Today, organizations are using the Web to reach a variety of users – from the customers who buy a company’s products and services to prospective employees who become the human resources needed to support a successful business. These potential customers and employees rely on popular search engines like Google to get the information they need to make a purchase or their next career move. That’s why search engine optimization (SEO) continues to be a hot topic in online marketing circles.
The goal of SEO is to increase traffic to your website, predominately through “organic” (or unpaid) search results. For recruiting departments, that means developing careers sites that use SEO best practices to attract targeted, online job seekers.
Following these five SEO recruiting strategies makes it easier for job seekers to find your open positions, improves employment branding and reduces expenses that might otherwise be diverted to traditional recruitment advertising:
Strategy #1: Evaluate Your Hiring Needs
SEO begins with a comprehensive review of immediate and long-term (12 months or more) hiring needs across the organization. To receive targeted traffic to your careers site, it’s important to clarify your needs.
Strategy #2: Research Keywords and Phrases for SEO
Too often, employers post open positions filled with obscure (or boring) job titles, internal lingo and abbreviations that may never be found by online job seekers simply because they don’t know to search for ambiguity. Spend time researching keywords and phrases job seekers are most likely to use when searching for career opportunities, then develop your careers site and job postings with those in mind.
Strategy #3: Develop Talent Landing Pages
A talent landing page is a sub-page within an organization’s main website that communicates the employer brand and includes targeted messaging for a specific region, job function or keyword. For example, if a job seeker searches for “accounting jobs in Albany, NY” she is directed to an employer-branded page specifically for that job function and region. Be sure to create talent landing pages that aren’t hidden from search engines (e.g. content is behind a secure log-in or embedded in “frames”).
Strategy #4: Capture Active and Passive Job Seekers
If you’ve devoted time and effort to optimizing your talent landing page for search engines, don’t let those targeted leads go to waste. For job seekers who aren’t ready to submit an application, be sure to capture them through automatic email alerts, RSS updates or an invitation to join a talent community.
Strategy #5: Track, Monitor and Adjust
It’s important to track a variety of online metrics – from which incoming links or referral sources are delivering the best candidates to where your careers site ranks online. Use tracking and reporting tools to monitor progress and make adjustments moving forward.
Image: Emirco Studios
Author: Michele Richardson
A seasoned HR/organization development professional turned copywriter in 2005, Michele Richardson specializes in content strategy and writing for the digital world. When she’s not working or writing, you can find her curled up with a book and cup of Americano or training for her next half-marathon. Catch up with her on Google+ or Twitter.
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