive people directly to their listings, and to their company website. And of course the best result you can get is to have top rankings in Google that drive candidates directly to your careers site.
We have helped many clients implement an SEO Recruitment strategy by conducting a site assessment and competitor benchmarking audit, and find there are a number of common mistakes, a few of which we have outlined below.
Contact us for more information on how we can help you grow your employer brand and job applications through search engine visibility.
5 Most Frequent SEO Recruitment Mistakes We See
1. Unrecognizable or creative job titles.
Figuring out what the job is should not be a guessing game, and there are no points for being mysterious. A lot of companies come up with creative job titles that people haven’t heard of, and won’t be searching for. It’s worth investing the time to conduct a thorough analysis of keywords to get descriptive job titles and meta descriptions that will come up in job seekers’ searches.
2. Using a single job posting for multiple locations.
It’s important to include the location of the job right up front in the posting, on the page headline, and in the url. Location is the first filter people use when they’re looking for a specific job, and you can’t put Ottawa and Vancouver together in one posting. It doesn’t serve the job seeker, and it doesn’t help you. Invest the time in creating a unique job posting specific for each location you’re recruiting for, and you’ll tap into motivated local markets.
3. No static job description pages.
Even if you don’t have current job postings available, keep information about all your roles up on your website – what the job entails, what the position requirements are, and what a “day in the life” looks like. When job postings are pulled down, so are your search results. When you are putting in effort to optimize your page for search, you want to make sure your rankings don’t disappear along with the job post.
We usually recommend you have a static job description page that is always up that includes a feed or links to the jobs available now. If you don’t have any right now, don’t worry, you can have them sign up for a job alert, follow your social media or ask them to check back, at least they know you have these types of jobs.
You never know when you’ll need to start recruiting for that position, and you’ll keep your rankings and attract the right people quickly and more effectively if you keep a static job description live at all times.
4. Not using structured data so that search engines can help your postings stand out.
The search engines give added visibility to job postings that follow a specific structure called schema. Google is encouraging webmasters to mark up their job listings so that Google can show them in web searches for job-related queries. This gives you the opportunity to stand out in the search results with your logo and other key information to attract candidates.
5. Using an ATS that is not SEO-friendly or not activating SEO features.
Leverage and activate your SEO features within your Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The majority of companies use a third-party ATS to post their jobs and collect resumes. Often features are included that will help with seo but either they weren’t activated upon the installation of the platform or the recruiters or team members may not be aware of how to use them. In the best case scenario, it is simply a training issue. In the worst case scenario, your platform was not build to be SEO-friendly and in that case the only real option is to get a new system. In the interim, continue to optimize your job posting content effectively with the right keywords so that the job boards can do the bulk of the optimization work for you.
The importance of a well-defined, well-executed SEO recruitment strategy is what makes the difference to standing out. In addition to empowering you to hire the right people for the right jobs quickly and inexpensively, having an effective SEO recruitment strategy will build your company’s employer brand.
Blu Ivy Group has helped its clients leverage the power of the internet with measurable short-term and long-term benefits. In an increasingly competitive market, an SEO strategy is crucial for any organization looking to stay ahead of its competitors. Let us help you create a SEO Recruitment strategy that will increase your visibility, your brand recognition, and your access to untapped talent pools. Call us today at 647-308-2352 to learn more!