How To Build An Engaging Recruitment Website (3 Quick Tips)
By Colleen Branch
Have you ever landed on a website, and almost instantly clicked back to the search results page to find something better?
Perhaps you didn’t understand the website, maybe you didn’t trust it, or possibly you had no idea what they were offering.
If your website can nail these areas, you give yourself the best chance that visitors will stay on your site long enough to listen to what you’re trying to tell them.
Here are three tips that will help your recruitment agency build a website that users can engage with.
1. Keep your web copy simple
A confusing website is likely to put off potential clients and candidates, but taking the time to create a clear web copy is a sure-fire way to make sure that your agency’s message is delivered.
You have around 10-20 seconds to convince new visitors that they’re in the right place and the best way to do this is to make it immediately clear what you’re offering.
So, how can you make sure your message is understood?
Answer common questions
Take the time to sit down and write out what your agency offers candidates and clients, both types of visitors need to know what you’re offering and fast.
If you can, ask a friend or relative outside of your business to have a look at your website homepage for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds, turn off your monitor and see if they can tell you what they think you do.
If they can’t, you will know that you need to make some changes to your copy.
Put yourself in your users’ shoes – what is it they need to know at the top level? Pre-empt what your users want to know and make sure you’ve answered common questions on your homepage.
Here are some good examples to get you started:
- Is it clear to a user what your agency specialises in?
- Have you told the user whether you have temporary, contracts, or full-time vacancies?
- Does the user know what locations you cover?
- What recruitment processes do you offer?
Answering these questions straight away will help the client or candidate to trust your website. Be honest and write plainly. There is no point in offering the world and have reviews appear elsewhere on the internet that do not support it.
Headings and subheadings are your friends
Use headings and subheadings to clearly signpost the different topics on each of your pages.
Web users tend to scan the page before reading more deeply – clear headings and subheadings can convey your main messages. Longer text can then fill in the blanks.
Use short paragraphs
Web users are selfish. They want to get the information they are looking for, and they want it fast.
Luckily, we’ve already hooked them in with our clear and useful headings. Now let’s look at how to present the extra information to make sure they stick around.
Bitesize paragraphs featuring one or two sentences help them to digest what you are saying easily.
They help to stop their attention from drifting by giving them less information to take in, and in turn, they can understand it faster.
Read through the copy on your website and break it up as much as possible. Separate each point you are making into small paragraphs.
If you have several of these mini paragraphs making up one larger point, then put a sub-heading above it. The user can then identify what that section is about and choose whether to read it.
2. Use your website to tell your story
Humans are curious about other humans, and they love the personal touch (within reason!).
Reality television shows are so popular because they show the human side of life and not just the glossy perfect side.
Write with personality and your visitors will be more inclined to read on. Professional copy does not have to be stuffy, but equally, you don’t want to be too flippant.
Find the balance that’s right for your brand and your copy will be easier for you to write, and more engaging for those who are reading it.
Write informative blog posts
Blogging is a great way to show a side of your recruitment agency that web visitors might not know about. They can set a tone for your business that may well assist in helping a candidate or client to decide if they want to work with you.
Perhaps your recruiters are involved in charity work, or interesting sporting ventures outside of work. Blog about it and help give a bigger picture of the type of people that are in your office.
Testimonials can help build trust
Satisfied clients and candidates can help shape the message of your website. Testimonials can help to confirm the type of service you offer and how you are at offering it.
Place testimonials strategically. If you offer a service such as interview preparation, make sure you include testimonials from a candidate who has benefited from it prominently displayed on the relevant page.
Think how much more likely you are to visit a restaurant that has good TripAdvisor reviews. The same applies here. If prospects can see that other people are happy with your service, they’re more likely to choose it themselves.
Show off industry awards
If your recruitment agency has won or been nominated for an industry reward, don’t be humble.
Shout it from the rooftops and include your accolade in e-mails, on your social media channels and of course, prominently on your website.
Awards are a great way to prove that you’re trustworthy as an organisation. If you’re lucky enough to win an award, be sure to:
- Write a blog about the award
- Display the digital award badge on your homepage
- Include the award in e-mail signatures
Show off how great you are! The more layers of proof that you can give to your potential users, the more likely they are to choose you.
3. Build trust with genuine images
Do you know those shiny stock images that usually feature laughing co-workers having a jolly good time next to the water cooler? Forget them.
Your brain can spot these images a mile away and will subconsciously choose to ignore them. The images become little more than wallpaper on your site. Nice at a distance, but no one is going to pay any real attention.
Instead, web visitors like to see genuine images that show real people and real situations. It doesn’t matter if they are a little rough around the edges - if they show the human side of your recruitment agency.
‘Real’ images on the blog
Help bring blog posts alive with photos taken by recruiters. Ask everyone to take snaps of team-building events or charity work that you can feature in your blog.
It encourages web users to see behind the scenes and gives them a glimpse of what your team is really like, and if you’re someone they want to work with.
Genuine testimonial images
Add images of real people next to their testimonials. Although it might look stylish to have black and white headshots, why not include coloured images of people, especially if they have a recognisable office background.
It helps to show the reader that a real-life person offered positive feedback for your company and wanted to share the information. It helps to build trust.
Team photos
Stay authentic and include photos of your team where you can, especially on your team pages or on the contact page. Your prospects will be more motivated to pick up the phone to you if they can see the person on hand to answer it.
Humanise your brand by including photos of the team together on occasions such as training days or fun days out.
Build a trustworthy recruitment site through copy, storytelling and images
By using the three tips that I have given you, you now know how to begin building your engaging recruitment website. Let’s recap quickly:
- Use simple web copy to inform and educate the web visitor about your offer.
- Help show your human side and your strengths with your blog, testimonials and industry awards.
- Be authentic and build trust and a rapport with genuine images throughout your website.
If you want users to understand what you can offer them and why they should do business with you, you need them to stay on your website and read what you’ve written. Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be well on your way.
Good luck!
About the Author: Colleen Branch writes for Chameleon-i recruitment software, a fast, reliable and intuitive platform for agencies running permanent, temporary and contract recruitment desks. Entirely web-based, Chameleon-i is available instantly and grows with your agency.
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