SEO: The Solution to the Public Sector’s Recruitment Woes

SEO: The Solution to the Public Sector’s Recruitment Woes
Cyberspace is increasingly abuzz over search engine optimisation, or SEO. Businesses throughout the private sector are discovering how much more they traffic they can attract to their websites through SEO than with pay-per-click or more traditional forms of advertising, and in the current economic recovery, their sales and profits are increasing beyond their expectations.

But what does this have to do with the public sector, you may ask, when your agency’s goal is not to make money but to provide services to citizens?

The answer may surprise you. A May 13 article in HR Magazine highlights the problems faced by the UK’s public sector in filling vacancies for skilled workers, emphasizing that whereas the public sector often promises huge salaries, public sector employees enjoy greater job security and more favourable working conditions. In the Comments section, a reader makes the point that public agencies need to shift their recruitment model away from “an admin-intensive process” in favour of a more marketing-centred one in order to reach more relevant candidates.

This is where SEO can be your agency’s saving grace. Public agencies within the UK can overcome their recent difficulties in recruiting and retaining talent by drawing those skilled workers to their agency websites – and, more importantly, the recruitment pages – through keyword-driven information both on and off the website.

Public agencies have not historically allocated funds within their budgets for innovative marketing campaigns, but under the present circumstances, it’s worth making that commitment and even seeking funds from a grantor in order to accomplish the goal of filling key vacancies. SEO is a considerably less expensive proposition than more run-of-the-mill advertising campaigns, and given the difficulty with which new, tech-savvy graduates are finding employment, public agencies can and should do more to inform new graduates and other relevant candidates about career prospects within your agency, and there is no better way to do so than through keyword-driven information related to jobs as well as your agency’s mission, vision and values.

Your agency can advertise job openings far and wide, in hard copy and online, but casting too wide a net with your marketing strategy – or lack thereof, in the admin-intensive process alluded to above – will do considerably less good than specifically going after the candidates your agency wants to recruit. Your agency will benefit significantly in the long run by providing content, both on and off the website, that will attract the specific audience you need in order increase staffing levels and accomplish your agency’s goals. It’s time for the public sector to explore new avenues in order to compete with the private sector for skilled workers as the economy continues to recover, both for the direct benefit of the public sector and the long-term positive outcomes for the citizens of the UK.

Direct Submit Internet Marketing Company has been providing SEO and other Internet marketing services to agencies of all sizes across the UK for years. Our ethical approach to Internet marketing will help you increase sales and improve your bottom line by positioning your organisation as a leader in the field and a trustworthy source of information. Learn more about what we can do for your agency today by calling 0845 272 2350 or by visiting www.directsubmit.co.uk.