It is undeniable how devastating the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is. As many businesses are closing down because of government restrictions, many recruitment agencies are having a hard time attracting potential clients to their door. If you’re one of them, you’re probably losing hope. But did you know that you can put your recruitment firm back on track with local SEO? 

If government restrictions are preventing people from visiting your recruitment office and seeking your services in person, why don’t you consider taking your business online? These days, many candidates and employers utilise the internet to find what they need because they cannot leave their homes. Therefore, you must create a substantial online presence so you can be where your prospects are looking. 

Taking Advantage of Local Search

Any experienced online marketing specialist will tell you that merely having a website is not enough. If you want to put your business back on the map after the pandemic, you will need to employ several online marketing strategies. These include local search engine optimisation. 

Local SEO is similar to standard SEO. The only difference is that local search engine optimisation is geared towards people from a specific region or location. For example, instead of targeting employers and job seekers all over the UK, you’re using SEO to attract those from Northampton and nearby places. While the audience may be smaller, it is more targeted and relevant. This increases your chances of converting a web visitor into a lead or even a client. 

How to Attract More Recruitment Clients with Local Search

Here are some useful pointers on optimising your website for local search to help your recruitment firm bounce back. 

1. Update your business information

If there are significant changes in your recruitment agency because of the pandemic, such as shorter operating hours or new contact details, make sure they are reflected on your website. This is to avoid confusion amongst your prospects. This will also ensure that they can easily reach you when they are ready to contact you. 

2. Set up a GMB listing to appear on the “Local Pack”

Having A Google My Business (GMB) listing is a must if you want to be more visible online. When you have a GMB listing, your business details will show up on what we know as the “local pack.” The local pack is a Google Search feature that provides details about local businesses related to a user’s query. It also includes a map of the local area where the featured businesses are found. 

Setting up a GMB listing is free. Just provide your actual location so Google can verify you as a legitimate business. Also, make sure that your company details, such as your address, contact information, and operating hours, provided on your listing are the same as those posted on your recruitment site. 

3. Add location pages to your site

If you serve multiple areas, it would be wise to add location pages to your site. This enables you to guide potential clients to your company. It also makes your recruitment services more accurate and relevant. More importantly, adding location pages to your site is more doable, convenient, and cost-effective than running multiple recruitment websites. 

4. Obtain quality backlinks and citations for your website

You will need to build your recruitment site’s credibility if you want to get it back on track. After all, the more credible your business, the more likely your prospects will trust you. To do this, you will need to build citations and backlinks to your site. 

A backlink is when a website links to yours. Having lots of quality backlinks tell Google that you’re a recruitment authority. On the other hand, a citation is an online mention of your business. To obtain quality backlinks, you should create content that other websites would want to link to. It is also a great idea to collaborate with local bloggers or submit a guest post to local publishers. As for citations, you should have your recruitment site listed on the most trusted local business directories. 

5. Ensure that your NAP is consistent

When listing your site on business or recruitment directories, ensure that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent throughout. Research showed that inconsistent NAPs could hurt your local search ranking. 

Besides keeping your NAP consistent, here are a few tips you should consider: 

• Don’t post your NAP info as an image. Otherwise, search engines won’t be able to crawl them. Instead, write it in an easily crawlable text format.
• As much as possible, you should use an email address from your business domain (e.g. contactus@ABCrecruitment.co.uk) instead of those from generic email service providers, such as Yahoo and Gmail. This helps build trust and provides your business with more credibility.
• Keep your NAP up to date.

6. Encourage clients to review your services

Reviews and testimonials contribute to local SEO because they provide social proof of how reliable your recruitment services are. More importantly, they encourage other employers and candidates to check out your business. 

Therefore, you should ask existing clients to leave positive feedback on your website. It also helps to contact business owners and job seekers you have assisted in the past and see if they can spare you a kind word or two. 

Overcome Business Challenges with the Power of Local Search

Getting back on your feet and finding more business is indeed a challenge these days because of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, just because it is challenging, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t doable. By making the most of local search engine optimisation, you can get your recruitment business back on track without spending big on marketing. 

If you need help optimising your recruitment site for local search engines, we are happy to assist you. Please speak with us at Recruitment Traffic and let our team provide you with award-winning SEO solutions so you can generate more traffic and enquiries for your recruitment agency.

Did you know that SEO is the biggest source of converted traffic for recruitment sites? This means that a significant number of job seekers start their journey by using a search engine. Therefore, if you want to attract more traffic to your job board and increase your chances of finding highly qualified candidates, you should know how to optimise your site for search engines. 

To help you achieve your goals, at Recruitment Traffic we are sharing several job board SEO tips and tricks with you. Consider these pointers to boost the performance of your job board. 

1. Identify the search terms candidates are using

Your SEO strategy hinges on the keywords you want to target. However, identifying the ones you should use is not a guessing game. You need to conduct proper keyword research to determine the search terms job seekers are using to find job boards similar to yours. 

One way to start your research is by visiting forums and question/answer websites, such as Reddit and Quora. These sites can help you identify the specific words job seekers are typing into search engines to find the employment opportunities they are looking for. List down the words you see on a spreadsheet. 

Make sure to narrow down your list to get the best results. You can use tools, such as Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner, to identify the best and most relevant keywords. 

2. Use relevant keywords to optimise your site

Once you have identified the keywords you want to target, the next step is to optimise crucial parts of your job board with them. 

a. Home page

Your home page is the first thing visitors will see when they land on your site. Therefore, it should contain relevant keywords to assure candidates that they are in the right place. Ensure that the following areas have your target keywords:

• Page title
• Meta description
• Heading
• Main body

b. Job category pages

In these pages, you can use keywords that are relevant to a specific job opening. Besides adding keywords to the areas mentioned above, make sure to:

• Incorporate main keywords in the job category URLs. For instance, the URL for engineering jobs should look like this: https://abcrecruitment.co.uk/engineering-jobs/.
• Add the category name in your page titles and meta descriptions.
• Include geotags in job category keywords if you have location-specific pages. For example, if you’re looking to recruit engineers in Northampton, you should use the keyword “Northampton engineer” and its variations. 

c. Job posting pages

When optimising job posting pages, consider the following job board SEO tips:

• Similar to the job category pages, their URLs should contain relevant job titles. If possible, they should also have the location. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a sanitation engineer in Northampton. The URL should look like this: https://abcrecruitment.co.uk/engineering-jobs/sanitation-engineer-in-northampton/.
• Add relevant keywords to the page title, heading, and meta description.
• Ensure that the page will become unavailable when the job vacancy has been filled in. However, instead of displaying a 404 page, consider redirecting visitors to search results pages showing similar job vacancies. 

3. Look for site errors

How your job board loads and appears on internet browsers and mobile devices can have an impact on your search ranking. This is why you need to look for bugs and site errors that may prevent candidates from visiting and staying on your site. 

a. Mobile-friendliness

There are two main reasons why you should optimise your job board for mobile devices. First, mobile-friendliness is a key Google ranking factor. Second, a growing number of candidates are using mobile devices to look for employment opportunities. Failing to optimise your site for mobile means you’re likely to miss out on a significant portion of your target audience. 

b. Page loading speed

Besides mobile friendliness, page speed is also a crucial search ranking factor. Also, studies showed that visitors are more likely to leave if it takes your site more than five seconds to load. Fortunately, you can use Google’s Page Speed Insights to determine your job board’s loading speed. If it needs improvement, you can optimise your code, compress files, and tweak your site to boost its loading speed. 

4. Build backlinks to your job board

Also known as offsite SEO, link building is the process of convincing other websites to link to yours. Backlinks are crucial elements of job board SEO. They give you site authority and they increase your chances of receiving a better search ranking from Google. 

However, building backlinks is not as simple as asking websites to link to yours. To get the best results, you should take note of the following: 

• Ensure that the websites that are linking to your job board are relevant to your topic and purpose.
• Link only to industry-related sites with excellent reputation and authority.
• You should never pay someone to create backlinks for you. Otherwise, you might face a penalty from Google.
• The best way to convince authority sites to link to yours is to create quality content that people would want to use as a reference. 

Make Your Job Boards Search Engine-Friendly

Similar to business websites, job boards need to be optimised for search engines. As more and more candidates rely on search engines to find job vacancies, being familiar with job board optimisation strategies can greatly benefit recruiters like you. As such, consider the tips discussed above to give your job board’s SEO a boost. 

If you don’t have time to optimise your job board, we at Recruitment Traffic are happy to take this task off your hands. We can offer you award-winning SEO solutions to help you generate more traffic and leads to your job board. Please speak with us today.

As you know, there’s more to SEO than simply targeting the most relevant keywords. SEO also involves optimising your recruitment site’s various on-page elements to ensure that your web visitors will have an outstanding on-page experience. When done correctly, on-page SEO can help you rank well on Google, which allows you to drive a significant amount of traffic and lead generation recruiters to your site. 

So how do you optimise your recruitment website’s on-page elements? To help you out, here’s a quick guide to on-page SEO for recruiters from us here at Recruitment Traffic. 

1. Get rid of problematic title tags and solve meta description issues

Title tags play an essential role in SEO as they provide search engines and web visitors an idea of what your webpage is all about. Missing, truncated, or duplicate title tags can hurt your search rankings, which is why you need to find and fix them immediately. An excellent way to catch title tag issues is to perform a site audit. 

Considered the “partner” of the title tag, the meta description serves as the summary of a webpage. It can also contribute to better click-through rates (CTR) because it is the only place on search result pages where you can advertise your site for free. 

Missing meta descriptions are a huge red flag. If a page has no meta description, Google will pull a section of your content and display it instead. This might include navigation text and other unattractive page elements that could discourage employers and candidates from viewing your page. 

The same thing goes with duplicate meta descriptions. Your prospects may find it difficult to differentiate between similar pages, resulting in a lower CTR. For this reason, you should create unique meta descriptions with a powerful call to action for each webpage. 

2. Fix multiple H1 tags

Multiple H1 tags usually occur when you accidentally wrap your site’s logo with an H1 tag. Since the H1 tag is your content’s main heading, you have to ensure that there’s only one H1 tag for every webpage. Therefore, you find pages with multiple H1 tags and fix them immediately. Also, add the page’s focus keyword to ensure online visibility. 

3. Ensure that your meta tags are optimised

With optimised meta tags, you can boost your chances of ranking for your target keywords and their variations. As such, take a look at your title tags and meta descriptions and make sure they contain your focus keywords. 

4. Include your focus keywords in your URLs

Here’s another important thing you should remember about on-page SEO for recruiters. Similar to your meta tags, your URLs tell search engines what a particular page is all about. They also assure web visitors that they are in the right place. 

To improve your recruitment pages’ online visibility while providing visitors with a better user experience, take the time to modify your URLs so they won’t merely contain random letters and numbers. More importantly, you should add your focus keywords to boost your organic CTR. 

5. Use short URLs

If you want to enjoy better Google rankings, you should keep your URLs short and simple. A study of 11.8 million Google search results showed that pages with short URLs are more likely to get better search rankings than those with long URLs. Therefore, shorten your URLs to get better results. 

6. Ensure that the first 150 words contain your focus keyword

Studies revealed that Google primarily focuses on the first 100 to 150 words on a webpage. To achieve higher search rankings and better online visibility, try to incorporate your focus keyword into the first 150 words of your web content. 

7. Add alt text to your web images

Images make your recruitment pages more appealing and engaging. However, they won’t contribute to your search ranking if they are not optimised for search engines. This is why image optimisation is a crucial part of on-page SEO. 

To optimise your images for search engines, ensure that each of them has an alt text. The alt text serves as a brief description of pictures on a web page. Also, when an image doesn’t load, your web browser will display the alt text instead. Most importantly, alt texts make it easier for Google’s search bots to crawl and index images on your recruitment site. 

8. Connect related pages

Internal linking is an essential part of on-page SEO for recruiters. It allows you to connect related pages, making it easier for search engines to explore and map your website’s structure. It also helps visitors discover related content on your site. Therefore, to make your recruitment pages more indexable and easier to navigate, you should find web pages relevant to each other and then add internal and contextual links to them. 

Take Your On-Page SEO Game to the Next Level

Improving your recruitment site’s on-page elements is crucial to your online success. It makes your site more visible and user-friendly. Consider the pointers mentioned above to give your on-page SEO efforts a considerable boost. 

At Recruitment Traffic, we can offer you the SEO services you need to boost your recruitment site’s usability and search ranking. Please speak with us today and let our team of SEO experts create on-page and off-page optimisation strategies tailored for your recruitment agency.

It is common for recruitment agencies to turn to social media to find candidates they can recommend to their clients. What many of them don’t know is that search engine optimisation (SEO) is actually the primary source of qualified traffic and leads, not popular social networking sites. Job seekers often start their journey with search engines, which is why you must understand the fundamentals of SEO for recruiters. 

The recruitment industry is highly competitive. With the social restrictions placed by the Covid-19 pandemic, candidates these days are relying on the internet now more than ever to help them find employment opportunities. If you want to set your recruitment site apart from the competition so you can fully tap into a growing market, you have to make sure that it possesses the following SEO elements: 

1. SSL certificate

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates ensure that your site is a trusted digital environment. Studies show that people are less likely to visit your site, much less give you their contact information, if your site isn’t secure. Therefore, reassure web visitors that your site is safe by obtaining an SSL certificate. This will also benefit your SEO since site security is a vital Google ranking factor. 

2. Google Analytics

Site tracking is a vital part of SEO. It helps you gauge your web content and recruitment site’s effectiveness when it comes to attracting organic traffic and converting it into leads or clients. For this reason, you have to make sure that Google Analytics is installed on your website. This allows you to gauge how your site is performing with regards to your marketing or business goals. It also makes it easier for you to determine the areas you need to improve. 

3. Relevant keywords

Make sure that you’re targeting relevant keywords. If you’re not, candidates are less likely to find you online. Always remember that your SEO strategy should start with keyword research. This will help you identify the search terms you should optimise your site with. It also enables you to determine the topics and the type of web content your target audience would find engaging and interesting. 

4. Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a handy tool to have, especially if you’re keen on seeing your recruitment site on top of search result pages. It is a free service from the search giant that helps you monitor and fix vital SEO issues, including page loading speed, indexing, usability, and mobile-friendliness. It also tells you which keywords your recruitment site is ranking for, as well as the number of clicks and impressions you’re receiving and the click-through rate for each search term. With Google Search Console, SEO for recruiters is a breeze. 

5. Readable URLs

To attract high-quality traffic, candidates (and potential clients, as well) should know what your service pages are all about by simply looking at their URL. This means you should edit your URLs to make them readable. Also, take the time to incorporate your focus keywords in your URLs to make them more SEO-friendly. However, ensure that your URLs are no longer than 80 characters, or they would hurt your page rankings. 

6. GMB listing

Local clients and candidates often rely on Google to find job placements or new hires in a particular location. Therefore, if you want to corner the local recruitment market, you have to create a Google My Business (GMB) listing. A GMB listing is a considerable help to both your local and overall SEO strategy. It boosts your online visibility and credibility. Also, it enables you to generate more web and foot traffic for your business, which is a massive advantage if you have a physical location. 

7. High-quality backlinks

When a significant number of websites are linking to yours, it sends a signal to Google that you’re a trusted industry authority. This is why you must build backlinks to your recruitment site. Aside from this, backlinks can also provide you with referral traffic, which increases your chances of finding qualified candidates and even potential clients. 

8. Relevant content

Web content is a vital part of SEO for recruiters. After all, it is one factor that search engines consider when indexing and ranking your webpages. When writing web content, ensure that it is something that will provide value to your target audience. Also, make sure that it contains your focus keywords. Finally, format your web content well by breaking up large paragraphs into smaller ones and using subheadings, bullet points, and numbers to make it more readable. 

Always Optimise Your Site

With a growing number of candidates and employers counting on Google and other search engines to help them find what they need, it makes perfect sense to optimise your site for SEO. By improving your site’s SEO, you’re making it much easier for people who require your services to find you. Therefore, ensure that your site possesses the vital SEO elements mentioned above to attract quality traffic and leads for your recruitment business. 

Are you having trouble optimising your site for search engines? Don’t fret. We at Recruitment Traffic are happy to help. We can provide you with the digital marketing solutions you need to make the most of the opportunities Google can offer. Please speak with us today!

To generate interest or enquiries from your prospects, you need to impress them once they visit your web pages. Here are ten useful strategies for increasing your chances of meeting potential clients to help you with this goal.

Client-focused SEO strategies to help you attract, engage and convert leads to clients

1. Create specific landing pages for every service you offer

If you’re recruiting candidates for several positions, such as accountants, bookkeepers, and nurses, you’ll need separate pages for each job position. Each page should describe the job requirements, duties, and what kind of candidates you’re looking for. Also, don’t forget to mention why your agency is better at providing recruitment services than the competition.

This strategy works for two reasons:

• You have a landing page for ‘junior accountants.’ When potential clients types ‘hire junior ‘accountant London,’ the search engine will lead them to your page. From an SEO standpoint, Google will also rank your website for that search term.
• Once a potential client visits the page, it can strengthen your brand’s reputation for ‘finding junior accountants in London.’ 

When you’re creating these pages, make sure to:

• Write a minimum of 500 words.
•  Avoid using too many keywords. Each page should have no more than three per cent keyword density. You can check it by dividing the keywords by the total word count, multiplied by 100.

2. Maintain separate landing pages for each industry

While this strategy can provide opportunities for industry-related keywords, they are also critical advertising tools. In the landing page, you can tell visitors how you intend to assist clients within their industry. It’s a kind of story-telling tactic that could persuade potential clients to pick up the phone or email you.  

3. Create a location page for each office including directory citations

Creating a location page for each office is an effective local SEO strategy. Location pages act as regional homepages and increase your site’s chances of ranking well once people within the local area start searching for your job offers.  

The next step is to build local directory citations for every location page. While this strategy may take some time, the benefits to your recruitment business are immeasurable. Start working on the directory listings with the higher domain authority first.

4. Obtain an SSL certificate for your website

Here’s one of the most vital client-focused SEO strategies you should prioritise. SSL-certified websites assure Google, clients, and candidates that your site is trustworthy and secured. Since it’s also a ranking factor, make sure that your website includes the ‘HTTPS’ protocol. Without it, you’ll find it difficult for your site to appear on top of the search engine result pages.

5. Optimise your site for various screen sizes

While it’s true that many people, including job candidates, use mobile devices for visiting websites, most clients use desktop computers. Often, the screen sizes used are either the 15-inch (1366×768 resolutions) or the 23-inch (1920×1080) variety. You can use various online tools to ensure your site’s compatibility with every possible screen size.

6. Have your contact details ready

It’s like handing out a calling card to potential clients. You want people to contact you quickly by every means possible. It’s also advantageous to include a contact form on every web page. If it’s not possible, a clear call-to-action button can do the trick.

7. Improve your site’s loading speed

Slow loading pages make it difficult for you to attract potential clients. Almost 50% of visitors are likely to leave if it takes more than three seconds to load your website. Optimise your site’s speed to increase its search ranking and enhance the overall user experience for both clients and candidates.

8. Design an ‘About Us’ page for impressing prospective clients

You need to prove to clients that your company is better than the competition. Your staff page can help convince them. Make sure to incorporate photos of your staff with a brief but engaging bio. This can convince potential clients that you’re the best in the industry.  

9. Create a well-optimised GMB listing

If you’re offering recruitment services to local businesses, you need a Google My Business (GMB) profile. It’s a free and effective way of verifying your physical address. Once your listing is approved, you can further optimise it by adding logos, images, and content.

10. Encourage reviews

Many clients consider reviews as similar to personal recommendations. If your website has only a few reviews or none at all, you should obtain as many as you can. You can request and encourage reviews from both clients and candidates. If feasible, add some video interviews as well. It’s a strategy that can boost your credibility as a recruiter while showing social proof.

Take Away

These are the ten techniques that can help a recruitment agency create strategies focused on your client’s success. While some are easier to implement than others, using all of these tactics can give your business a boost. The main objective of the SEO elements is to tell potential clients why your recruitment company is a leader in the industry.

These strategies will take time to plan and implement. If you need assistance in carrying out these strategies, you can reach out to us here at Recruitment Traffic. We can provide advice and insights that will help your SEO campaigns. 

As a recruiter, one way to set your business apart from the competition is to provide your prospects with quality web content. Considered a vital digital marketing strategy, content creation enables you to generate traffic for your recruitment site. It also helps you boost your credibility, showcase your recruitment expertise, and earn employers and candidates’ trust. 

Content creation is also a critical component of search engine optimisation (SEO). It helps you rank well on Google, which, in turn, enables you to establish better brand awareness and a more significant online presence. 

But how exactly do you create quality web content? One way to do this is to ensure that it meets the search giant’s EAT guidelines. 

Google EAT Explained

EAT means “expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.” It is from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, a list of standards that helps the search giant’s human quality raters gauge the quality of search results. It was published in 2013 and designed to help site owners understand what makes a Google-friendly webpage. 

Meeting EAT standards is essential when creating content for YMYL or “Your Money or Your Life” topics. As the name implies, YMYL topics can have a considerable impact on a person’s quality of life, including their health, happiness, safety, and stability. 

As someone who helps candidates find jobs that suit them and assists employers when filling in job placements, your advice or recommendation can significantly affect their career or business. This is why you should show your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in your web content. 

Measuring EAT

Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are concepts that may seem similar to each other at first glance. However, they could never be more different. Understanding what each of them means can help you create content that will comply with Google’s stringent guidelines. 

1. Expertise

“Expertise” means having substantial knowledge and skill relevant to your industry. As a recruiter, you should possess the qualifications or experience required to provide your audience with the information and services they need. 

2. Authoritativeness

“Authority” points to your reputation and popularity, especially amongst other recruiters. If your website is frequently cited as a reliable source of industry news, advice, and information, then you can call yourself a recruitment authority. 

3. Trustworthiness

“Trustworthiness” refers to the credibility and legitimacy of your recruitment business. It also determines the accuracy of your site and its contents. 

Building Your Site’s EAT

As a recruiter, building your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness is more important now than ever. With Google moving towards providing its users with more accurate and relevant results, meeting its guidelines means higher search rankings and better online visibility. At the same time, it enables you to establish trust with your audience. 

Here are some practical tips on creating web content that complies with Google EAT standards. 

1. Create a better link building strategy

Having quality backlinks can help show your site’s authoritativeness. As we have explained earlier, you are considered a recruitment authority when many related sites link to yours. Therefore, make sure to create web content that many people, especially members of the recruitment industry, would want to use as an online reference. 

Also, pay attention to the websites linking to yours. Google webmaster trends analyst Gary Illyes revealed that the search giant knows and understands which link matters. This is why you should always build high-quality backlinks instead of settling for low-quality ones. 

2. Keep your content fresh

Information can change rapidly. Thanks to the Internet, it is now easier to know what’s happening around us in real-time. Therefore, make sure to update your content, especially older blog posts and articles. See to it that they contain the latest information to protect your audience from outdated data. Otherwise, it could hurt your site’s trustworthiness.

3. Fact-check your posts

With fake news and manufactured data being prevalent these days, it’s vital to ensure that your web content is accurate. Fact-check your news articles, blog posts, and other pieces of web content before publishing them online. Also, use only reputable and legitimate sources of information when creating content.

4. Ask former clients and candidates to review your site

Google’s quality raters check online reviews to verify a site’s reputation. Because your reputation has a bearing on your authoritativeness and trustworthiness, you should encourage clients and candidates to leave you online reviews or testimonials. The more positive reviews you got, the better your chances of receiving a higher search ranking from Google and earning your prospects’ trust. 

It is also an excellent idea to join trade organisations for recruitment businesses, such as the Association of Recruitment Consultancies and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies. These trade organisations can be a good source of high-quality backlinks, as many of them have an online directory of members. Besides helping you comply with Google EAT guidelines, being a member of a recruitment trade association can also give your business more prestige and credibility. 

Start Demonstrating Your Site’s EAT

Creating web content that showcases your recruitment site’s expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness is a great way to earn excellent Google rankings. At the same time, it gives your credibility and reputation a considerable boost, which can have a significant impact on your recruitment business. For this reason, you should start optimising your site for EAT. 

At Recruitment Traffic, we can offer you the SEO solutions you need to meet Google’s standards. Please get in touch with us, and we’ll create a content creation and optimisation plan just for you.