Lighthouse Insight

More Hitwise stats, this time for September. The gap between the top 2 generalist job boards Reed and Totaljobs keeps getting smaller and smaller, in fact there’s very little to choose between the two. The surprise this month is the upsurge in traffic for Monster. With the recent launch of its Virtual Job Fair will we see a resurgence in importance for the daddy of all job boards? Only time will tell.

Do you know where the visitors to your website are coming from? Knowing (or having regular access to that kind of information about your website), might just give you the insight you need on where will the next candidate come from. We all know about social networking websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn etc., but forums and resource-based websites for niche business areas or trade specialisms are even more likely to generate highly relevant, and therefore more valuable traffic.

You should always monitor, and spend a little time analysing, your website’s traffic reports (failing that we can do that for you). These will enable you to know which websites the visitors to your website are coming from, so that when you notice an increase in traffic being referred to from a particular website, you can research the source and make contact if appropriate, in order to facilitate (and hopefully increase) the traffic being referred to your website.

Has somebody posted a link in a forum to a particular vacancy on your website? Are you listed as a local employer on a website about the local area? Are you listed as a top employer in your field by a resource-based website specialising in that field? Make contact, facilitate reciprocal linking, keep your traffic sources up to date with your activities and the vacancies you are carrying. By doing so you will increase your Employer Brand within your field, you will stimulate a stable source of free, and relevant,  traffic to the vacancies listed on your website, which will invariably result in potential candidates.

The Hitwise stats are back, and the gap between the top 3 generalist job boards and the fourth placed Monster keeps growing month by month. There is no stopping Reed and Totaljobs, with the latter coming close to pipping Reed for the top spot, while the end of Jobsite’s TV campaign has a definite impact on the traffic it receives: