Google for Jobs
Push your own career page with Google for Jobs
Google is the largest search engine in the world and the vast majority of searches begin in Google. Whether we are looking for companies, solutions, problems, music, films, pictures and much more, we use Google as a matter of course. Jobs are also increasingly searched for via Google. For this reason, Google has developed an algorithm for job postings, which makes it possible to display job postings from the various companies directly in the search results. This is called Google for Jobs. This feature has also been available in Germany since 2019 and has completely changed the job search via the internet. But how exactly does Google for Jobs actually work? How can companies and applicants benefit from Google for Jobs? And how can companies integrate their job postings into Google for Jobs? We answer these and other questions in this article!
What exactly is Google for Jobs?
Google for Jobs is a type of job search that is integrated into Google Search. The Google for Jobs algorithm then searches company websites, career sites, job boards and many more for job advertisements and then displays them in the so-called enriched search results of the normal Google search results. This means that a selection of current job advertisements with various information is displayed directly and it is no longer necessary to visit the individual career sites and search through all the job advertisements. After just a few clicks, you can find the information you need about the job and apply. Simple search queries such as “jobs in my area” or “marketing job Cologne” are enough to display a selection of job advertisements.
The job advertisements are displayed collectively in a blue box above the other search results and on the smartphone or tablet the job advertisements even take up the entire screen. Another exciting and very helpful feature is that jobs are also displayed that are not explicitly searched for, but which also match the search query. This is a great advantage, especially for jobs that may have different names depending on the industry.
The Google for Jobs algorithm
In order for Google for Jobs to be able to recognise job advertisements and then also an exposed display is possible, structured data is required. This structured data helps Google to classify information from websites exactly and thus to classify them accordingly. This is the only way the search engine can understand that the content of Eventim, for example, is about events or concerts. This also makes it possible, among other things, for the cinema programme of cinemas in the vicinity of a user to be displayed in the enriched search results.
In order to signal to Google’s crawler that the entries on a career page are job advertisements, small adjustments have to be made in the source code of the job advertisements. However, we will come to this in more detail in a moment.
The added value of Google for Jobs for companies and applicants
For job seekers, Google for Jobs has a very clear advantage: to find relevant job offers, you no longer have to click through countless job boards and career pages. The most relevant and appropriate job advertisements are always displayed directly at the top of the search results.
Based on a user’s search history, Google can assess which job ads best suit the user through their search behaviour and so the most suitable job ads are displayed at the top of the list. One can almost say that Google even knows better which jobs suit him than the user himself. So the user is shown jobs that have a higher probability of leading to a successful application. Companies and job ads that do not fit the user’s mindset at all or are simply too far away are not even displayed. This way, you can avoid getting lost in job ads that are actually not relevant to you.
For companies, Google for Jobs has the advantage that job advertisements can be found better and are also found by relevant users. The likelihood that users who are well suited for the job in question will also apply via Google for Jobs is higher. Companies that optimise their career pages for Google for Jobs have a clear advantage over their competitors.
Integrate your own job ads in Google for Jobs
In order for a company to make it into Google for Jobs, three basic steps are important:
The website must be indexable, which means that Google has permission to capture job ads and thus display them in Google search results. This is only a small setting.
Then the important structured data, also known as schema markup, comes into play. As mentioned before, the structured data are codes that tell Google what the corresponding data means. Job postings are basically visible to Google after indexing, but it needs the structured data to also understand what the job postings are about. For example, the date of publication, application deadline and other data should be available in the job advertisement. If this data is prepared in the text, this is good for the user, but it is difficult for the search engine to process this data. With Schema Markup, this data can be correctly marked up, invisible to the user, so that Google can analyse it more easily.
Last but not least, it is important that the website’s sitemap has been uploaded and is always kept up to date. The sitemap is essential for Google to understand the structure of the website. Since the search engine can only provide data that it has previously collected, the sitemap is a great help in telling Google, for example, that the structure of the website has changed and that new job advertisements have been added. In this way, new job advertisements appear more quickly in the Google results.
Content specifications
The required salary information also includes, among other things:
- Title of the vacancy notice
- Job description
- Date of publication
- Employer
- Place of work
In addition, there are also recommended specifications which contribute to a higher probability of being displayed in the search box:
- Salary information
- Type of employment
- Duration of the vacancy notice
Last but not least, it is important that the website’s sitemap has been uploaded and is always kept up to date. The sitemap is essential for Google to understand the structure of the website. Since the search engine can only provide data that it has previously collected, the sitemap is a great help in telling Google, for example, that the structure of the website has changed and that new job advertisements have been added. In this way, new job advertisements appear more quickly in the Google results.
Google for Jobs optimised pages from bobdo
We at bobdo are happy to support companies in developing career portals or corresponding areas on websites and optimising them for Google for Jobs. We understand the requirements and help companies gain visibility in search results and ultimately reach the right candidates quickly and easily. We are among the top 10 providers of Google marketing solutions in Europe 2021 and help companies to succeed online with our expertise.
You have a project for us?
Then we should talk about it.
