5 Actionable SEO Recruitment Strategies to Generate Leads

In the old days of recruitment, you could build a client list by making cold calls over the phone.

However, this is a lead generation method that is becoming obsolete.

People now screen their calls and prefer to communicate through emails and texts.

Even sending a voicemail is unlikely to get a response.

While cold calls may still deliver a measure of success, many recruiters are aware of the need to devise new lead generation tactics.

Without question, one of the best places to generate leads is online.

One essential strategy you need to master in order to succeed in this area is: search engine optimisation (SEO).  

Understanding SEO 

You may mistakenly assume that SEO is not relevant to your recruitment business. In reality, it is a critical component of your online lead generation strategy. SEO is a tool that will attract people to your job posts while building your reputation among candidates and clients.

If you want to boost your website’s visibility on search engines such as Google and Bing, you will need to use SEO. If you are unfamiliar with what it involves, there’s no need to worry. These SEO tips explain the basic concepts that will enable you to bring in new clients and candidates.

a) Keywords – Your SEO process primarily relies on you using the correct keywords. Start by making a list of the search terms that your potential candidates and clients will use in their search for a recruitment agency. One of the best tools that can help with this task is Google’s Keyword Planner.

b) Onsite optimisation – There are numerous tasks involved here, such as:

• => Including keywords in the URLs, meta titles and descriptions
• => Ensuring that the website is easy to use and navigate with a fast loading time
• => Providing excellent user experience

c) Content – Well-crafted, useful and relevant content can boost your recruitment website’s ranking in the search engine results. To cultivate your reputation as an expert recruiter, you should publish content regularly but also add variety. For example, you could use various platforms such as blogs, videos or infographics.

d) Backlinks – Search engines like backlinks as they make your website look authoritative. However, always prioritise quality over quantity. It’s better to have a handful of links from reputable sites than a host of unreliable ones.

SEO action plan for recruiters

Here are the five areas that will boost your SEO and help you obtain more high-quality candidates for your job offers.

1) Careers page

Make sure that your careers page is easy to navigate and provides a strong user experience. It should contain all the valuable job information that a candidate would like to know. Organise each posting and category to make it easy for visitors to browse through. If possible, include videos and images to showcase your client’s team and work environment.

2) Meta titles and descriptions

It takes effort, but it is vital that you use precise meta titles and descriptions for every web page. These are the page titles and descriptions that appear in the search engine results.

For instance, if you want to create a landing page that describes an accountant’s responsibilities and skills, the page should also direct the readers to every job opportunity for accountants. You could write the meta title and description like this:

Meta title: ‘Accountant jobs in [location] from [company name]’.

Meta description: ‘Find accountant jobs in [location] and apply now. New job offers are available daily’.

Remember, both the meta title and description are critical to search engines and your audience. They inform the search engine about your page’s content. Meanwhile, people will click on your link once they decide that it is relevant.

3) Social media posts

Content shared on social media improves the overall SEO. Therefore, you should make it easy for people to share your job posts and content on a variety of social media platforms, such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Your web pages should include social media buttons to enable readers to share your content without the need to copy and paste the links.

4) Mobile device optimisation

The number of candidates using their mobile phones to search for job opportunities is increasing every year. Even Google recognises this growing trend and provides higher rankings to mobile-friendly websites. If your recruitment website is not yet optimised for smartphones, you’d better do something about it now.

5) Recruitment videos 

Video content is now a major factor in any SEO strategy. Posting engaging recruitment videos can convince your target audience to spend more time on your website. Remember, your page rankings tend to go up when people stay longer on your site. In addition, visitors are more likely to share entertaining videos through social media, which is another boost to your SEO.

Conclusion

This article has examined some of the tactics that can optimise your recruitment website and increase its search engine ranking. However, the improvements won’t happen overnight. It will take some time before you can see dramatic changes in the SERPs. Think of SEO as a marathon, not a sprint. Keep updating your web pages with new and valuable content. Before you know it, your recruitment site will be at the top of the search engine results.

Author’s bio

Written by Chris Anderson, Head of Recruitment Traffic.

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Establishing websites and then selling them can prove quite profitable. However, in order to obtain the highest fee possible, you need to convince buyers that they are purchasing a valuable product. You cannot expect to receive huge offers for an empty website with zero traffic.

Therefore, you should take time and effort to increase your site’s value.

To do this, you will need to follow the advice below.

SEO Guide No1 Tip: Use reliable software tools

There are numerous software tools you can use, but the largest search engine has two of the best:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console

As the name implies, Google Analytics provides vital information on how people perceive your site and how you can improve these perceptions.

Meanwhile, you can submit a sitemap through Google’s Search Console. This will let Google and other search engines know about your site. It can also detect alert errors so you can fix them without delay.

Conduct keyword research 

Using the same words or phrases used by online searchers can help improve your standing in the search engine results pages. According to this advice, you should consider the value of the keywords based on user intent. For example, you should work out the most popular terms searchers will use when they are:

• Simply browsing
• Looking for good deals
• Comparing the prices of various sellers
• Buying

Once you understand their search queries, you can incorporate them as keywords for your site’s content. If you want to run ads, you can use Google’s AdWords Keyword Planner.

Perform page optimisation

To optimise your website and all its pages, you should:

• Use only one H1 tag per page – They denote the main headline and they often include the main keyword for that page.
• Ensure that the page title uses fewer than 60 characters – In this way, readers will be able to see the entire title in their searches. Also, as Google often displays the first 50 to 60 characters, the primary keyword should be placed at the start of the page title. Furthermore, instead of creating titles that resemble a complete sentence or even an editorial, why not make them look like a listing? You could use special characters, such as brackets or dashes, to focus on the essential information.
• Ensure your meta descriptions are accurate with fewer than 155 characters – Moz research discovered that Google removes meta descriptions once they go over 155–160 characters. Therefore, make sure you include your best pitch and main keywords at the beginning while keeping it under 155 characters.
• Make the page titles engaging and easy to read – The title should be enticing, understandable and appealing to your readers.
• Always include keywords in the URL page – Remember, page titles automatically become the URL so keep it short and understandable, and remove any filler words.

Build links

Links on your website can increase your ranking factor. Think of links as proof of trustworthiness among search engines. You should think about building links by partnering with publishers or other sites within your industry. You could even share valuable content. For example, you could introduce yourself to a blogger who reviews your products. After the introduction, you could help each other by sharing the benefits of your goods.

You may also wish to check the competition to see how they strategise their link building. There are tools you can use for your analysis, such as Ahref’s Site Explorer. You can use this tool to discover your competitors’ websites and web page links. It can also provide you with insight into how your site can earn links and mentions.

Create relevant content

A comprehensive content strategy can take months to plan and execute. However, there are simple but effective ways of filling your site:

• Find out what questions your prospective customers are likely to ask – For example, although they may be aware of your products (e.g., soap), they may not understand why some are more expensive than others. It’s up to you to answer this type of query.
• Provide more product value to your customers – If you sell food products, consider posting a few simple recipes on your website. This approach can open the eyes of your buyers to the various ways your products can be used.
• Find out which keywords often match a customer’s search queries – Once you incorporate these keywords into the search terms, users are more likely to find your website.

If you decide to write a blog post or an informational page, consider limiting the content to 500 words. Most readers want to obtain information quickly, so make sure your articles are short but clear. However, there are exceptions. You can go over the word limit if the question requires an answer that will be more than 500 words long.

Build your reputation

Similar to any other business, you must protect your website’s reputation. If possible, establish your site on social media platforms, including:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Twitter

If you want to create a well-known brand, you should register its name on suitable social media platforms. This can help protect your brand and its identity while making it easy for people to locate the site online. You can even link the social accounts to your store. However, remember to focus on the channels that can guarantee you maximum customer reach.

Other factors worth considering

Your website needs to look good on mobile devices as many people prefer to use their smartphones for browsing these days. If your content is not readable on a mobile phone, make sure you create a mobile version immediately.

Loading speed is another ranking criterion that you should never ignore. Consider using tools such as PageSpeed Insights to find out how to speed up your site’s desktop and mobile versions.

SEO Guide – Conclusion

Creating a website is relatively straightforward. However, selling it for a hefty profit may take some time and effort. Remember, most people will pay the price you set if they think your website is worth that amount. SEO strategies should be your first port of call in terms of adding value to your website. Begin by using appropriate tools that can assist you in keyword research, page optimisation and content creation. Make sure you explore every possible avenue that could help your site reach the top of the search engine results pages. You may also consider consulting a knowledgeable SEO expert for help.

Author’s bio

Chris Anderson is an online marketing expert with 15 years’ experience in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google Ads campaigns. As the founder of Springhill Marketing, he has helped various companies drive up their website traffic via increased sales and enquiries. His company is also a Google Partner, specialising in SEO and Google Ads Services.

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