Just Because Your Website Looks Good, Doesn't Necessarily Mean It’s Good

I understand, from a non-technical perspective and background you’ll judge how good your recruitment website is based on how it looks - if the buttons and links guide the user to the correct page, if the images look cool, if the colours go well together and so on. After all, what else can you judge it on? But remember just like an iceberg, 90% of your recruitment agency website is below the surface. 

To break it down we need to start at the very beginning - what is the purpose of your recruitment website? In part, it’s a storefront for candidates & clients. Of course your recruitment website should look great but it should never be a vanity project. It should play a central role in your candidate & client attraction strategy. 

In the competitive landscape of recruitment, you want a visually stunning website to attract & grab the attention of clients & candidates. After all, who wouldn't be enticed by sleek designs, compelling visuals, and a seemingly intuitive user interface? But, as a seasoned developer or marketing manager in the recruitment sector you’ve probably come to realise, appearances can be deceiving. A pretty exterior is only a fraction of what makes a website genuinely effective.

The Fallacy of Aesthetics

Traditionally, people tend to believe that a beautiful website will naturally attract more visitors, encourage engagement from clients & candidates, and drive conversions of clients sending across job briefs or candidates sending across their CV. However, this isn't always true. A website is more than just a digital business card or a pretty storefront; it's an operational tool that should generate leads, streamline processes, and serve both clients and candidates effectively.

User Experience Matters

Just as you, as a recruiter assess candidates on their polished CVs, your recruitment website must also pass the user experience test. Confusing navigation, slow page load times, and a lack of mobile optimization can all discourage prospective clients and candidates from spending time on your website and ultimately contacting you. On the flip side, a well-thought-out UX design with fast loading times can make even a less aesthetically appealing site outperform its more attractive counterparts.

Speed

Following on from my point above but important enough to separate out into its own section! The speed of your recruitment website is absolutely key for client & candidate experience - the majority of users will leave a website if the page takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Also most major search engines will also use page load speed as a key indicator on how to rank your website in search listings. 

Accessibility

Web accessibility is about designing and developing websites that people with disabilities can use. These disabilities could include auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech and visual. A few key areas your developer should prioritise would be ensuring images carry alt text tags, allow users to enlarge font sizes, keep contrast in mind when choosing colour palettes, add keyboard navigation so users can navigate around the screen using keys such as “Enter” and “Tab”, making video content accessible by including subtitles, use descriptive URLs for blog and job posts, use ARIA Roles, avoid using placeholder text in forms as users may struggle to see this and minimise the use of tables as they are notoriously hard to navigate around. 

Content is King

For a recruitment website, the quality of content is paramount. The information should be accurate, helpful, and easy to digest. Blog posts, vacancy listings, articles, and resources should not only speak to your target audience but also offer real value and show your agency as a thought leader in your sector. 

Keep It Updated

Following on from my previous point, your website needs to be constantly updated and regularly worked on in order to continue to attract the best candidates and most lucrative clients out there. Your blog page should be frequently updated with fresh content, ideally on a weekly basis. Any company news such as award wins, nominations, charity work, sustainability initiatives, should be uploaded on a regular basis. New members of staff should be added and old members should be removed from the Team pages immediately. And your jobs page should be updated on a daily basis with all new vacancies and remove all closed roles to avoid candidate frustration. There’s nothing more off putting than coming across a website that clearly hasn’t been updated in months or even years – I’ll immediately wonder if you’re still in business.    

Data-Driven Decisions

A good-looking website that doesn't convert visitors into clients or candidates is simply a missed opportunity. Performance metrics like bounce rate, page views, and conversion rates should inform any design choices. Implementing features like A/B testing and heat mapping can further offer insights into how visitors interact with your site. Leveraging this data will ensure that your website does its job efficiently, even if it means sacrificing some aesthetic elements.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

It's pointless to have a visually stunning website if no one can find it. SEO practices like meta descriptions, alt texts, and effective keyword planning are just as important as the colour scheme, images, fancy JavaScript or the layout. Keep in mind that Google rewards user-friendly, mobile-optimised, fast-loading websites. Falling short on these parameters can significantly impact your recruitment website's SEO performance, making it hard for clients & candidates to find you. You can check your SEO score via Google Lighthouse. 

Security and Compliance

In a sector like recruitment when you are regularly handling the personal details of candidates, data security is not something to compromise on. A candidate could quite easily send across details such as their full name, address, email, telephone number, date of birth, national insurance number, passport captures, scanned images of their driving licence, etc. so GDPR compliance, secure data storage, SSL certificates and robust cybersecurity measures are mandatory. A website can look as enticing as possible, but if it's not secure, it's a ticking time bomb for your reputation with clients and candidates.

WordPress

Here at Abstraction Labs we design and develop websites using Google Angular & Firebase so you can be sure your site is safe & secure. However if your website is a WordPress site then you’ll need to spend a portion of time checking that all the plugins it uses are safe, secure and up to date. 

Maintenance

You’ll also need a great and knowledgeable ongoing support & maintenance service. Your website will need to be updated, upgraded and changed as your recruitment agency develops and evolves. And it’s so important working with a digital design agency that has a team of in-house developers that has knowledge of your code base. You don’t want it farmed out by your design agency to an ever changing freelance contractor. 

Conclusion

The message is clear: the effectiveness of your website should not be gauged solely by its visual appeal. Beauty, they say, is only skin deep; a truly effective website is beautiful both inside and out (from a developer’s perspective the real beauty is inside). Make sure your website isn't just a pretty face but a comprehensive, efficient, and secure tool that serves your recruitment business well in the long run. If you want something a lot more secure and well made, by an actual in-house, UK based development team then get in touch with Abstraction Labs.