A recruitment agency homepage for two audiences

Key takeaways

A recruitment agency homepage has two audiences with opposite goals: employers who want staff and candidates who want jobs. Give each a clear route near the top, then show your sectors, proof and live roles. Being specific about your niche is what sets you apart in a crowded market, and most agencies avoid it.

• Give employers and candidates separate routes.
• Name your sectors and roles specifically.
• Show proof such as time to fill, if accurate.
• Keep live jobs current, or remove them.

How should you route employers and candidates?

Use two clear buttons in the hero, such as 'I'm hiring' and 'I'm looking for work', with separate journeys after that. Most homepage traffic is often candidates, while employers bring the revenue. Do not let the job search dominate the page if your priority is winning clients.

• How to create a high-converting homepage for an SME
• One homepage, several audiences: how to route them
• Audience-based navigation: should menus split by customer?

What do employers need to see?

Employers want to know that you know their market. Show sectors, role types, locations, typical time to fill and retention, if you can support these figures. Name the fee model at a high level. Case studies in the employer's words, or logos with permission, work better than general claims about passion for people.

• Case study teasers that pull visitors deeper
• Numbers on your homepage: proof or decoration?

What do candidates need to see?

Candidates want live, relevant roles, a simple way to apply and reassurance that their CV will be treated properly. Make job search quick on a phone. Agencies must generally not charge work-seekers fees for finding work, under the Conduct Regulations, so saying that the service is free for candidates is reassuring and true.

• Mobile job applications: can candidates apply on a phone?
• Is your website putting off job candidates?

How do you stand out in a crowded market?

Be specific. 'Finance recruiters' is weak, and 'Part-qualified accountants for Yorkshire manufacturers' is memorable. A narrow promise beats a broad one, because hiring managers trust people who know their market. Salary guides and market updates can give both audiences a reason to come back.

• Say who your homepage is for, and who it is not for
• Lead magnets for service business websites

What about data and compliance?

CVs contain personal data, so your privacy notice must say how you use and keep them. Check how long you keep applications. Show REC membership, if you hold it, and be accurate about any claims. Job adverts must not be misleading, and the Conduct Regulations cover what they must include.

• Legal requirements for a UK business website

When should jobs stay off the homepage?

Keep them off if your roles are few, or if they go stale quickly. An old vacancy suggests that nobody is running the site. Show a few fresh roles, with a link to the full board. If you mostly work on confidential searches, lead with your employer proof instead.

• Out of date website content: what to check and fix
• Should your homepage show your latest blog posts?

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see in recruitment: a large job search box takes up the whole first screen, while a hiring manager has to scroll to find any reason to call. Splitting the first screen between both audiences keeps candidates moving, and it puts the client's route where they can see it.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Recruitment homepage checklist

• Add two clear routes.
• Name sectors and roles.
• Show accurate proof.
• Keep jobs current.
• State that it is free for candidates.
• Update your privacy notice.
• Test applying on a phone.

• A mortgage broker's homepage within the FCA rules
• A manufacturer's homepage that wins RFQs

Next step

Look at your first screen and ask what a hiring manager should do there. If the only action is job search, fix that first.