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Job Ad Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of making your online content easy to discover. Mobile optimi­zation will make it easy to review and interact with on any mobile device. It’s important to consider both of these optimization strategies when creating your job ads to ensure they are found and accessible from anywhere. Check out the tips below to optimize your next job ad and kick off a positive candidate experience from the start.

If candidates can’t find your job ad, they can’t apply. The tips below will help you become more present in search results to attract more candidates for you open positions.

Tip #1: Standardize the job title

Even if your company gets creative with job titles (i.e., Director of First Impressions), keep it simple and use a job title that candidates would search for to give your job ad a better chance of making it into the list of results.

Also, make sure you don’t add anything extra to your job title like salary, location, abbreviations or punctuation ( %, $, @, /, #, !). This can confuse the search engine and could compromise your position in results.

For example:
The job title, Director of First Impressions would not be a good choice, as it is not industry standard. You will have more success using Receptionist for this job ad.

Tip #2: Craft a keyword-rich description

To zero in on the right opportunity, candidates can search for job titles, skills, and keywords related to their field. Make sure to do your research and sprinkle related keywords or synonyms throughout the job ad to increase your presence in search results. Here are a few ways to find them:

  • Ask the hiring manager or team for inspiration. Crowdsource to find a few synonyms for the job title, skills, systems and processes they use, etc.
  • Try Google’s Keyword Planner to run a search on your job title or skills and you will get a list of relevant related keywords and their popularity in searches. A search for “Graphic Designer” provides new keywords like: “graphic artist,” “motion designer,” and “graphic Illustration” – all good options to incorporate into the job ad.
  • Use one of Monster’s candidate search tools and find a few ideal candidates. Take note of the language they use in their resume and profile and find new keywords to use in your job ads.
  • Job seekers are interested in jobs that will allow them to better manage their life, working hours, commute, and generally improve their work/life balance. If you’re offering a position that speaks to these desires, make sure to include some of the following keywords within your job description: Flexible Hours, Fully Remote, Virtual Work, Work from Home, etc.

Tip #3: Don’t trick the system.

Some people think that if they list a bunch of keywords at the end of their job ad they will somehow trick the system into thinking their job ad is more relevant than it really is. This will not help your job ad ranking and you should avoid it as it can be seen as a spam tactic. If you are looking for ways to boost performance, Monster outlines a number of ways to accomplish this in our Job Ad Best Practices article.