If you ask savvy recruiters and HR pros how to write a great job posting, it won’t be long before they begin talking about job search keywords and job ad SEO. For the uninitiated, implementing SEO for job posts can be a bit intimidating, but it really comes down to properly utilizing keywords in a job description and paying attention to some of the structural elements and current best practices that will maximize your job posting SEO.
If you’re really interested in learning how to write a great job posting, start by performing research into job search keywords. SEO for job posts is no different than any other SEO initiative. It all starts with keywords. If you don’t know what your audience is looking for, there’s no way you can incorporate those keywords in a job description.
One of the tools iHire offers employers is the Job Optimizer, which helps hiring managers identify which job search keywords to add to their postings.
As you begin to compile your job search keywords and prepare to write your job posting, keep the following types of keywords in mind:
This goes hand in hand with your research into job search keywords. Your job post needs to speak directly to your desired candidate, using language that will resonate with them. To do this, you must identify who your perfect candidate is and find out what they are typing into search engines.
Don’t have time to conduct market surveys, review job seeker forums, and/or pore over results on Google Trends? Start by checking out the language some of your competitors are using and look for similar positions on job boards (like iHire) and search engines (like Google or Bing) to see what you come up with.
To get the most “juice” out of your SEO efforts, you need to optimize your job posting’s landing page. This means utilizing those keywords you compiled during your research and inserting those terms and phrases into strategic areas of the webpage to maximize your job ad’s search engine ranking.
Focus your efforts on the four most important SEO elements of your job posting’s landing page:
It’s no secret that more and more people are leaving their desktops and laptops behind, turning instead to their smartphones and tablets to surf the web. Job seekers are reviewing opportunities and applying for positions via mobile at a much higher rate than a few years ago. This trend is expected to continue, which means you have to keep mobile users in mind when developing your job ad.
The benefits of mobile optimization extend beyond job seekers, though. Google now gives mobile-friendly websites a search ranking boost, so if your site is not optimized for mobile visitors, you’re missing out on serious traffic. Furthermore, mobile optimization is quickly becoming the industry standard. It’s pretty simple, really: pay attention to mobile experience or get left behind.
With the advent of voice search assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Google Now, a whole new world of job ad SEO has opened up for employers and recruiters. The prevalence of voice searches has increased the use of long-tail keywords—very specific phrases—which are more likely to be spoken than typed.
This is just another thing to keep in mind when incorporating keywords in a job description. Although voice search is just beginning its rise, use of this technology promises to grow over the coming decade. For evidence, simply look at the number of teens who use voice search with friends (57%) or while watching TV (59%) compared to adults (24% and 36%, respectively).
The next time you need to hire, try incorporating the approaches and techniques mentioned above. Getting your job posting to rank highly in search engines will significantly increase the amount of attention your job ad receives. Finding great talent has always been a numbers game, so make sure that your job posting gets in front of as many of the right eyes as possible by implementing proper job ad SEO practices.