Hire more cost-effectively with Google AdWords

Who wouldn't want to slash the cost of online recruitment? You'd be impressed by how much you can do just that with Google AdWords.

When Google AdWords is used well, you can...

·         attract qualified candidates so much sooner

·         build talent pools quicker and develop candidate pipelines

·         reduce time to hire, meaning fewer operational pressures on your business

·         decrease cost per hire for greater profitability

·         manage PPC campaigns on a cost per acquisition basis

·         advertise in targeted geographical locations to minimise irrelevant candidates

Google AdWords allows you to be precise with how and when you spend your online recruitment budget. You can target only the most relevant candidates and spend less time sifting through unsuitable applications.

It all starts with a simple keyword tool, which you can easily use to see who is searching for vacancies like yours, as well as the exact keywords they use. The 'Local monthly searches' column shows how often a certain key phrase was used  to search Google last month. This gives you a sense of the demand for your vacancy.

Here are the things that you should consider in boosting your online recruitment with Google AdWords...

1. What candidates search for in Google

How do candidates search, and what keywords are they likely to use? What is the 'type' of hire that interests you? How may a candidate abbreviate their search or use locations in search queries? Could you target candidates seeking roles at your competitors?

2. Creating a compelling advert

Don't just write any old PPC ad text - treat it as seriously as if you were advertising in a national newspaper. Remember that by 'split testing' adverts - running different ads in parallel - you can see which results in more clicks and will therefore be seen as more relevant by Google, which can help you even more.

3. The influence of Google Quality Score (GQS)

Google loves relevance in PPC campaigns as much as it does in organic search results - so try to make yours precise and engaging. The better your Google Quality Score, the higher the position Google will give to your ad. This allows you to rank higher than your competitors who are paying more.

4. Relevance, relevance and relevance

Relevance is important with Google AdWords, in case you haven't noticed. Constantly review your campaigns and look at how you can improve their structure. Ensure the most relevant possible landing page for a better candidate experience - not your homepage, in other words - and make full use of conversion tracking. Never stop testing and measuring.

Do all of these things, and Google AdWords can give you consistently better and cheaper results from your online recruitment.

Editor’s Note: Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.