As you know, the first impression counts! For applicants, the job advertisement is usually the first point of contact. Within just a few seconds, it either sparks interest or is immediately forgotten. In order for one to seriously consider an application, the language and visual design of the job advertisement must convince the respective target audience right away. However, the success of your job advertisements does not only depend on the level of enthusiasm… Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the prerequisite for making your job advertisements visible in the first place – for as many candidates as possible. High time to give your job advertisements an SEO cure? The following five tips will help:

#1 Conduct keyword research

In order for your ad to reach the target group at all, it should appear as high as possible in the list of results when searching for a job on job portals or via search engines. This can be achieved with the right keywords; firstly using a strong job title. Keyword research using common SEO tools can be helpful if you are unsure of the job title and want to know what job title is usually searched for.

Important: This keyword should then also be stringently contained in the URL of the ad, the page title, the meta description and generally in the page text.

#2 Give structure to the ad

This is important for two reasons: On the one hand, you can adapt the display to our digital reading behaviour, which follows a fixed pattern. First, use eye catching elements such as bold key terms, then the content around the prominent points is examined more closely and will convince viewers to read the entire ad. On the other hand, the structure with headlines, subheadings and listing is helpful for search engines to assess the content and relevance of the ad text. In short, if you structure your ad cleverly, you will achieve better Google results. Don’t forget to include the title and content meta tags in the HTML of the page. Before reading the ad, they tell the search engines what the ad is actually about and are usually displayed as a preview in the list of results.

#3 Give your job posting a readable URL

It is important that your ad has a “speaking URL” that can be easily found by Google and also shared or viewed at a later date. “Speaking URLs” consist of readable terms and do not use technical or cryptic combinations of numbers and letters. Make sure the job title is included in the URL. This is good for search engines, which also use file names for ranking, and good for potential applicants, who can immediately infer the content of the page from the URL. On the other hand, if the URL is: http://meinfirma.de/jobs/0815mfg, neither Google nor applicants can make any sense of it.

#4 SEO jump-start with backlinks

Backlinks are true SEO boosters, which is why generous sharing buttons for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. are set everywhere. The more external links refer to content, the more attractive and conspicuous this content becomes for search engines. To give your job ad some SEO jump-start, ask a few co-workers to share the ad on their social media. This is how you quickly gain valuable social media links.

#5 Optimise for mobile view

Most people access job boards via smartphones and tablets. Mobile search engine optimisation for your job advertisements is therefore essential. Make sure your job ads look and work well on small displays with legible text and proportioned images. Candidates should also be able to easily fill out and submit an application on their smartphone. Google has been using what is known as Mobile First Indexing since 2019. The mobile view is mainly crawled and used to index the content. The desktop version, on the other hand, plays an increasingly subordinate role.

Search engine optimisation alone is not enough

With an SEO-optimised job advertisement, you have set the course for more qualified applicants to return. Of course, your ad must also be appealing in terms of appearance and content. To do this, you should above all know the interests and views of your target group of applicants. A target group analysis in advance can avoid an inconclusive shot in the dark. If you also pay attention to a few small tricks, your ad will definitely attract positive attention:

• It is difficult for the eye to focus in group pictures. Motifs with one or a few people are more suitable. Always choose authentic imagery and avoid interchangeable promotional photos.
• Long paragraphs of continuous text have a deterrent effect. Enumerations should also not be too long and contain a maximum of 5 points – with the most important facts at the beginning and end of the list.
• Research shows that ads between 700 and 2,000 characters generate 30 percent more applications, on average. Incidentally, the ideal job title should be 80 letters or fewer.
• And why not see what the competition is up to? The research can be valuable, for example, in relation to the expectations of the applicants or the benefits of the company. You can also get suggestions here and there for your layout
• Last but not least: In order to reach the right candidates, the SEO-optimised advertisement must be on the right channels. A mix of your own career website, selected job exchanges and social media channels tailored to your target group has proven itself. With Broadbean’s multi-posting tool, your job advertisement is only entered once and then automatically displayed on all selected portals – at the same time or according to a fixed schedule. Thanks to source tracking and performance analysis, you can focus on the platforms that guarantee you the best applicant response.