Websites and marketing platforms

Your website is often the first thing a candidate or client sees, and for many agencies it's a big source of applications. Recruitment website platforms, job board software and marketing tools help you win candidates and clients through your own channels, rather than paying for every applicant.

What to look for

• Jobs that sync from your ATS. Vacancies should appear on your site automatically, and applications should go straight into your ATS.
• Built to be found. Fast pages, job listings that search engines understand (including Google for Jobs), and content you can update yourself.
• Accessible to everyone. Your site should work with screen readers, keyboards and other assistive technology, and meet the WCAG accessibility guidelines. It's the right thing to do, it widens your talent pool, and clients increasingly expect it.
• Easy to update. You shouldn't need a developer to add a page, a blog post or a case study.
• Clear reporting. Where visitors come from, how many apply, and which jobs and pages work best.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Who owns the website and its content if we leave?
• What does the build cost, and what are the monthly costs after that?
• How does it connect to our ATS, and what happens if that connection breaks?
• How fast do the pages load on a phone?
• What accessibility standard do you build to, and how do you test it?

Watch out for

• Being locked in. Make sure your domain name is registered to you, not the supplier.
• Beautiful designs that load slowly on a phone, where most candidates will see them.
• Paying for a new site but not the content to fill it. Plan who will write it.