Google for Jobs, Dublin, Ireland market

[VeroBrain]

Hi Moz fans,

I face an issue with Google for Jobs, Dublin, Ireland market.
My client, a local job agency lose rank, his posts appear mediated by other big job companies who have high DA, over 60, client has less than 30 DA.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

Mª Verónica

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Mª Verónica,

Just want to be sure I'm fully understanding the query. Your client is a job center in Dublin, and is being outranked by competitors with a higher DA. Is that right?

If I've understood correctly, and you're convinced that it's the DA-related metrics that are causing these competitors to outrank your client, then the answer would be to improve your client's DA-related metrics, too. Is there something specific you were thinking about and wanted particular advice on about improving your client's DA?

[VeroBrain]

Hi Miriam,

Thank you so much for taking time to answer this.

So far, officially Google Jobs is not working in Ireland, but in fact we see these results for almost all best keywords.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hqi8nt2A_up9R0UZgxyjq-VXjg3O7HRl/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OFH-qreM4lKlfJ_-RLYBNh1Kcw_j8k1Y/view

Big jobs companies, pull jobs data and publish it "mediated" by them.
Therefore, my client's website from rank an average of #9 two months ago, now it has an average of #11.

That is one result. Of course, the big companies publish the jobs, which are published first in my client's website. Those companies do not offer a link to my client's website, instead the URL without a link, the same with the contact email.

Truly, I can advise him to improve the structured data for jobs, but with those overwhelming DAs, I am not sure if it might work at all.

I am fully aware that it is imposible to compete with companies with over 100,000 back-links, despite my client has a 21 years old recruiter company with great reputation.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance for any help and/or thinking about the issue.

[MiriamEllis]

Thank you for the further details  Mª Verónica.

It is always so hard when Google moves in on a territory where we were formerly doing well. Think of how, ten years ago, individual hotels had a chance of ranking their websites fairly well with a little work. Now, Google's hotel product + all of the other hotel rental mega sites out there are about all that ranks for queries like "hotel San Francisco".

It sounds to me like what you are witnessing with the client in Dublin is the encroachment of Google into this space, and you are right to realize you can't really beat this. Based on this, and without being able to investigate your actual client, I have a couple of things to suggest:

1. There's an old saying: If you can't beat them, join them.

The client needs to become a master at posting to Google Jobs. They need to dive deep into learning how to ensure that their jobs are the ones coming up in the Google Jobs interface. I am not familiar enough with this topic to give expert advice, but here is a start: https://jobs.google.com/about/. And, if this data is being pulled from third parties like Monster or ZipRecruiter (see https://support.google.com/hire/answer/7326138?hl=en) the client needs to master inclusion on those sites.

The thing to remember is that hotels are still getting leads. It's just that less of them are likely coming from the website. They are coming through Google now. Your client may simply need to realize that their website is no longer going to be their top source of leads. Leads may have to come from other sources, now. It's a strategic shift the client likely needs to confront.

2. This does not mean the client should give up on their website. I would suggest that you conduct an audit for the client in which you take their job category searches (both their top ones and their longer tail ones) and identify all the sites outranking them for those searches. Then analyze those sites to see:

• Which ones the client can be listed on

• Which ones aren't job listing sites but might link to your client via a list, a guest article, a sponsorship or other unstructured citation opportunity.

I would consider the old concept of Barnacle SEO (https://moz.com/blog/barnacle-seo-whiteboard-friday) to see where it can get the client.

3. Finally, after taking care of everything you can do online for the client, I would advise them to evaluate their offline opportunities. If your client has a physical office in Dublin, what are the offline connections they need to make with job seekers in Dublin? What events can they sponsor, attend, speak at? Where do they need to advertise (billboards, newspapers, local radio, local TV?). What can they do on their physical premises to bring employers and job seekers into the building? Host events? Offer additional trainings and services? What would bring people in the door for a face-to-face interaction?

Google cannot replicate face-to-face communication. If your client can master the personal touch, offline, then they will be doing something Google can't rob them of, as you've said.

I hope these suggestions are of some help with creating a strategy for the client. Good luck!

[VeroBrain]

Hi Miriam,

Thank you! for taking the time to give me such a complete analysis of the problem here.

You are absolutely right, we have to deal with the encroachment of Google into this space, "our piece of cheese is even smaller as time goes by."

Of course, I will focus on the recommendations and tips you gave me. Really, a very good road map. Thanks again. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mª Verónica

[MiriamEllis]

Its my pleasure! I think you are evaluating this scenario correctly.

And a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too! Thank you so much for being part of the Moz community.