Recruitment PPC – why do you need it?

Google is the most popular search engine in the UK with almost 90% of the market and also runs the biggest PPC system in the world, Google AdWords. Google’s paid adverts appear to the right and above the organic search listings (for more information on organic search results see our Recruitment SEO Made Simple page) and will only be shown against keywords that you, the advertiser, specify.

If over 85% of job seekers turn to Google at the start of their job search and “Jobs” is consistently one of the top search terms, it should be pretty obvious why you would want to back up a recruitment advertising campaign with an effective Search Engine Marketing Campaign using Google.

Here is why employers should be using PPC,

  • It’s immediate – Search Engine Optimisation is essential for any employer although it will take time to see results. PPC on the other hand can be turned on immediately jump starting your online presence.
  • Free exposure - Your ads can be seen millions of times by Google searchers and as you only are charged for the clicks your ads receive this means AdWords is great for getting your brand noticed without paying anything.
  • It’s a completely targeted approach – The correct advertising will only appeal to those who have searched for your requirements.
  • Geo-targeting - Only showing ads to candidates in your geographic location. You could show your ads to those in one town or the whole of the UK (worth considering for contract roles or if you think people would relocate).
  • Drive direct traffic to your own site – Cut out the job boards. You have control of the look and feel of your careers site and candidates can quickly find out what you are all about.
  • It can work as a referral tool - Candidates who click on your ads may not always be suitable for you but they may recommend you to their mates who are. Win win!
  • You set the budget - You never have to worry about overspend when you have established an effective budget and bidding level.
  • Only pay for relevant clicks - You only pay for those who have actually clicked on your ads. Your ads could be seen millions of time but you only pay for those who look on your site, ones who want to apply or pay for your services.
  • It’s cost effective – By only paying for relevant clicks and being very targeted with your advertising, if done effectively, Google could become your lowest cost per hire model.
  • Turn it off when you want - Adwords can be stopped with a click. You can also edit your ads and keywords during a campaign and AdWords won’t charge you a penny extra.
  • Be completely specific – You can keep your AdWords costs down by bidding on very specific terms. For example “developer job Brighton” would only cost you 4p per click as it’s so specific.
  • Be creative and have fun with the adverts – As AdWords ads can be edited in real time and the costs are so low, you can experiment with lots of different Ad copy. Why not try emotive and factual copy to see how each performs. You can then use the feedback to improve your other marketing.
  • Target “passive” job seekers – Don’t just focus on jobs or recruitment. Think about how your ideal person would engage with searches and terms and bid for those terms as well.
  • Target your competitors – Not everyone agrees with this, but it is within the “rules” to bid on your competitors keywords. This way if candidates are searching for jobs with your competitors you can make sure your company appears above them in the paid search results. Cheeky, we know, but it works.
  • Use PPC to improve SEO – As PPC is immediate, why not use the data on the keywords you have been using to inform what keywords you should optimise your site around. PPC is a far cheaper research tool than most others on the market.
  • Language – Google AdWords even allows you to choose what language those who are seeing your ads speak. This is particularly useful if you are looking for foreign language speakers.

All well and good. But be warned - ALWAYS make sure that your advert relates to the landing page you are driving traffic to.

If used correctly good PPC can gain you a larger and more relevant candidate talent pool, making it a hugely cost effective option.

Guess what? We use it cleverly…

We hope this information is useful. If you would like any more advice on your SEO, PPC or would just like to outsource the whole process please get in touch. You will find a myriad of ways to get in touch on our contact us page.