Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the most cost-effective ways to drive traffic to a recruitment website, able to generate extraordinary long-term gains without needing the same constant attention as some other forms of digital marketing.
But, many recruiters wonder if they can even compete for SEO – especially smaller agencies. After all, Google search rankings are already full, is there space for someone new?
There is, and these are the SEO strategies all recruiters should keep in mind to find their place in search.
In this recruitment SEO guide:
Keyword research
Website optimisation
On-page SEO
Google My Business
Producing content
Off-page SEO
Competitor research
Is it possible for small recruiters to compete in SEO?
Yes, it’s fully possible for a small recruitment agency to compete in search engines, even against larger or international competitors.
While there may be some areas of search on which you can’t get any traction, recruiters are actually very well placed to get good organic search traffic compared to other types of small business. This is because recruiters are normally niche to a specific location and/or sector, and competing for niche terms is one of the top small business SEO tactics.
Example: One of our recruitment clients based out of Sydney got over 2,300 users to their website in the past fortnight, making up a third of all website traffic. An even smaller client, based out of New Zealand, got nearly half of all website traffic from search this past 14 days, which was nearly 1,000 users. Both received mainly new users to the website, and they're on track to hit their user conversion targets by EOY.
8 SEO strategies for recruitment agencies
1. Conduct good keyword research
Keywords are the questions people type into Google when they need information or resources, and you’ll need to fill your website and content with some of these terms.
Ask yourself: if your business is the answer, what were the questions?
Keyword research step by step
Brainstorm all of the search terms you think are relevant to your organisation. How would you describe your business? What services might someone be looking for? What FAQ do you get from clients and candidates?
Try to go more niche than broad. For example:
“recruitment agency” is unlikely to get you any results – the big multinational firms will have those locked down. Even “Sydney recruitment agency” is a bit broad, unless you have a larger SEO budget.
“chef recruitment agency in Sydney” is more likely to get you a return, because there will be fewer competitors here. Even better, “executive chef recruitment agency in Sydney” or “chef recruitment agency Sutherland Shire”.
Use SEO tools to help you understand which terms are more likely to draw users to your website. Some keywords look good on paper, but if no one is really searching for them then they’re unlikely to get you a return. SEMRush, Google Search Console and Yoast SEO are popular software choices among SMEs.
Learn more: Beginner-friendly SEO tips for recruitment agencies
2. Optimise your recruitment website
Your website plays a big role in SEO. If it’s hard to use, slow to load and there's not enough information on the pages, people will tend to bounce off your site and go back to Google – which could tank your search rankings.
Google wants to send users to useful, engaging, high-quality websites, so that’s next on our list of things to do.
Website structure step-by-step
Ensure your home page passes the ‘five-second rule’. That is, someone should be able to tell exactly what your business does and your core niche or services within five seconds of seeing the page.
Check that your website menu has all the right pages on it, laid out in a way that is easy to navigate. If you aren’t sure what to add, check your competitors to see what they’ve done.
Test your load speeds using an online website speed testing tool. Ensure your pages load as quickly as possible.
Optimise for mobile and desktop, not just one or the other.
Ensure your most important content is near the top of each page. For example, your home page would include your USPs, buttons to relevant services and buttons to contact pages (so users have somewhere easy to convert) near the top.
Here’s a great example from Ryan Recruitment. The site is fast, the home page is clear and easy to read, and the website as a whole is simple to navigate.
3. Optimise on-page SEO
‘On-page SEO’ is a term for all the little things which Google reads to determine what your pages are about, and whether it should send users there. While you’re optimising your website design and load speeds, you’ll need to take a look at these elements too.
On-page SEO to check:
Website headers: Headers should be clear, concise and correctly formatted. H1 should be the top-level page title, then H2 for subheaders, and H3 below that. Add keywords to these where natural and appropriate.
Meta tags: Each page should have a meta description. This is around 140-160 characters and says what the page is about, with keywords included. It’ll appear on Google, under the page name.
Title tag: Ensure each page has an SEO title tag. This is 50-60 characters and will appear on Google search as the name of the page. Add a keyword, and make it clear what the page is about.
URL slug: Optimise each page’s URL for clarity, brevity and keywords too, where appropriate. Keep it simple, www.yourwebsite.com.au/services/temporary-chef-recruitment is enough.
Internal links: Ensure pages link to one another where appropriate. This will help users navigate from place to place, and Google follows them too.
4. Get a Google My Business profile
If you’re a small, local business, you need a small local business profile. Even if you’re not local to a particular area, this is still a great way to claim your own name in search.
Google My Business is the panel that appears at the top of search sometimes containing business names and their locations. Users can then click on relevant businesses to see their profile.
Optimising your My Business profile step-by-step:
Claim your profile.
Fill out all of the details as thoroughly and clearly as possible.
Add good photos.
Encourage happy clients and candidates to leave positive Google reviews, and respond when they do.
Answer questions when they come through.
Post updates regularly containing useful or relevant business information, or blog posts.
Use local keywords on your website itself. For example, if you operate exclusively in VIC’s Mornington Peninsula, make sure to mention it on your site.
5. Write great content
Fill your website with great blog content, resources, and client or candidate guides.
Your pages aren’t the only thing which can rank on search – content can also rank. So, when you write regular blog updates and post useful resources online, it increases your ‘keyword footprint’, that is, the number of search terms your business ranks for.
If you think of your website as a net encouraging relevant users to your site, on-page SEO improves the quality of the net, while more pages, blogs and resources can increase its size. This is a critical part of good, long-term SEO.
How to write good content
Use blogs as a way to respond directly to common search terms. I.e. if you know users are asking, “how do I get great tech talent in regional Queensland?”, that could be your next article topic.
Sprinkle keywords throughout your content. It will strengthen your online presence.
Write for humans, not robots. Google checks your engagement ratings. If people come to your content, stay to read, and then click through to other pages, it will favour your website. If users click to your website and then bounce back to Google very quickly, your rankings could diminish.
By way of a bonus, remember that writing regular content also gives you more to post about on social and Google My Business too.
6. Get backlinks
Backlinks are links from someone else’s website to yours. In SEO terms it’s called ‘off-page SEO’, and it can really help drive your rankings.
That’s not to say you can’t get links from just anywhere. Google prefers links from other reputable websites with good SEO because it assumes that if another high-ranking site has linked to yours, it must mean your content was also valuable.
But how do you get someone else to link to your website?
Some people might tell you that you can buy backlinks, but this isn’t recommended. Google knows what spam looks like, and it could hurt your rankings.
There are four common ways small business, like recruiters, get backlinks to their website:
Guest blogging: Writing content for someone else’s website, like an online magazine or industry publication.
Helping journalists: Services like Help a Reporter Out, Help a B2B Writer or Qwoted are used commonly by experts in a field to find journalists to speak with. The journalists need help writing content, and the experts provide advice on a topic (and get a backlink in return).
Make something share-worthy: Organic sharing of your content is a great way to earn backlinks. Occasionally, try to produce something much bigger, more ‘PR buzzy’. For example, industry reports and salary surveys often draw attention from the media.
Hunt for unlinked mentions: A Google search of your name or your business name may occasionally reveal that someone has mentioned you, but not linked to your website. You could reach out to that writer and ask for them to update the content, providing a relevant link for them to use – most will be happy to do so.
7. Check what your competitors are doing
Finally, when you need inspiration, check what your competitors are doing.
Search for your own keywords and see who else ranks, then read their content and try to identify why it’s ranking better than you. Is the site easier to navigate? Is the content more thorough?
You might be able to find ways to improve upon what your competitors are doing, which will give you a whole new list of things you could do for your own website to bump your position.
Need help? Get the experts to do it for you
You’re probably realising that SEO, even for small recruitment businesses like yours, is a lot of work.
We know recruiters don’t have enough time in the day for all of these steps, which is one reason we created Three Sixty Digital. We’ve pulled together an A-team of recruitment and SEO experts to provide a high-quality digital marketing service geared for the Australian & New Zealand recruitment industries.
When you need help ranking in SEO, we’re here for you. Check out what we could do for you, or get in touch to talk about your needs.
