You may recall that I run the largest SEO (Search Engine Optimization) group in the Chicago area with over 545 members. I do so because: 1) Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo are the new Yellow Pages 2) SEO is the field concerned with ranking high with search engines and 3) most of these practices can be adapted to improve recruiting practices especially for hard-to-find technical candidates.
Yesterday, I recruited one of my group members to teach a seminar on keyword research, which is the main building block of SEO. From keywords all good SEO flows. Please go to http://www.meetup.com/chicago-seo/events/50837422/ to learn more about this seminar and to http://www.jsingerdesign.com/Keyword-Research.pdf to view the handout.
The main points were:
- You need to start with a long list of keywords and then reduce that to a select few that really has the most impact for what you are recruiting for.
- Do not use more than 5-6 keywords on a page.
- As a rule-of-thumb expect to spend up to 5 hours doing keyword research before actuating your SEO efforts for recruiting.
- Google has a free tool that can accomplish a lot for you.
