In today’s fast-paced recruitment landscape, figuring out where and how to best showcase your vacancies is paramount. Enter Indeed UK, one of the leading job boards that has transformed the way companies post jobs and attract talent. Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or a start-up about to post a job for the first time, this guide will demystify the intricacies of how to advertise on Indeed effectively.

From understanding the difference between a sponsored job post and free job postings, to crafting the perfect company description that resonates with potential candidates, we’ve got you covered. While there’s a myriad of job sites available, Indeed stands out for its versatility and extensive reach. This guide will offer insights, tips, and best practices to ensure your listings shine bright amidst the crowded digital landscape of job boards.

So, whether you’re aiming to maximise your exposure with a standout sponsored job post or simply want to navigate the waters of free job postings, this comprehensive guide will be your trusted companion. Let’s dive in and unlock the potential of Indeed UK!

Quick Links:

• Understanding Indeed’s Pricing Structure
• Setting Your Budget: Key Considerations
• Optimising Your Spend
• Tips To Maximise Visibility Without Breaking The Bank
• Indeed Job Posting FAQs

Highlights And Key Takeaways:

1. Free job postings and sponsored job posts are available on this popular job site.
2. Many sponsored job posts are now charged on a Pay-Per-Application (PPA) basis, rather than Cost-Per-Click (CPC).
3. When considering a daily budget, job location and the uniqueness or popularity of the role/job title, are key decision-making factors.

Understanding Indeed’s Pricing Structure

Navigating the myriad of options on Indeed UK can seem daunting, but with a clear understanding of its pricing structure, you can make savvy decisions that align with both your recruitment needs and budget.

Basic Free Listings: An Overview

Basic free listings on Indeed do not cost money and offer the following:

• No-Cost Option: Employers can post jobs on Indeed without any upfront costs, allowing businesses of all sizes to access potential candidates.
• Visibility: While free, these listings may move down in search results over time, making them less visible to job seekers as newer posts come up and could be the reason you are not getting enough job applicants from Indeed.
• Flexibility: Even without opting for premium features, you can still edit, manage, and monitor these job postings with ease.

Sponsored Listings: What are they?

A recent change to Indeed’s pricing structure means that many sponsored posts are paid for on a Pay-Per-Application (PPA) basis rather than a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) basis. Under either circumstance, the following options exist:

• Enhanced Visibility: By paying, your job listings are promoted, ensuring they remain prominent in search results and are viewed by a larger pool of potential candidates. Sponsored jobs are five times more likely to result in you recruiting a job seeker compared to non-sponsored jobs.
• Instant Match: Don’t want to wait? This feature instantly connects you with candidates whose CVs match your job criteria, speeding up the recruitment process.
• Featured Employer: Amplify your brand’s presence by gaining a distinguished badge, ensuring you stand out and attract more views when job seekers search for new jobs.

Sponsored Jobs: CPC vs PPA cost implications

Indeed UK offers tailored solutions to ensure you get the best out of your job postings, catering to varied budgets and recruitment needs. Two primary pricing models stand out: Cost-Per-Click (CPC) and Pay-Per-Application (PPA). Here’s a deeper dive into how they work and their financial implications:

Pay-Per-Application (PPA):

• Fixed Price, Real Results: With PPA, you pay a set amount for each application, but only for the ones you deem qualified.
• Reject and Save: Indeed grants a generous 72-hour window, allowing you to review and reject unsuitable applications before incurring any charges.
• Transparent Pricing: The cost per application is agreed upon upfront. Factors determining this price include your job title, its location, and the pool of job seekers in your market.
• Control and Flexibility: Decide on an application limit to manage your spend, or keep receiving applications until you decide to pause your job post. By setting clear ‘deal-breaker’ criteria and screening questions, you ensure that only the most fitting candidates reach you.

Cost-Per-Click (CPC):

• Pay When They View: Unlike PPA, with CPC you’re charged every time a potential candidate clicks on your job post, regardless of whether they apply.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Indeed switches to a PPA model when there’s ample data to predict the number of applicants needed for a hire and the associated cost to deliver them. If such predictions aren’t feasible due to insufficient data, the CPC option becomes available to you.

Additional Features: Resume searches, company pages, and more

Additional features can further connect you swiftly with a large pool of candidates on Indeed UK:

• Resume Database Access: Dive into a vast reservoir of CVs, searching for potential matches. 2023 CV search pricing packages for using this service with your Indeed account include a 14 day Standard Trial (contact 20 candidates), Standard £100 per month or £960 per year (contact 30 candidates per month), and Professional £250 per month or £2,400 per year (contact 100 candidates per month).
• Company Pages: Create a comprehensive profile showcasing your brand, ethos, and employee testimonials. Basic versions are typically free, with premium options available for enhanced branding and features.
• Indeed Hiring Events: Organise and promote recruitment events through Indeed. Costs can vary based on the level of promotion and services you opt for.

Indeed UK’s pricing structure offers flexibility to cater to both small businesses and large corporations. Whether you’re using the free job posts, sponsor jobs, or access the array of additional features, a clear understanding of costs ensures you get the best value and connect seamlessly with your next star hire. Choose wisely, and Indeed will indeed be your recruitment ally.

Setting Your Budget: Key Considerations

Allocating a budget for recruitment can be a balancing act, with various factors at play. Here’s how to navigate through the maze of decisions, ensuring you strike the right chord between effectiveness and economy:

Your Hiring Needs: Temporary vs. Permanent Staff

You can adjust your budget according to type of role:

• Temporary Staffing: Typically, recruiting for short-term roles may not require as hefty a budget as permanent positions. Consider using basic listings or setting a lower cap on sponsored ads.
• Permanent Staffing: Investing more in these listings ensures a broader reach and potentially higher quality of applicants, given the long-term nature of the commitment.

Urgency: Quick Hires Versus Long-Term Strategies

You can tailor your hiring strategy to the urgency of staffing:

• Immediate Needs: If you need qualified candidates pronto, consider allocating more towards a sponsored post. The enhanced visibility in job searches can speed up the recruitment process, filling the role faster.
• Future Planning: For roles that aren’t immediate, spreading your budget over time with a mix of free and sponsored listings can be a more economical approach. This also allows for periodic adjustments based on job search response rates.

Location, Role Uniqueness, and Candidate Volume: Factors to Factor In

Every job listing exists in a unique ecosystem defined by the location of the role, its distinctiveness, and the expected volume of applicants. Navigating these nuances can make all the difference in your recruitment campaign’s effectiveness.

Location: Urban vs. Rural:

• Sparsely Populated Areas: In regions with fewer inhabitants, throwing vast sums behind your job advert might not yield significantly better results. Our observations suggest that in such locales, a well-positioned basic listing could be just as effective.
• Metropolitan Hubs: In bustling urban centres, the competition is fierce, and spending a bit more can ensure your listing doesn’t get lost in the search engine.

Competitiveness of Role: Mainstream vs. Unique:

• Distinctive Roles: When advertising for a one-of-a-kind position, you might find there’s less competition. Such listings naturally pique interest, ensuring good visibility and a decent response rate even without heavy promotion.
• Common Roles: For mainstream positions that many companies are hiring for, consider the broader industry trends and competition before setting your budget in the employer dashboard.

High Volume Roles: Navigating the Flood:

• Popular Positions: For roles that naturally attract a torrent of applicants, like an Admin role in London or a Warehouse Worker, even amidst stiff competition, you’re likely to receive a plethora of applications.
• Filtering for Quality: While volume can be a boon, ensuring quality is crucial. Using targeted screener questions and setting clear ‘deal-breaker’ minimum criteria can help you screen candidates and sift through the numbers to identify the best fits, during the review process.

Industry Standards: What Competitors Might Be Spending

Before you post a job on Indeed, you might consider balancing your job ad spend based on what is happening in your industry and with your competitors:

• Research and Analysis: Keep an eye on similar job postings in your industry. If competitors are heavily promoting their listings, you might need to increase your spend to remain competitive.
• Industry Benchmarks: Some sectors naturally attract more applicants due to their nature or popularity. For industries with a smaller talent pool, a higher budget might be required to ensure your job post stands out.
• Quality Over Quantity: Remember, it’s not just about matching competitors’ spending, but ensuring you attract the right candidates. Sometimes, a well-crafted job description on a modest budget can outperform a high-budget generic job post.

Setting your Indeed UK budget should be a blend of strategic thinking and adaptability. Recognise the unique demands of your role, assess the market, and align your spending to your business goals. A tailored approach ensures every penny spent brings you closer to the ideal candidate.

Optimising Your Spend

Every penny spent on recruitment should yield maximum value. By fine-tuning your approach and using the right tools and techniques, you can stretch your budget further and achieve stellar results.

Assessing Job Ad Performance: Analytics and Metrics to Monitor

Leveraging the analytical features of your employer account can deliver useful insights:

• Engagement Metrics: Track the number of views, branded ad impressions, clicks, and applications your job post garners. These figures can provide insight into how compelling your advert is to potential candidates.
• Source of Traffic: Understand where your applicants are coming from. If a particular platform or source is delivering more candidates, consider reallocating more of your budget there.
• Time Spent: Monitor the average duration candidates spend on your listing. If it’s brief, your ad may need refining to retain interest.

A/B Testing: Experimenting with Different Ad Budgets

Experimentation can be a valuable tactic that gives your more control:

• Diverse Approaches: Try running two versions of your ad with different budgets, descriptions, or targeting criteria. This can provide valuable insights into what works best for your specific needs.
• Continuous Refinement: Based on the performance data from your A/B tests, make regular tweaks to ensure optimal performance and maximise the reach and effectiveness of your ads.

Return on Investment (ROI): Ensuring Value for Money

Filling a vacant job title quickly with a candidate who meets the job requirements, can ensure value for money:

• Quality vs. Quantity: It’s not just about the number of applications but the quality. If a smaller budget brings in five top-notch candidates compared to twenty average ones on a larger budget, the former might be more cost-effective.
• Long-Term Impact: Consider the lasting value of a hire. If spending a bit more upfront secures a stellar employee who adds significant value over time, the investment is worth it.
• Hidden Costs: Be wary of the costs associated with a prolonged hiring process, like lost productivity or additional HR hours. Sometimes, spending a bit more on the outset for a quicker, quality hire can save costs in the long run.

Tips To Maximise Visibility Without Breaking The Bank

Your recruitment budget doesn’t need to be sky-high to attract the right talent. Indeed UK provides an array of opportunities to boost your job listings’ visibility without draining your finances. Here’s how to make the most of your listings while keeping a keen eye on your budget.

Craft Compelling Job Descriptions

A compelling job description is at the heart of finding success when you post a job on Indeed. Follow these 3 tips to write a compelling job description:

1. Engage from the Start: Your job title should be clear, concise, and free from jargon. The first few lines of your description should captivate and inform.
2. Detail the Role: Clearly outline responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications to attract the most relevant candidates.
3. Sell Your Company: Share your company’s culture, values, and perks. A passionate portrayal can set you apart.

Don’t forget to leverage our free resources, including our job description template, job advert template, and job descriptions for more than 2,500 job titles.

Leverage Indeed’s Free Resources

You can keep your job posting costs to a minimum and engage with job seekers by accessing Indeed’s free resources:

• Utilise the Indeed CV Database: Delve into the vast array of CVs available at no cost and pinpoint potential matches. You can access 200 million free CVs in the resume database for free with a 14 day trial and contact up to 20 candidates.
• Engage in Community Forums: Be active, answer queries, and showcase your employer brand authentically.
• Attend Indeed Webinars: Gain insights on best practices and trends to optimise your job listings.

Engage in Employer Branding on Indeed

You can attract the attention of more job seekers and fill positions quicker by building the authenticity of your employer brand:

• Create a Robust Company Page: Populate it with images, videos, and employee testimonials. A vibrant page can be a magnet for potential candidates.
• Respond to Reviews: Engage with those who leave feedback, both positive and negative. A responsive brand often feels more trustworthy.
• Showcase Employee Stories: Real-life experiences can resonate deeply, offering a genuine glimpse into life at your company.

Time Your Job Posts Strategically

Timing is crucial in the recruiting process and particularly with the free job posting option. Whether you opt for a sponsored job post or a free job post, you should:

• Post During Peak Times: Our experience suggests that weekdays, especially Tuesdays, see the highest job-seeking activity.
• Refresh Older Posts: Update job listings to make them appear recent and relevant, ensuring they don’t get buried under newer ads.

By blending creativity with strategy, you can significantly amplify your Indeed UK presence without stretching your budget. The right talent is out there, and with these tips, they’re more likely to find their way to you. Invest smart, not just big.

Indeed Job Posting FAQs

Next, we answer any final questions you may have about posting jobs on Indeed.