This month saw Google launch its job search function in the UK after its initial US launch. In an attempt to provide candidates with the most relevant vacancies in one place, Google has followed in the footsteps of comparison websites like Skyskanner, which brings different flight providers’ website data together in one place to compare journeys like a flight to New York on a specific date.
Google’s UK job board partners
In its blog announcing that Google Job Search has gone live in the UK, Google says it has provided users with ‘the most comprehensive listing of jobs’ by working with UK job sites such as Reed, Totaljobs and CV-Library.
In a brave move, indeed.co.uk has currently opted not to be one of Google’s UK partners. The company’s marketing chief Paul D’Arcy told the BBC: “Indeed has decided not to partner because we feel that’s the best decision for jobseekers”. You may remember that Direct Line did the same thing when car insurance search engines like confused.com and comparethemarket.com burst onto the internet scene around 15 years ago. Time will tell whether Indeed’s decision is a good or bad one but standing alone doesn’t seem to have done Direct Line much harm.
How Google Job Search works
Candidates can simply type ‘jobs near me’ or the type of job and a location into Google and a list of options will appear. Listings helpfully include:
- Job titles
- Salary information
- Reviews and ratings of the company
- Filters (such as only showing jobs in a specific location)
- Google Maps integration (so you can see how far away from home the job is when you’re signed in)
- Which website the job is listed on e.g. Totaljobs
Like most job boards, candidates can also add filters to searches and sign up to email job alerts. Unlike many job boards, Google Job Search uses machine learning and AI to tailor results to individual preferences over time.
So far, so good.
Google Job Search’s effect on recruitment agencies
Obviously job boards will continue to do well in search engines – their websites are consistently updated with relevant content and they will continue to source users from Google (especially those that have partnered with it). However, Google Job Search does not solely list job boards – it pulls the most relevant information based on what is searched for, which can often be found on specialist recruitment agencies’ websites.
Example:
A Google user has searched for ‘IT Project Manager jobs in Leicester’. If your recruitment agency is based in or around Leicester (and your website is optimised to say this is where you are based) you have an automatic big green tick. Now, if your Leicester based recruitment agency also specialises in IT recruitment, or sourcing Project Manager roles (and again, your website clearly demonstrates this) you could very well show up at the top of Google Job Search’s results.
What has changed for recruitment agencies?
Instead of job boards taking the majority of listings at the top of Google’s search results, recruitment agencies now have a great opportunity to really position themselves as specialists and as such, be listed above job boards in some search results.
Which recruitment agencies will succeed with Google Job Search?
The answer to this is quite simply, those whose websites are search engine optimised. By this I mean those who employ SEO techniques such as:
- Regularly updating the website with fresh, relevant content (which will both attract users through search engine searches and be useful for other relevant websites to link through to)
- Optimising the website to target specific locations
- Researching what people are searching for and changing/creating website content so the words reflect what people are typing in or speaking out loud to Google
Advice about how your recruitment agency website can rank in Google Job Search
To speak to a search engine optimisation specialist about optimising your recruitment agency’s website, contact us by calling 01858 374 170 or email info@idealmarketingcompany.com
