Search Engine Optimisation for Job Advertisements

How we improve your Google ranking

The search engine optimisation of your job advertisements has long been part of our standard service. It’s a common scenario: we often receive job titles that we can immediately tell are not going to be found by anyone searching for a job in that field. The result? The position remains practically invisible on Google. Search engine optimisation (SEO) for job advertisements is crucial to ensure that potential candidates can actually find the listings. In a highly competitive job market, job advertisements need to be well-positioned and visible to the right audience. An optimised, algorithm-friendly job advertisement can make the difference between one that is barely noticed and one that attracts the best candidates.

The classic mistake: “Employee Wanted”

The choice of job title is crucial. Terms like "employee" – surprisingly common – are far too general and fail to reach the target groups searching for specific roles. No one would think of using the term "employee" when looking for a job. Everyone knows that such a search would bring up all sorts of irrelevant listings, from laboratory staff to patient transport roles or office jobs. A job advertisement titled “employee” can easily be overlooked because no one is specifically searching for it.

By using precise job titles, however, you target individuals who are looking for a specific position. This not only improves the ranking of the advertisement in search results but also results in more relevant clicks and ultimately more qualified applications. Vague job titles often attract applicants who are not actively seeking a job but simply need to prove to the employment agency that they have applied for a certain number of positions. As these applications also need to be managed, this creates an avoidable additional workload. For example, if someone is needed for patient transport in a hospital, this should be clearly stated in the job title. Such precise wording not only helps with discoverability but also improves the quality of applications.

Example of optimising a job title

Here’s another example to illustrate the importance of refining job titles: We were asked to find a “Teacher at the School for Medical Technical Radiology Assistance (m/f/d)”. The requirements were a completed MTRA qualification and professional experience, as well as a willingness to complete a teaching degree or equivalent. Our AI tool generates up to 10 different alternative formulations in such cases, which are then fine-tuned by human intelligence. This results in a job title like:

Medical Technical Radiology Assistant MTRA (m/f/d) as Teacher / Instructor at the School / Academy

This title includes several terms that people likely to be interested in the role would search for. It also highlights the importance of thoughtful gender-neutral phrasing: gendered versions like “Radiology Assistant*innen” or “Radiology Assistant_Innen” are problematic because no one searches for a new job using such terms. But it’s not just the job title that affects an advertisement’s ranking. In general, algorithms play a central role in SEO. They scan texts and determine which content appears in search results and in what position.

How algorithms affect ranking

An algorithm is essentially a set of rules or instructions used by search engines like Google to crawl, analyse, and evaluate websites. They help organise the vast amount of information on the internet and deliver the most relevant results to users. Algorithms take hundreds of factors into account to decide which websites are relevant for a given search query, including:

• Keywords: How well does the content of the webpage match the search terms?
• Content Quality: Does the site provide useful, well-written, and up-to-date information?
• Backlinks: How many and what kind of other websites link to this page? This indicates how trustworthy and important the site is.
• User Experience: How fast does the page load? Is it mobile-friendly? Is the site easy to navigate?

Why are algorithms important for SEO?

Since algorithms determine which pages are visible, it is crucial for SEO to understand these rules and align your content accordingly. SEO aims to optimise websites to meet the criteria set by search engine algorithms, so they rank better in search results. Here’s a simple example:

A candidate is searching for “MTRA teaching position university hospital”. Google’s algorithm will scan the internet for websites that match this query. It checks which pages use the keyword “MTRA teaching position university hospital”, which pages are current, frequently visited, and often linked by other trustworthy sources. The pages that meet these criteria the best will appear at the top of the search results. This is why it is so important that job advertisements also meet search engine criteria, as in our job title example, the term “university hospital” does not appear in the job title.

Why does the ranking keep changing?

Search engine algorithms are constantly updated to provide users with the best possible results. This means the rules can change, and what works well today may be less effective tomorrow. That’s why SEO requires continuous adaptation to stay up to date.

Conclusion:

Overall, targeted SEO optimisation of job advertisements is a real advantage, as it increases visibility, attracts relevant candidates, and makes the application process more efficient. This ensures that employers can find the best talent for their open positions. Algorithms are at the heart of every search engine. They determine which content users see and which they don’t. For SEO, this means understanding how these algorithms work and optimising content accordingly to achieve good visibility.

Do you need support with the search engine optimisation of your job advertisements? Feel free to contact us. Send us your request via email here: