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We can’t underestimate Google as a key touchpoint in a candidate journey. From careers pages to Glassdoor reviews and blogs to DEI content, search determines who gets seen and who doesn’t.
So, when Google recalibrated its search algorithm it redefined:
- how employers appear in searches
- how talent discovers employers and
- how content influences hiring outcomes
These latest updates have shaken things up by prioritising people first content over generic keyword optimised content; employers should understand the intent behind candidate searches and tailor content to meet those needs.
To be the best, content needs to be steeped in authenticity, expertise, and user value.
- Employee stories need to be real and detailed, not vague testimonials. Think employee generated content, ‘Day in the Life’ and behind the scenes videos
- Culture explainers and authentic DEI narratives outrank corporate pages – show your values and give candidates a real insight into company culture
- Content should anticipate and answer candidate questions and reflect the real candidate journey
Nuancing for Early Careers vs Experienced Hires
Grads might search more broadly – “top grad schemes in location” or “best company for…” as they begin their job hunts, meaning an employer’s visibility across platforms is vital (think Google, Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter).
Experienced hires, on the other hand, are more likely to search for more specific content, focusing on a particular role, skill or culture. Here, employers will benefit from transparency in their job content and by showing thought leadership across different touchpoints (LinkedIn and careers pages, for example).
Building search-optimised content hubs by audience type will help employers improve engagement – showing differentiators, purpose/mission alignment and culture, and dialling up one aspect for one audience and another for another.
Value will be championed over size, so employers may see themselves boosted by Google’s updates if providing honest and thoughtful insights, as we are seeing a crackdown on duplicate, outdated and AI generated content.
Quality content, more than ever, is key. AI is great for scaling up but don’t let it replace your authentic human voices.
AI Overviews
Google integrated its Gemini AI model into search results, providing users with summaries above links. This means a candidate will see an aggregated search result before clicking on an employer’s page.
For an employer, this overview might include/pull from reviews, social posts or older content, so it’s important to keep information fresh.
By grouping content by topic and structuring it so it’s easily digestible, providing clear, concise answers, employers can help search engines understand the context and relevance of pages when pulling through for AI overviews. Employers should keep content across site and social channels updated, so these overviews don’t have a negative impact before a candidate even clicks on a careers page.
Go Forth and Thrive
Google will likely continue to refine the way it works, prioritising user/candidate experience. For websites, this means looking at page load speed and mobile responsiveness, and for content, this means honest and people driven information.
Employers can keep on top in several ways:
- Audit user experience of careers sites and landing pages
- Segment pathways based on audience
- Use real voices across written, video and audio content
- Intent based content wins so keep on top of search terms
- Stay visible across channels AI will pull from
- Stay fresh
In summary: Be Helpful, Be Human, Be Found
Create content that genuinely helps candidates by answering their real questions. Use authentic, human voices and stories that build trust and connection. And make sure your content is easy to find by optimising it for search engines and keeping it fresh.
