Introduction
The field of Search Engine Optimisation is a go-to strategy for any marketer when it comes to getting continuous monthly organic traffic to a website. However, can HR teams leverage SEO knowledge to attract more applicants organically to their job postings? The answer is a resounding yes!
In this blog, we will be exploring how the intricacies of SEO can be utilised to reach out to a vast pool of right-fit candidates while deploying the latest SEO tools and getting equipped with the basics of SEO to kick off.
Potential of SEO in Job Searches: Latest Statistics and facts
The most popular job roles searched on Google in 2023 were Human Resources, Accountant, and Graphic Designer.
70% of job seekers use Google as a primary tool for job searches.
At least 45% of candidates submit job applications online.
Over 90% of job seekers use their mobile devices to search for job openings.
The average job listing page gets around 60-80% of its traffic from search engines like Google
46% of employers have started optimizing their job listings specifically for search engines.
Nearly 30% of job seekers search for local job opportunities on Google.
SEO Basics For Job Postings
Before learning about the basic concepts of SEO, let’s first understand what a search engine is
What is a Search Engine?
According to a definition by Tech Target:
“A search engine is a coordinated set of programs that searches for and identifies items in a database that match specified criteria. Search engines are used to access information on the World Wide Web.*”
*Simply put, a search engine provides users with a set of results from the internet or database based on their queries. For the context of SEO for Jobs, we will be considering Google or Google For Jobs as the primary focus.
The Google search engine mechanism mainly works on the crawlers, which are basically bots that visit a webpage to scan the content in order to index and rank it on the basis of how relevant it is for a user query.
Additionally, job posting websites that deliver results as per user keywords and filtered preferences can also be treated as standalone search engines.
What is Search Engine Optimisation?
SEO involves a series of activities designed to help a website or webpage rank in the top search engine results for specific target queries.
SEO can be divided into 3 segments as follows:
1. On-page SEO: As the name suggests, these are the activities that have an effect on what the user actually sees and experiences on the website, including keywords, images, and elements related to the user experience.
2. Off-page SEO: encompasses actions taken outside your website to enhance its ranking and authority, making it a valuable approach for improving job posting visibility.
3. Technical SEO: addresses the technical aspects of a website that contribute to its performance, such as site architecture, internal linking, sitemaps, site speed, mobile-friendliness, and canonical tags.
These aspects will be explored in detail in the following sections
In this blog, we will be covering SEO for Jobs in the following domains:
1. SEO for job postings on personal website
2. SEO for job postings on job listing portals
Most of the tips and techniques will be the same for both, other than a few additional measures and steps, which will be separate. Before jumping to the SEO strategy guide, let’s first equip ourselves with the right terminologies that will help us understand the subject matter better.
Key Terminologies and Tasks in SEO for Jobs
1. Keyword Research: This is the process of identifying the appropriate keywords to include in your website, product landing page, or job listing. The right keywords are ones that are ample in search volume with achievable competition.
⭐ Tip 1 for SEO for Jobs: Various tools like Ubersuggest, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner can be used to find these keywords. By analysing data points like monthly search volume in a particular location, their search difficulty/competition level (SD score), and by discovering competitor site keywords, you can make the right choice of primary and secondary keywords.
Primary keywords are the main focus keywords, which are direct, high volume, high intent user search terms included in the job posting Heading/Title while related keywords are the ones that can be associated to the main keyword. For example, related keywords in a job description would include terms llike payscale, skill requirement, company culture, etc.
⭐ Tip 2 for SEO for Jobs: As far as job SEO is concerned, keyword research will include searching for the right keywords that represent your job post, have ample searches, and have the right competition level. For instance, when posting a marketing job, understanding the monthly search volume and competition level of various keyword variations can guide the development of titles and content.
While a generic keyword such as "marketing jobs" may have a high search volume (6600 searches per month), its competition level also tends to be on the higher side (61). On the other side, more focused keywords like 'marketing jobs for MBA’ have moderate search volume with low difficulty. The subsequent strategy involves incorporating these keywords into the job post title and description if they align with your criteria.
- Long-Tail vs. Short-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are the ones that contain more than 2 or 3 terms and are very specific for a topic. For example, in the above scenario, ‘Marketing Jobs for MBAs in Mumbai’ will be a long tail version of the generic search query ‘Marketing Jobs'. Although the search volume typically decreases for long-tail keywords, they are easier to rank for since they align closely with user intent, and Google prioritizes relevant results above all.
3. Domain Authority (DA): This is a website domain metric attributed by 3rd party tools like Ahrefs that represents the authenticity or SEO credibility of a website. This metric encompasses factors such as the age of the website, content quality, monthly traffic, and brand searches.
A new website typically starts with a DA of 1, whereas an established platform like LinkedIn may have a DA of 90. A website with high DA will find it easier to get ranked for high volume and high difficulty keyword as compared to a newer website
⭐ Tip 3 for SEO for Jobs You don’t have to worry about DA if posting job on job portal, as a famous job portal will already be high in DA. Additionally, when evaluating a newer platform, checking the DA alongside monthly organic and inorganic traffic can provide an estimate of the expected viewership for your post.
SEO Tools: These are typically online marketing solutions used for various functions, such as keyword research, competition analysis, backlink analysis, technical SEO audits, and content optimization. Popular examples of SEO tools include Ubersuggest, SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog.
Backlinks: When an external website provides a hyperlink to your website/webpage on its content, it is considered a backlink.The number of backlinks was once a primary metric for Google to rank websites or content pages. However, as algorithms evolved, the emphasis shifted from quantity to quality due to black-hat SEO practices such as buying links or spamming forums. Rather, quality of backlinks matters; getting backlinks from reputable career blogs, news sites, or partner organizations signals trustworthiness to search engines, enhancing the job listing's rank potential.
Cultivating a strategic presence across external sites and platforms can enhance the visibility and credibility of job postings or company career pages, ultimately attracting more qualified candidates.
⭐ Tip 4 for SEO for Jobs: Announce major hiring initiatives, such as a recruitment drive or new department openings, through press releases. These can be picked up by news outlets and linked back to your career site or job page.
⭐ Tip 5 for SEO for Jobs: Use SEO tools like Ubersuggest or SEMRush to find out from where your competitor job sites are getting referral links from, reach out to them via email or LinkedIn, or find out their contact details using tools like Hunter.io
6. Ranking factors: These are factors that can help you rank higher on Google; basic examples would include website experience for SEO, keyword integration, content quality, originality and depth, and quality backlinks. Google keeps on changing the ranking algorithms with time.
The factor that remains constant is that Google wants to provide the most relevant content and the best information/product surfing experience to it’s users. If you are interested in diving deeper into the famous ranking guidelines released by Google, you can study more about E.A.T (stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) or other ranking factors
7. Black Hat SEO Vs. White Hat SEO: In the SEO world, practitioners generally use two types of techniques: ethical and fair practices, known as White Hat SEO, and manipulative practices, known as Black Hat SEO, which violate Google's guidelines.
⭐ Tip 6 for SEO for Jobs: Black-hat SEO practices like keyword stuffing or link buying are not advised for your job portal, as they are not ethical and penalized by Google. Instead, long-term, ethical strategies such as brand building, guest posting, collaboration, and social media optimization should be used to achieve a natural flow of backlinks.
8. Indexing vs. Ranking. Your webpage is indexed when it is visited by crawlers and considered valuable enough to be displayed for search queries.
⭐Tip 7 for SEO for Jobs: You can deploy Job posting structured data / Schema Markup for Job Search which is basically a piece of code that can be integrated in the <head> element of the HTML code of the website. This basically tells Google what the page is about and helps crawlers retrieve important data points of a job post which makes the Job Post easier to rank on Google For Jobs (GFJ) and to be shown as rich results, like portrayed in the demo snapshot below.
SEO tool for creating structured data for jobs : [webcode.tools/structured-data-generator/job..
](webcode.tools/structured-data-generator/job.. not forget to get the schema markup validated via https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data
- Meta Tags: primarily refer to meta titles and meta descriptions, are crucial for drawing attention to job postings on search engine results pages (SERPs). They serve as the first point of contact with potential candidates, giving a brief yet impactful preview of the job and encouraging clicks. Here’s how to effectively optimize meta tags for job postings:
⭐ Tip 8 for SEO for Jobs: The meta title should include the job title, location (if relevant), and a primary keyword. Titles should be concise (50–60 characters) to display fully on SERPs, as truncated titles can lead to reduced click-through rates. Incorporate unique, noticeable points such as “remote,” “entry-level,” or “immediate hire” to differentiate the job posting and attract more interest.
While not directly affecting ranking, a well-written meta description (150–160 characters) can improve CTR (click-through rates) by giving job seekers a clear understanding of what makes the position worth exploring.
10. CTR and Impressions: These are the metrics that are used to measure the user interaction and result visibility on SERP (Search Engine Results Page). CTR, or Click-Through Rate, is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the total number of impressions, indicating the percentage of users who found your result relevant and clicked on it.
Impressions is the number of times your webpage was shown as a Google search result on the user's screen. As the average ranking and relevancy of your job post improve (indicated by a higher CTR), organic monthly traffic tends to increase. Both metrics can be tracked by integrating Google Search Console on your website.
SEO for Jobs: Quick Task Checklist
We understand that it might be overwhelming to consume the vast knowledge around SEO in one go. Hence, we have created this quick check list that will help you implement SEO better. Again, all the tasks and key SEO activities for jobs are divided into 4 domains (4th one being analytics and KPI measuring):
1. On-page SEO
A. Keyword Research
B. Meta Title Optimisation
C. Keyword Integration in Content and Title
D. User Experience Optimisation
E. Internal Linking (Link to related job postings or content on the website that might be useful for job seekers (e.g., “career tips” or “company culture” articles).
F. Engaging Content: Write detailed job descriptions that provide clarity on responsibilities, qualifications, and company culture
G. Alt Text for Images (company logos or office photos)
2. Technical SEO
Core Web Vitals Optimization
Mobile-Friendliness: Implementing a responsive design
Site Architecture and Internal Linking
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate
Robots.txt File Optimization
XML Sitemap Creation
Use of Canonical Tags ( to prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the “preferred” version of a web page)
Structured Data Markup (JobPosting schema for job listings)
Page Speed Optimization
Crawl Budget Management (eliminating duplicate pages, limiting redirects, and optimizing URL structures)
Fixing Broken Links and 404 Errors
International SEO (Hreflang Tags Implementation, Localized Keyword Research, Country-Specific Job Details, Location-Based Landing Pages, Compliance with Local SEO Regulations, Multilingual SEO Tools and Plugins)
Tip 9 for SEO for Jobs: While HR teams focus on crafting compelling job postings, certain technical SEO elements—like optimizing core web vitals, setting up a site map, configuring robots.txt, and implementing schema markup—are best handled with a developer’s expertise. Effective communication between HR and web development teams can help ensure that these foundational elements are consistently implemented across job listings, keeping them search-engine friendly and easy to discover.
3. Off-Page SEO
Majorly involves getting traffic and backlinks from external sources, increasing site authenticity.
A. Backlink Building: Collaborate with high-authority job boards, career sites, or industry blogs to link back to your job postings.
B. Social Media Promotion: Share job postings across social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
C. Guest Posting: Contribute content related to career advice or industry insights on popular blogs or websites.
D. Job Posting Syndication: Use syndication tools or services that distribute job postings to multiple job portals, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and niche-specific job boards
E. Employer Branding on Review Sites
F. Press Releases
G. Employee Advocacy Programs: Initiate programs that encourage current employees to share job postings within their personal and professional networks.
How to track the SEO progress for Job Portals
It’s vitally important to track the progress and changes in key SEO metrics for job postings. Not only will it help you measure the return on SEO efforts but also to mold the strategy accordingly. We have listed the following metrics that you can track to measure SEO success:
1. Total Monthly Clicks
2. Total Monthly Impressions
3. Avg. CTR
4. Avg. position
5. Top Ranking Pages
6. Top Queries you are ranking for
7. Core Web Vitals (Website Health)
Observing these metrics will help you re-iterate the strategy and answer questions like:
1. Should we change the title keyword strategy?
2. Can we target more competitive keywords?
3. How to optimize the ‘Careers’ page to get more applications?
4. Is our website performing well on smartphones?
5. Major countries we are getting traffic from.
⭐ Tip 10 for SEO for Jobs: Install Google Search Console to track the SEO metrics for your website. Unlike 3rd party paid platforms, it is free and provides the most accurate information for your website. You can also check the indexing and rich results status (as shown in the snapshot above) of job postings. Using the tool to request Google to crawl through the page is highly recommended for newer sites. Moreover, integrating Google Search Console with Google Analytics can help you get deeper insights about your job portal.
Conclusion
Although many SEO activities such as keyword research, job description optimization, and social media job sharing, are similar for both job posting sites and company job portals, additional technical considerations like schema markup, backlink building, and user experience must be addressed specifically for company career pages.
Ultimately, SEO is a gradual process, and it needs consistent efforts without any direct return in the initial phase, which is usually 6 to 12 months, in order to reap the real benefits of consistent organic traffic of applicants for your job openings