Organizations and recruiters generally want as many qualified candidates as possible to view job postings and apply for them. The more candidates that view and apply for a job, the more options recruiters and organizations have, allowing them to pick the ideal candidate to fill a position.
The recruitment process has significantly changed in the past two decades. The internet and social media have allowed recruiters to find candidates more easily. Geographical limitations no longer affect the process. The advent of these technologies has allowed recruiters to create larger candidate pools.
Previously, recruiters would use their networks and professional contacts to find suitable candidates for open positions. They would also publish job postings in magazines and newspapers to broaden their reach.
Today, magazines and newspapers suffer from declining readership and circulation rates. Everything has moved online. If your recruitment process doesn’t involve using the latest technologies to find the ideal candidates, you’re missing out on the best talent.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become essential for businesses worldwide. But recruiters are also utilizing it to find candidates for open positions.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO refers to techniques that allow you to generate organic traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, etc. You’ll need to redirect traffic from these sources somewhere. As a result, your business or recruitment agency’s website will be the centerpiece of your SEO efforts.
Statistics show that over 9 billion Google searches occur daily. These figures also show that the average person performs three to four Google searches daily for informational and transactional purposes.
Prospective candidates often look for open vacancies by searching for their desired job position on search engines, making SEO efforts necessary for recruiters to find better applicants.
Understanding SEO is vital before you can use it to your advantage. Whenever you search for a term, word, or phrase in Google, Google’s algorithm sifts through millions of results to find the most relevant information for your search query. These results aren’t generated randomly. Instead, they require optimizing websites with keywords and creating backlinks to ensure Google ranks them well in their SERPs. You’ll also need to create compelling and unique content to rank your website or job listing higher on search engines.
Why Do You Need to Use SEO?
In addition to making listings more visible to your target audience, SEO can also help enhance employer brand visibility. Research shows that 64 percent of candidates research a company before submitting their application. Filling out application forms with the correct information is a time-consuming process. If candidates cannot find relevant information about a potential employer online, they become less inclined to apply. As a result, visibility matters for organizations looking to recruit the best talent.
It’s also important to note that online presence isn’t only limited to your website. Active social media profiles are also crucial for developing a robust online presence.
How Do You Use SEO for Recruitment?
Many recruiters are often unsure of how to use SEO for recruitment. Developing a solid SEO strategy that aligns with your recruitment strategy is crucial. Here’s how you can use SEO for recruitment:
Use Relevant Keywords
SEO revolves around keywords. Let’s assume you’re trying to hire a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for your startup. You’ll want to ensure you use relevant keywords in your job posting. It’ll help prospective applicants find your job postings easily. You can use numerous keyword tools, like Answer The Public, Google Keyword Planner, and others, to find the ideal keywords for the open job position. Some keyword tools will also let you see how many people search for that specific keyword in your location.
Avoid using quirky keywords like wizard, rockstar, guru, genius, etc. These keywords might seem like a good addition to your job posting, but candidates view them as desperate and outdated.
Instead, use relevant keywords and their synonyms in your job description to ensure search engines can index your job listing easily. However, refrain from keyword stuffing.
Create a Searchable URL for Your Job Posting
Creating searchable URLs for job postings is also crucial and helps with SEO efforts. You’ll want to keep your job posting’s URL relevant and straightforward. Refrain from using numbers, special characters, and hyphens.
Search engines prefer URLs that are self-explanatory. It can help improve your job posting’s ranking in the SERPs.
Utilize Meta Titles and Descriptions for Your Job Posting
Most recruiters might not be familiar with meta titles and descriptions, especially if they don’t have a marketing background. But these fields are essential for search engine rankings because they appear in SERPs. Meta descriptions provide a summary of a web page. Meta titles tell search engines and visitors the title of each web page on a website.
Meta titles should ideally be less than 65 characters, while meta descriptions must be under 155 characters.
Share Job Postings on Social Media
Search engines look at traffic and shares when deciding which pages to show for a specific search query. If your job posting is constantly shared by applicants, it’ll rank higher in search rankings, meaning more organic traffic will be redirected to it.
Social media is an excellent way to generate shares and traffic for job postings. Consider using a consistent URL across all platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In addition, you can also make the content more appealing to applicants by writing engaging copy and including visuals in your social media posts.
Social media is also useful because it allows you to target a younger demographic, which might be ideal for some job postings.
Create Quality Content About Open Positions and Include Links
Creating quality content is also crucial for SEO efforts. Firstly, it allows you to use more keywords, helping your job posting get more visibility and traffic. In addition, blog posts create more indexable pages. Search engines will likely rank you higher as a result.
Quality content is also beneficial because you can outline your recruitment process in a blog post, giving candidates more information about how to apply. In addition, you could insert a link to the job posting in the blog post, helping it get more traffic and visibility.
Get Started with Whitham Group
Whitham Group is an executive search and recruitment firm. The company’s headquartered in the Bay Area and has a team of experienced, professional solar energy and renewable energy recruiters. Check out Whitham Group’s website for more information. Alternatively, contact them to learn more.
