The biggest challenge for online recruiters is ensuring that the right candidates are the ones reading their job postings. However, you will probably be well aware by now that the post-and-pray strategy is unlikely to work. Instead, what recruiters need to do is focus on relevant SEO strategies that will attract both job candidates and clients.

Therefore, it is important to create engaging job advertisements that will increase the chances of candidates reading about your vacancies. If done correctly, your reputation as a successful job recruiter will grow. However, you first need to put in place an effective SEO campaign.    

What do you know about SEO?

This is the process of making your website organically visible on the search engine results pages (SERPs). This means ranking without resorting to paid ads. The primary objective is to appear on the first page to boost your chances of attracting more visitors. If your website is on page two or three, it is unlikely that many searchers will find you. After looking at the first page, users often type a new search term and start again.

This is why it is vital to appear at the top of the search engine results pages. If your site ranks on the first page, jobseekers will easily be able to find you.  

Learn how SERPs work

First, you need to understand how search engines rank websites. For example, Google uses an algorithm that involves more than 200 parameters to determine the relevance of your website to the search terms.

Fortunately, while it is virtually impossible to account for all these parameters, you can focus on only four.

1. Page Title 

The webpage title is the primary parameter in Google’s algorithm. This is the first line of text (coloured blue) that you will see in the search results. If your page title matches the search term used by the job candidate in their query, then it is more likely that it will appear on the SERPs.

For example, if a candidate types the search term ‘senior accountant’, Google will begin searching webpage titles which feature this phrase. If you are on page two or below, consider optimising your titles to match your prospects’ search queries. 

2. Page URL 

On the SERPs, the URL is the second line of text (coloured green) below the title. Google uses the URL to verify whether the search term also appears in the web address. For example, if the phrase ‘senior accountant’ is also included in your URL, Google will increase your ranking on the SERPS.

3. Keyword Density 

Google will then see how many times the search term appears in your web content. It determines the density by using a method called contextual ranking to see whether the page is relevant to a particular search term or keyword. In our ‘senior accountant’ example, you will notice that the final texts (coloured black) highlight any matching words.

By now, you should be able to see a pattern emerging. It is important to ensure that your website is an excellent match by making the search term appear in the title, URL and content.

4. Inbound Links 

Links from popular websites can increase your authoritativeness in the eyes of Google. In addition, the search engine’s algorithm will push your site higher on the SERPs, making you credible to searchers. For this reason, you should consider sharing your job ads with other sites such as: 

• Facebook  
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Search for websites that the majority of job candidates visit and ensure that you share a link with them to boost your recruitment SEO efforts.

However, linking ads is only half the battle. You need to include strong call-to-actions (CTAs) in your posts. For example, adding words such as ‘Click here to apply’ can encourage candidates to visit your website.

Beware of bounce rates

Reports can inform you that your website’s engagement with visitors is poor; either it is not providing the correct information or it is not interesting enough. By understanding why your bounce is rate is high, you will be able to make improvements.

One way to encourage people to stay on your site is by providing a pleasant user experience. For example, although you may have the requisite information, if your website is difficult to navigate, users will not hesitate to leave. In addition, you should keep the loading time to a minimum. Ensure that your website loads in less than five seconds as otherwise people may decide to take their custom elsewhere. Furthermore, your site should also be designed for mobile platforms as Google has given priority to sites optimised for mobile viewing.

However, not all bounces are necessarily bad. For example, let’s say a visitor has found and read your blog post. They then close it. Google interprets this as a bounce. Meanwhile, someone else lands on your blog post, doesn’t read it, but does open another page on your site. This won’t be interpreted as a bounce. To remedy this problem, consider consulting with a reliable SEO specialist.

Conclusion

The goal of every online recruiter is to land their job ads on page one of Google’s SERPs. To achieve this objective, you will need to research and incorporate relevant keywords in your website’s title, URL and content. This technique will ensure that your site ranks well with the search engine’s algorithm. However, remember to use keywords as naturally as possible; if you overuse them, you may be penalised for keyword stuffing. Also, based on experts’ recommendations, ensure that your keyword density does not exceed 5% (1 in 20 words). Furthermore, sharing your ads with authoritative websites and social media platforms will also help your ranking with Google. 

If you need any advice on how to increase the traffic to your recruitment website, or about other SEO techniques you should implement, feel free to contact our team at Recruitment Traffic.

With intense competition these days, recruiters need to establish a robust online presence so they can reach their target and gain a substantial number of leads. One way to do this is through on-page SEO. By optimising the various on-page elements of your recruitment website, you can improve your search rankings on Google. The higher you rank on Google, the easier it is for employers and job candidates to find you. 

Of all the on-page elements of your website, meta tags are something you should pay close attention to. Not only can they help you make your site more search engine-friendly, but they can also help you rank well on Google. 

Meta Tags Explained

Meta tags are small snippets of text that helps search engines, such as Google, understand the contents and nature of your webpages. The “meta” in meta tags refers to “metadata,” which is the type of information they offer about your website. You won’t see these tags on your webpages because they are only visible to search engines and the people viewing search result pages (SERPs). 

As with the other web elements, search engines don’t solely rely on meta tags to rank your website. However, these small pieces of text can help boost your SEO strategy. It is because meta tags affect how your website appears on search result pages. If your site has well-written meta descriptions, users searching for relevant information are more likely to visit your site. In return, this helps increase your click-through rate or CTR, which Google and other search engines use to decide your search ranking. 

What Are the Different Types of Meta Tags?

Technically, there are many different types of meta tags. However, some of them are considered irrelevant to online marketing. It is because they don’t help that much when it comes to optimising your site for search engines. As such, we’re only focusing on the following tags: 

1. Meta keywords attribute

The meta keywords attribute refers to a series of relevant keywords used in a particular webpage. A few years ago, this meta tag was a handy SEO tool. Marketers who wanted to attract more traffic and page views would employ keyword stuffing and incorporate irrelevant yet trending keywords in their web content. When Google discovered that the meta keywords attribute was being abused in this manner, it immediately devalued the meta tag. As a result, you’ll need to do more than use the right keywords in your recruitment site and career pages to rank well on Google. 

2. Title tag

The title tag is the line of text you’ll see on top of your web browser. You should include relevant keywords in your title tags because search engines treat them as the title of your webpages. For this reason, the title tag is often considered the most important meta tag. 

Apart from helping you optimise your site for search engines, the title tag also allows you to improve your web visitors’ overall user experience. It enables visitors to navigate your website quickly and differentiate one webpage from the others. 

3. Meta description attribute

The meta description attribute is a vital meta tag as it helps both users and search engines determine what your webpages are all about. It provides a summary of the contents of a specific webpage. If you’re wondering what it looks like, the meta description is that tiny block of text that appears on Google, along with the title and link to your webpage. 

Here’s a quick note, though. Your webpages’ meta descriptions don’t always appear in SERPs. At times, Google will choose a snippet of text from your webpage and present it to users searching for related information. 

Despite this, meta descriptions can be quite useful when you want to attract more traffic to your site. For example, by writing a compelling description, it will be easier for you to pique the interest of both employers and candidates and convince them to click on the link to your site. Meta descriptions are even more potent when they contain the keywords a job seeker or employer used in their search query. 

By ensuring that your web and career pages have compelling meta descriptions, you are increasing your chances of receiving higher CTRs. In return, it enables you to obtain excellent rankings on Google, which helps you establish better brand awareness and greater online visibility. 

To make sure that all of your webpages have compelling meta descriptions, take a look at the following pointers:

• Limit the length of your descriptions to a maximum of 160 characters.
• Tell your audience exactly what they can expect when they visit your page.
• Create inviting meta descriptions.
• Don’t forget to include a call to action.

4. Meta robots attribute

Meta robots have one straightforward task: to tell search engine bots what to do with your webpages. There are two ways you can instruct Google search bots via the meta robots attribute: 

• Index/no index – tells search engines to show/not show a webpage on SERPs.
• Follow/no follow – lets search engines know if they should trust and “follow” the links found on a webpage or not. 

Don’t Neglect Your Meta Tags

Meta tags are essential to the success of your recruitment site. They tell both your target audience and search engines what your website is all about. They also help entice potential clients and candidates to click on your link. As discussed earlier, meta tags have four essential types. Knowing what their uses are can help you better optimise your tags for search engines. 

At Recruitment Traffic, we can help you optimise your meta tags and every part of your website for search engines such as Google. Please speak with us today to obtain the SEO solutions you need. 

As a recruiter, you should drive as much web traffic as you can to your site. With more web traffic coming in, the more chances you have to generate leads. However, there may be times when you’ll experience a decline in traffic.

Experiencing a minor drop in web traffic is not a cause for panic. This is a regular occurrence since the number of people who visit your website daily is not constant. However, you should pay attention when there’s a sudden significant drop in recruitment traffic. This could indicate a penalty from Google or a technical issue on your website that you should fix as soon as possible.

5 Ways to Get Back Falling Recruitment Traffic

Fortunately, you can still recover after experiencing a sudden decline in web traffic. Follow these steps to bounce back on your feet.

1. Check if you have a Google penalty

Receiving a penalty from Google is one of the most common reasons for having a sudden drop in website traffic. More often than not, the search giant doesn’t explain why you have a manual penalty, but you can confirm if you have one by checking your Google Search Console for any notifications.

Receiving a penalty suggests that you’re using a black hat SEO strategy. It could also indicate that you have spammy or plagiarised content. Either way, make sure that you address the issue immediately so you can get rid of the penalty and recover your web traffic. If you’re working with an SEO specialist, discuss the strategies you’re using and ensure that they comply with Google’s rules.

2. Take a look at your backlinks

If you have segmented your traffic and see that there’s a noticeable drop in incoming referral traffic, you should give your backlinks a thorough look. There might be a few links that were lost, particularly if no traffic is coming in through a number of your webpages.

It can be difficult to recover lost backlinks. However, you might be happy to know that obtaining new ones is not rocket science. One way to do this is to update your old content with further information. For instance, if you have previously written a guide about passing job interviews, you may include new information or expound upon the topic to make it fresh and relevant. You can also republish or share it on social media, especially if the site or webpage that has been linking to that piece of content is no longer available.

3. See if you’re linking to bad sites

Similar to having spammy and plagiarised content, having links to and from spammy and shady websites can also get you into trouble. Whether it is unintentional or not, it sends a message to Google that you bought those links and are using black hat SEO to obtain more traffic for your recruitment site.

To fix this issue, remove those links as quickly as you can. Also, it would be best if you ask spammy websites to stop linking to you. If they refuse, you can  disavow the unwanted backlinks on your own. 

4. Check out your competition

Having a fierce competitor is another reason for having a sudden drop in recruitment traffic. If your traffic is dropping significantly, your competitors have likely offered your audience something better. For example, they probably uploaded a piece of content that is more informative and engaging than yours.

If you’re trying to rank for the same keyword the competition is ranking well for, you can shift your focus onto other keywords, especially the ones your competitor isn’t using. This should help improve your performance for the keyword you’re targeting. Another solution is to face your competitors directly, especially if you think you can win against them. However, make sure that you conduct a thorough study of the competition first. Also, ensure that you have enough resources to support a more aggressive SEO/PPC campaign.

5. Look up Google issues

You might think that all is well when your content has a good search ranking and your main keywords have outstanding search volume. However, you can still lose traffic despite these excellent conditions. It could be because Google is showing a snippet of your content, particularly the part that answers a user’s question, on the search result page. Because of this, job seekers or employers don’t visit your site anymore since they already obtained the information they need.

This trend has become so common these days that the SEO community has already coined a name for it: the “no-click search.” Previous research revealed that no-click searches make up 49% of all Google searches. 

To encourage people to proceed to your site and not merely stop at the result pages, you should give your content a makeover. Consider creating more comprehensive material, such as research articles or blog posts, so they will be too long to show up and be read on search result pages.

Conclusion

A sudden drop in web traffic is often a big deal. However, the good news is there are steps that you can take to recover from this problem. When you see that your traffic dropped suddenly, don’t panic. Instead, keep a clear head and follow the solutions discussed above to overcome this hurdle.

If you need help recovering lost traffic, contact us at Recruitment Traffic. We have SEO specialists who can offer you the solutions you need.