The business world is changing every day. It is advancing digitally and becoming more innovative. One of the areas evolving is certainly the hiring process and the ways companies are recruiting employees.
Millions of people search Google for jobs, but if your job posting doesn’t appear on the first search page, many of the potential candidates may miss it. So, how can you pull talented people toward your company? The answer is: with SEO!
SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. The main goal is to have more visitors to your website and in order to achieve that, your site must appear as high as possible on the results list of a search engine (E.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.). SEO can be your secret weapon during a recruiting process. It gives you more visibility, and therefore more candidates.
When an SEO expert optimizes your website, your customer number is going to grow rapidly. The same goes for optimizing your job posting. To ensure you are getting the best candidate for the job you should be very specific, and try narrowing your selection. That way you won’t have to waste precious time, money, and energy on countless interviews.
SEO Recruitment Tips
Maybe SEO is a new tool for you? Maybe you feel a little intimidated? Don’t worry, you will figure it out in no time! Here you will learn how to insert SEO into the recruiting process and how to rely on specific targeting. Focus on these few tips and the benefits for your company shall be huge.
Keywords
SEO is basically driven by keywords. When the keywords in the job posting are properly chosen, it becomes relevant and important for the candidates. When you are looking for new employees try predicting and getting an analysis of which words and phrases people would often choose and include those keywords on your page. In order to do that you should do keyword research. Don’t be afraid to use one of the Keyword Research Tools.
Make sure your keywords include your:
- Industry name
- Company name
- Job title
- Location
Keywords should be specific and relevant, so try not to overdo it in your posting and risk them sounding like spam. By using adjectives you will separate your company from others and describe the exact qualities you are looking for.
Be sure to incorporate your keywords on your website. Here are a few suggestions on where to include them:
- Title tag/Page title
- META description tag
- Keywords META tag
- Body content
- Header tags
- Formatted text
- Links
- URL (including Domain name, Subdomain name, Folder name, and Page name)
- Graphics (including Alt tag, Filename, and Graphic file)
- Incoming links
It is highly recommended by experts to use location-based keywords. People often search for jobs in specific areas, so be sure to use the names of states, regions, and cities. Consider making content related to a specific region (e.g. write a blog about it)
Content
When you are publishing quality content, search engines will reward you for it with high rankings in search results. So, when including SEO in your recruiting process try posting helpful and consistent information. Use your content to include proper keywords and boost your visibility. Keep it fresh and updated, so the candidates are more likely to return to your website, which also helps with higher rankings.
Here are a few things you may consider:
- Post some interview tips
- Start a blog with advice for people seeking a job
- Post general career information
- Make a full job description content
- Write creative, job-related articles
Optimize Your Website for Mobile Search
Studies have shown that almost 90% of people use a mobile device when searching for a job. Make sure your web page is mobile friendly and optimized for mobile search. This way you will reach all these people, and increase your chances of finding the best candidate. Nowadays mobile devices are much more popular than they used to be and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly it will lower your rankings in search engines.
You could try using responsive design as part of your strategy. The content must be easy to read and navigate. You can help the candidates by making submitting their CV or documents possible from their mobile devices.
Share on Social Media
Social media is the best place to combine links and keywords and therefore attract more people to the content. Video job postings are becoming very popular, so share them on your Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, or Twitter. Make sure you use hashtags. The more followers you have, the more people will be able to get to know about your company or your brand. This one is truly a game-changer.
Things are constantly changing and progressing rapidly in the IT and marketing sectors. If it feels it’s sometimes difficult to follow you should definitely try investing in SEO training or hiring an SEO expert. You will be surprised at how much it will improve your business. Your willingness to learn and apply new techniques is key to your success.