Careers websites16

One of the most common questions we’re asked when developing a careers website is: “Can you make sure it’s optimised for Google?” It’s a smart – and important – question, but not always a clear one. The short answer is yes: we’ll ensure your site is fully set up for indexing across all major search engines – not just Google, but also Bing, Yahoo UK, DuckDuckGo. That’s just a standard part of our process. But true optimisation is about more than ticking technical boxes. We need to understand: What exactly should your site be optimised for? Is it a specific job? A department? A key element of your employer brand? Maybe all three? Once we know, we can build an SEO strategy aligned to your goals.

Before we dive deeper, let’s step back and cover the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – and how search engines really work.

Back to basics

SEO is both an art and a science. At its core, it’s the process of enhancing a website’s visibility in search engine results for relevant queries. Effective SEO spans a wide range of efforts – from technical improvements to content strategy – all aimed at matching user intent and delivering a strong user experience.

How search engines work

Search engines like Google follow three key steps:

• Crawling: Bots scan the internet, collecting information from millions of web pages.
• Indexing: This information is stored and organised within a massive database.
• Ranking: When a user searches, algorithms select and order the most relevant pages to display.

For instance, a search for “Employer Brand Agency” prompts Google to sort through its index and display the results it deems most relevant to the user’s query and intent.

Organic traffic vs paid search

SEO primarily focuses on generating organic traffic – visitors who find your website through unpaid search listings. However, on most search results pages, you’ll also see paid advertisements – often listed at the top.

A few important distinctions:

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Encompasses both paid and organic strategies to appear in search results.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Specifically focuses on improving unpaid, organic visibility.
• Search Engine Advertising (SEA): Refers to paid ads targeted to specific keywords.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC): A model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on an advert.

Both SEO and PPC have their place. While PPC delivers immediate results (at a cost), SEO builds sustainable visibility over time. Ideally, a balanced approach incorporates both.

Why SEO matters

Companies invest significantly in SEO for a reason: it drives high-quality, sustainable results. To illustrate, Google processed approximately 8.3 billion searches daily in 2024 – a number that continues to grow exponentially. If you have a website, appearing in relevant search results is essential.

SEO captures real intent

Unlike social media, where brand messages compete for attention, search is intent-driven. Users are actively seeking information, solutions, or opportunities – and SEO connects you directly with that demand. This makes SEO a powerful inbound strategy: users come to you, already primed to engage.

SEO creates competitive advantage

Creating a website and leaving it at that simply won’t cut it. With new websites popping up left and right, getting noticed is becoming increasingly complex. But SEO can help your employer branding by:

• Enhancing visibility
• Building authority and credibility
• Increasing engagement
• Driving qualified traffic
• Strengthening employer brand loyalty

The three fundamentals of search engine optimisation

SEO is all about optimising your website to increase your online visibility. But what do we mean by that? What exactly should you be optimising? Well, there’s a lot you can do, and it can be divided up into three main areas.

Technical optimisation

Technical SEO ensures your website functions properly for both users and search engines. Key focus areas include:

• Fast page loading times
• Crawlability (making the right pages accessible to search engines)
• Eliminating dead links
• Website security (SSL certification)
• Implementing structured data

A fast, secure, well-structured site not only improves rankings but also provides a superior user experience – a key priority for search engines.

On-page optimisation

On-page SEO focuses on optimising the elements within your website itself. This includes:

• Creating high-quality, relevant content
• Smart keyword integration
• Demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness
• Building clear site structures and internal linking strategies
• Crafting effective URLs, meta titles, and alt text

On-page optimisation ensures your content is discoverable, relevant, and valuable — boosting both user engagement and search rankings.

Off-page optimisation

Off-page SEO focuses on building your site’s reputation across the wider internet. Key strategies include:

• Earning high-quality backlinks
• Content marketing
• Active engagement on social media platforms

High-quality backlinks act as endorsements of your content’s credibility, signalling trust to search engines and helping to improve rankings.
Platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube – along with major job boards – can all enhance your SEO performance.

Key search engine ranking factors

Search engines evaluate hundreds of factors when determining rankings. While the exact algorithms are proprietary, several key factors are consistently influential:

• Content quality, relevance, and usability
• Strength of internal and external linking
• Technical infrastructure (security, mobile optimisation, etc.)
• Overall user experience (site speed, ease of navigation, etc.)
• Brand reputation and online presence

Focusing on these fundamentals provides a strong foundation for sustainable SEO success.

So, where does that leave us today?

Search engines continue to improve their algorithms to improve their users’ experience. The focus points of SEO in 2025 are still high-quality, user-centric content, technical excellence (site speed, security, mobile compatibility) and a clear alignment with search intent. Search engines are working hard to better understand a user’s search intent and show that user the results that best fit their needs. Related to that, they continue to improve how information is presented in the search results, which can differ quite a bit per search intent.

Zero-click searches

Today, more searches are answered directly within search results – without users clicking through to a website. While this can reduce site traffic, being the source of these featured answers still strengthens brand visibility and authority.

Large Language Model (LLM) chatbots

Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are reshaping how users search for information. Search engines are also incorporating AI-driven overviews that synthesise information across sources to answer complex queries. This evolution means SEO strategies must focus not just on attracting clicks, but also on becoming trusted, high-authority sources that AI and search platforms reference.

Need a little help?

We’re here to help. Whether you’re launching a new careers site, aiming to improve your search visibility, or looking to ensure your brand is referenced across new AI-driven platforms, it all starts with one essential question: “What exactly do you want to be optimised for?” Once you can answer that, you’re already on the path to success. Let’s connect. After all, much of our best work has started with a cup of tea and a call.

In May we were a little shocked and surprised to be awarded gold in the ‘Career Site Provider’ category at the inaugural In-house Recruitment Supplier Awards (IHR). In many ways, this was a first; not just for us, but for the industry. That’s because, while we’ve been over the moon to win awards for our clients over the years, this time the awards were all about recognising suppliers to the recruitment industry and the impact we make.

While the light was shone on us and our fellow agencies and creatives – it wasn’t without seeking plenty of evidence and all-important feedback from the clients themselves. And not for just one website or project. This is a different award, it’s about the entirety of our work. That’s why we think these awards are so interesting. Yes, there were judges but, in truth, it was our clients who won it for us. Thank you, lovely people.

So, what was the IHR looking for?

The entry form asked a lot of questions. Not just about the work we do, but also the way we do it. Our guiding principles, vision and the values we live and breathe to achieve that vision. Of course, we talked about our work, including short case studies on the challenges we were looking to address, the solutions we put in place and the impact they’ve had. But we also positioned how we’re different from other (equally fantastic) suppliers. So, we must have said something that they like. Why take our word for it, let’s hear from the IHR itself.

“We’re looking to give credit to those suppliers who are making positive changes within the industry, doing great things and making all of our lives that much easier. And secondly, to help those in-house recruiters to make the right decision when choosing a new supplier. Bringing the community together for an unforgettable evening of reward and recognition.” Mark Lennox, Co-founder, In-house Recruitment Network

So what do we think makes us different? Here are a few thoughts.

Our secret weapon, our clients

We love our clients. We do. And we hope that they love us too. While some agencies may wish for happy clients, we want clients who truly see the value in how we support them. The understanding that whatever the project is, it is their project and we’re merely guiding them through it. Putting forward ideas based on best practice and experience, but while understanding the specific needs of that client. We don’t do ‘off-the-peg’ solutions. We don’t have a platform to pitch. We’re pitching a true partnership. And from what our clients have said about us, that’s how they feel too.

“Working with That Little Agency has been a real pleasure. As a sometimes not-so-easy client who has clear ideas and strong opinions, they navigate this (me) like the pros they are. I don’t feel like I’m working with an ‘agency’, the TLA team are an extension of the team. Taking the time to get to know our business, approaching every client as if it were his own business. They’re a tremendous sounding board, whose knowledge seems to know no bounds and their open ears have been crucial to me.” Emma Issitt, Group Head of Talent, DE&I and Wellbeing, Travis Perkins

We’re a values-driven business

Our values are the driving force behind every decision. They bring clarity and meaning to the work we do. We recognise just how important influencing someone’s career decisions can be. There’s a very human story behind recruitment creative work. It’s not lost on us that we, and our clients, work together to inspire futures and change lives. And we never forget that at the heart of every creative thought needs to be a human benefit.

It’s all about the experience

While we talk a lot about the ‘candidate experience’ in this industry, as a supplier we see the client experience as just as important. We are experts, but we like to bring fun along the way. Our collective expertise means nothing without delivering a great experience. Building trust is so important too. We do this with clarity of thinking, transparency of cost and a straightforward, pragmatic approach. We understand the financial challenges our clients face and deliver solutions that get results without breaking the bank.

There’s no off-the-peg solution

We believe that every piece of careers website development is unique and each project must be approached with the client’s recruitment objectives, messages and measures for success firmly in mind. This is why the first step is always a meeting of both the client’s and TLA’s project teams to discuss and agree on key aspects of the design, development and delivery. We work with very closely with brand, marketing, digital and resourcing teams to deliver a website that helps them say what they want to say in the way they want to say it – but delivered through the lens of them as an employer.

“That Little Agency were a pleasure to work with. They took time to understand our needs, worked with us hand-in-hand, and were patient and consultative throughout the project. They also made it fun! After the work was done, they followed up, provided guidance and also ensured that the work was recognised in the right places.” Maria Achieng Onyango-Watkins, Director, Global DEI Enablement & Programs, Meta

We’re only as good as our last job

At our very heart, we’re problem solvers. Delivering digital, employer marketing and branding solutions that help meet the needs of our clients and their target audiences. Whether that is a large global brand or a local university. Supporting talent acquisition across the organisation or recruiting for a single role. We’re just as happy guiding a client through the opportunities that social media can support their employer brand, as we are scoping, designing, writing and developing a new careers website. We enjoy it. Our clients do too. And we’re pretty good at it.

So grab a cuppa and take a look at a few of the projects that the judges took a look at during the process:

• Clarks
• Jaguar Land Rover
• Hastings Direct
• Met Office

We are phenomenally grateful for the wonderful clients that we have, and the work we’ve done together. And we do mean together. We’ll leave the final word to Heather Kitto, Head of Resourcing at NFU Mutual.

“I’ve worked with members of the TLA teams for over 10 years, and during that time they’ve invested hugely in getting to know our business and our targeted community. In the time we’ve worked with the team we’ve increased our direct sourcing, decreased our time to hire and won an award or two. Their approach is based on putting themselves in your shoes; investing the time to understand the challenges and offering solutions. They have the rare skill of being able to match creative ability with an understanding of what drives a business.”

Are you planning your next careers website?

You might like to read our article ‘How to build an award-winning careers website’.  We share some of the processes and features we build into our sites and links to other related TLA content on careers sites. Or, how about our free guide, Launching your careers website – it’ll get you off to a flying start.

Need a little help?

If you feel that you’d like some help, support or even a little chat about your careers website or aspect of your employer brand and talent attraction strategy just drop us a line. After all, much of our best work has started with a cup of tea and a Zoom call.

Newly updated for 2024 – our helpful little guide on all you need to know about the software that recruiters can’t do without. The Applicant Tracking System – but let’s just call it an ATS to make life simpler.

We first wrote this in 2019. Of course the biggest change – and something that’s changing even as we write – is the arrival of AI. Unless you’ve been hiding in the Kingdom of Bhutan without internet access, you’ll know AI is a huge catalyst for change, and recruitment is no exception. The tips in this article are built on real experience. We’ve been around the block in the ATS world – we know many of the suppliers, we’ve helped clients choose the right one for their needs, we’ve integrated them into careers sites.

We’ve split this into two main sections – we start with the planning stage and then look at some of the ATS features you might want to include.

Why you need an ATS

Just in case you are new to this… Most organisations have an ATS. It’s a piece of software that manages the recruitment needs of the organisation and, if done well, also creates a great candidate experience and supports the employer brand. So, a pretty important part of your talent and resourcing strategy to get right.

An ATS really is a must have. If you’ve worked in any form of resourcing you’ve probably used one. The advantages it brings go way beyond the part that candidates engage with, it brings organisation, speeds up internal processes, protects data and overall reduces the time to hire as well as improving the quality of hires.

What’s not to like? Well, it can be a bit of a process getting it right and plenty of things to consider (and avoid) along the way.

Ask the business what it wants

Often specced by the resourcing or recruitment team, an ATS is really an organisation wide system. It’s used by line managers, HR, IT and of course your candidates. So, it would be a good move to ask the business to tell you what they, as internal customers of the ATS, would like to see.

When you are doing this, it’s worth having at the back of your mind the issues that you hope the ATS will fix. What has bought this about and what improvements are you seeking to make? Does the business want a faster hiring time, a better process to share and feedback on candidates? Has candidate feedback told you that the vacancies on your current careers site were slow to load and didn’t really bring the roles to life? Was the mobile experience poor?

Make a wish list

To get you started, here are a few things that we think your ATS really should have:

• It needs to be user-friendly. Recruiters, hiring managers, and other stakeholders need to be able to use it, not loathe it.
• It should offer a data feed. Either an API, XML feed or at least an RSS feed.
• The roles should be Google for Jobs indexed.
• Ease of job board posting to multiple job boards.
• Mobile application – everyone should be able to access it on the go.
• Video interview facility.
• Strong data privacy and security that comply with regulations such as GDPR.
• Ease of integration with the other tools and systems you use.
• Good reporting tools and analytics. You’ll want to track key recruitment metrics.
• Automation and AI capabilities. We cover this in more depth below.
• And of course a good candidate experience. The features that help you as a recruiter also need to create a positive impression for candidates.

We’ll go into more depth on features in part two.

Do your due diligence

Like we said, your ATS is a biggie. So, you’ll want to find out all you can about the options – and there are a lot of them. We can give you some pointers but why not start by asking your network. Who do they use, what do they like about them? Any poor experiences?

There are free ATS systems out there in open source. They might seem tempting, but the reality is they are free for a reason. There’s often no support, you can’t do your own customisation, so you run the risk of serving up a poor user experience – internally and for candidates.

So, sit down with the suppliers that interest you and ask them for their client list, their client retention rate, how long they have partnered with them, the specifics of how they have helped them, and see if you can ask their clients why they chose them and have stayed with them. What’s more, research the reputation and track record of ATS suppliers including customer reviews, case studies, and testimonials.

After all, as this graphic suggests, not everyone loves their ATS.

What level support will you need?

When doing your research, assess the level of customer support and training offered by the supplier to ensure ongoing assistance and guidance. For example, how confident are you with tech? Once it’s up and running an ATS should be simple to use – but implementation can be involved, and you might want some dedicated support to guide you through.

So, here are a few support related things to consider:

• Does the ATS supplier offer a dedicated contact, with a phone number to reach them?
• Does the software include FAQs or other documentation to help you use it?
• Where is your supplier based – can you get access to support when you need it? For those less tech savvy, this might rule out an overseas supplier.
• Are there training sessions for new users?

Set your budget

The recruitment budget is traditionally focused on the cost of attraction – ads, job board postings and agency costs. However, an ATS can bring savings that reduce these costs so, there is a business case to have some of the recruitment budget allocated to the ATS as it will pay you back with interest.

The first thing an ATS supplier will probably ask you is the number of vacancies you are likely to place. That’s because there are a variety of pricing structures, some of which are based on the number of roles, system users and the number of employees. How scalable is the system? A scalable ATS can adapt to changes in hiring volume, organisational structure, and recruitment processes over time. If you are planning on growth and doing a lot of hiring, you should state this at the outset to avoid a model that may cost more than it might have done.

Costs and demonstrating ROI

So that costs don’t spiral, consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the ATS, including implementation, licensing, training, and ongoing support costs. Consider the ROI (Return on Investment) of the ATS in terms of time savings, efficiency gains, improved candidate quality, and other measurable benefits.

Consider how you use AI

Since we first wrote this, AI has significantly transformed applicant tracking systems (ATS) in several ways. AI can help by streamlining processes, improving candidate matches, enhancing user experience, and enabling data-driven decision-making in recruitment – just as long as it’s used with care. Chatbots may also be able to answer common candidate questions. However, it’s essential to balance the benefits of AI with ethical considerations and ensure that algorithms are transparent, fair, and free from bias.

When deciding how much of the AI enabled features you use, always look at it from the candidate’s perspective. Despite the efficiencies of automation, recruitment still involves decisions that impact on real people and the effort they have put into their application. Any aspect that dehumanises their experience of your employer brand, creating a negative candidate experience, can do more damage than any advantages it might bring.

Getting what you want. What you really, really want.

Can it post to multiple job sites and social media?

What job boards and social media do you and your candidates engage with? Not all ATS solutions work across all job boards, particularly some of the more niche. You therefore run the risk of missing ideal candidates as they probably won’t see your roles. The more specialised the role, the far greater the likelihood they’ll be looking at sites within their areas of expertise. An ATS that only connects to the generic sites like Jobsite and Monster won’t offer the flexibility you’ll need.

How easily can you customise it and adopt your branding?

We’ve all been on those careers sites where you’ve taken a little tour, read the content, maybe watched a video. It’s all going well and then you decide to look at the vacancies. All of a sudden it’s different. You just know you’ve gone to the ATS and what was quite an engaging process now feels very er, ‘generic’. You could be on any careers site. Just at the point where you want the candidate to be most enthused – it all goes a bit cold. That’s what happens when the ATS isn’t very flexible. That’s why you need your ATS to be branding friendly – it’s a big part of the expression of your employer and corporate brand.

Does the ATS enable employee referrals?

We think it should. Referrals are still highly effective in generating candidates who are likely to become warmly engaged with the business through the relationship they have with the referrer. The best ATS will provide you with a clear way to attract and reward referrals from your employees.

Does the ATS allow you to communicate with candidates, hiring managers and recruiters?

No more unread emails to hiring managers chasing their decisions. The best ATS software allows you to communicate directly which better serves your internal needs and keeps candidates in the loop too. Poor communication can reflect poorly on the candidate experience and employer brand so always spec this in your ATS brief.

Is it mobile friendly?

We hardly need to state this but even if you think your business is still largely desktop based, it won’t be forever. An ideal ATS will enable your resourcing team to review candidates, schedule interviews, leave feedback and check the candidate pipeline via the device of their choice.

Does the ATS give you recruitment analytics data?

We started by suggesting you work out what you want the ATS to improve with your recruitment process. Now you need to measure it to help continuously assess and enhance it. You can extract resourcing data the hard way – by pulling internal data and chasing hiring managers but it’s hard work. So, although not all ATS solutions offer an analytics function, we think it should be included if your budget will allow.

If recruitment metrics is something you’ve been meaning to brush up on, you’ll find our recent article will make you an expert in no time at all.

Does the ATS integrate with your systems?

Such as your calendar software, so that interviews scheduled via your ATS will also show up in everyone’s calendar along with any subsequent changes. Also consider your HR IT system, intranet, any background check provider used and, as we covered above, different job boards.

Does the ATS have diversity and inclusion tools?

Many ATS applications offer tools that can help support your DE&I initiatives. Some of these capture information from candidates when they apply or accept an offer as well as reporting and analytics to simplify the measurement process. This is also an area where AI can help. For example, AI can help mitigate unconscious biases in the recruitment process by focusing on relevant qualifications and skills rather than demographic information.

Is there a free trial available?

You’ll want to find out if the ATS can do all the things you want it to, but also how easy it is to use. The goal of implementing an ATS is to simplify and streamline the recruitment process after all. So, ask the supplier for a free trial and make sure that the features it has (as good as they may be) are actually what your organisation actually needs.

In conclusion

Choosing an ATS is an important process and a decision that impacts your internal hiring managers, your resourcing team and not the least, your candidates. There are many options but there will be an ATS out there that will suit your needs. Finding it needs a clear wish list, an idea of the best suppliers and a lot of time. We hope this guidance will help you find the right one for you.

Need a little extra help?

If you feel that you’d like some help, support or even a little chat around selecting your ATS, defining your employer value proposition, developing your employer brand or any aspect of your talent attraction strategy just drop us a line. After all, much of our best work has started with a cup of tea and a biscuit.