SEO mistakes common to most recruitment websites

Mistake 1 - Not Staying Relevant

"Is this content useful?"

When adding content to your recruitment website, this is an important question to ask. But an even more important question is: "Is this content useful for our ideal candidates?"

In August of 2022, Google unveiled their Helpful Content Update (HCU). The update meant that websites which prioritised readers over Google's algorithm would be prioritised in search. 

Simply put, it isn't enough to use relevant keywords. You need to make sure the content on your website can easily be read by, and be useful for, actual humans. More specifically, your target audience. 

This is because, while good use of keywords is still extremely useful for making sure your content ranks on Google, you still want your ideal reader to click on your listing over that of your competition. 

To do this, you need to create clear content and job listings that tell readers exactly what they need to know. As a result, they will be more likely to land on your website, and this will further boost your website's SEO. 

Similarly, you should also make sure that you don't duplicate content from another website (or even your own). This will not be classed by the Google algorithm as "useful" content and your website ranking could suffer as a result. 

Mistake 2 - Being too Vague

When you use generic keywords on your website, it can hurt your SEO.

Simple isn't always better. When it comes to SEO keywords, you need to get specific. When you use generic keywords on your website, it can hurt your website's performance in search engines.

As a staffing agency, you've already done the hard part: you've made a quality service that people want to use.

Now, you have to make sure that your website reflects your business' expertise. You also need to make sure that you appear in searches that your target audience makes.

To get the traffic you want, use more specific and longer keywords which speak directly to the people you want to reach.

This rule also applies to anchor text - the words or phrases used on websites to link to another page. Just like keywords, generic anchor text can have an adverse effect on your website’s ranking. 

This is because general terms like “Click here” don’t provide enough context or clarity for readers or Google’s algorithm, which can hurt your site’s ranking. 

Mistake 3 - Not Optimising for Google Jobs 

One of the biggest benefits of having an optimised recruitment website with active job postings is that Google can automatically add them to Google for Jobs. This goes a long way toward increasing the likelihood of you reaching thousands more potential candidates of the millions who search Google for jobs every day. 

For this to happen, your job pages need to be set up correctly. Adding structured data to these pages will allow Google to recognise them as job postings. You will then need to submit an RSS feed or your sitemap to provide a date for your job listing.

Mistake 4 - Not Targeting Local Audiences

Ranking on Google isn’t the only thing you will need to focus on. While remote jobs may be increasing in number in the aftermath of the pandemic, most candidates are still looking for jobs in their local area. Likewise, most businesses want to work with local recruitment agencies. 

This is why optimising your website content for your local area can have great SEO benefits. 

If you ignore local search and use more general keywords in your SEO strategy, you'll be competing with so many other agencies that your website may be pushed to the bottom of search results.

Therefore, starting to add localised keywords to your website copy is definitely worth considering. To further optimise your website to attract local candidates, consider listing your business on Google by creating a Google Business page. 

Mistake 5 - Not Updating Your Site

How you create your job posting isn't the only consideration you will need to take into account. What you do once that job opening has expired is also important for your website rankings.

If you know when the vacancy will expire, you can set the job page to "no index" in the meta "unavailable after" tag to automatically inform your readers when the job is no longer available. Alternatively, you can add this message manually. 

For small recruitment websites, including links to similar roles will help to redirect visitors coming to your website once the role has been filled or the opening has been closed. Larger recruitment businesses should let the page return a 404-error page once the role has expired.

Mistake 6 - Doing It All In-House

SEO is an enormous job. When done correctly, there is no doubt that it has a huge impact on a business’ success. 

But the truth is, most recruitment agencies are not able to devote the time and resources necessary to making sure their website is fully optimised. 

SEO for recruitment websites requires a thorough understanding of how search engines work and what keywords are relevant to the industry. This practice also involves optimising content with relevant keywords, creating meta descriptions, and using other techniques such as link building to increase visibility. With an effective SEO strategy in place, recruitment websites can increase their chances of getting their content and job openings in front of the right people. That’s where we come in.

Get in touch

We aim to deliver all of our web design and development projects on time, on budget and to specification.

All of our projects begin with a blank canvas, and we work with your business to plan a solution that fits your unique requirements and vision.

With the right team of designers and developers, you can have an optimised website that increases the likelihood of your customers finding you and making a purchase

As a leading Web Design Agency in Manchester, Visionsharp are the perfect partner for building a strong online presence for the future.

Get purpose-driven design & development solutions with Visionsharp. See our flexible payment options and Contact a member of the team today to discuss your requirements.