7 Common Technical SEO Mistakes Recruitment Agencies Make

7 Common Technical SEO Mistakes Recruitment Agencies Make

Kaizen SEO highlights the 7 most common technical SEO mistakes that recruitment agencies make, from crawl errors and duplicate job postings to site speed issues. These errors block indexing, damage visibility, and stop client leads before they start. This guide shows recruiters how to fix them with practical, proven steps.

Key Takeaways:

• Crawl errors and duplicate URLs waste search engine resources
• Slow-loading job boards cause high bounce rates and weaker rankings
• Poor job posting schema reduces Google Jobs visibility
• Indexing problems leave critical client pages invisible in search
• A structured technical SEO audit can resolve these issues fast
  
  

Why technical SEO is a hidden blocker for recruiters

Most recruitment websites focus heavily on content and jobs, but the real growth bottleneck is technical SEO. If your site isn’t crawlable, indexable, and fast, no amount of new blog posts or job listings will help. The truth is simple: technical errors quietly block recruiters from appearing where clients and candidates are searching. You must prioritise fixing AI-blocking technical gaps to ensure your content actually ranks.

Crawl errors recruiters often overlook

When Google’s bots hit crawl errors, your important jobs and service pages can’t be discovered. Recruitment websites often have thousands of dynamic job URLs, and if these return errors or redirect incorrectly, they waste crawl budget.

Always check Google Search Console for “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” errors - we’ve seen recruiters accidentally block entire job categories.

How duplicate content hurts recruitment sites

Duplicate job postings are one of the most damaging technical SEO mistakes recruiters make. Syndicating the same role across multiple URLs, or leaving expired jobs live, confuses search engines. This dilutes authority and prevents rankings.

In one audit, we found 60% of a client’s jobs indexed under multiple URLs. Cleaning duplicates increased impressions for live jobs by 38% within six weeks.

Why is my recruitment site slow?

A common question we hear is why recruitment sites load slowly. The answer is often bloated job feeds, oversized images, and unoptimised scripts. Slow speed signals poor user experience, and Google rewards faster sites with better rankings.

Aim for job pages to load in under 2.5 seconds. Recruitment sites averaging 6–8 seconds typically see bounce rates above 50%.

Indexing problems specific to recruiters

Recruiters often ask how to fix indexing problems. The reality is that job boards can generate thousands of thin or expired pages that Google simply ignores. If your core service or client pages are caught in the backlog, they won’t appear in search at all.

Use “site:yourdomain.com” with a key service keyword to check if your client pages are indexed. If they don’t appear, you have a technical issue that needs urgent attention.

Weak or missing job posting schema

Job posting schema tells Google how to feature your listings in Google Jobs and AI summaries. Without it, your jobs won’t surface in competitive spaces where candidates search. Schema also boosts AI visibility, helping agencies appear in overviews and People Also Ask boxes.

Adding full JobPosting schema with salary ranges for a client increased their Google Jobs impressions by 45% within three months.

Poor handling of mobile performance

Recruitment traffic is now majority mobile. If your site isn’t mobile-first, you’ll lose both candidates and clients. Common mistakes include job tables that don’t scale, forms that break, and pages that force pinching and scrolling.

Weak technical monitoring processes

Recruitment websites often go months without a crawl or audit. Without regular monitoring, errors multiply until rankings collapse. Technical SEO isn’t a one-time job, it’s an ongoing discipline.

 

The Kaizen Technical SEO Fix Framework

We use a simple 7-step system to keep recruitment sites technically healthy, a prerequisite for any recruitment agency SEO strategy 2026. This approach is central to our SEO Sprints, designed to resolve these issues in weeks, not months.

How to Fix Technical SEO Mistakes on Recruitment Sites

Outcome: A clear process for improving crawlability, speed, and indexing.

Step 1: Run a full crawl audit

Use Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to find errors.

Step 2: Fix crawl errors

Resolve broken links, 404s, and redirect chains.

Step 3: Clean duplicate jobs

Consolidate job URLs and remove expired listings.

Step 4: Speed test every template

Use PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse for client and job pages.

Step 5: Apply structured data

Add JobPosting, FAQ, and HowTo schema where relevant.

Step 6: Check indexing coverage

Monitor Google Search Console weekly.

Step 7: Repeat quarterly

Build technical audits into your regular marketing cycle.

 

FAQs

What SEO mistakes do recruiters make most?

The most common SEO mistakes recruiters make include duplicate job postings, crawl errors, and missing schema. These block search visibility and stop client leads.

How do I fix crawl errors on a recruitment site?

The best way to fix crawl errors on a recruitment site is to run a crawl audit with tools like Screaming Frog and resolve 404s, redirect loops, and blocked resources flagged in Google Search Console.

Why is my recruitment site slow?

Recruitment sites are often slow due to unoptimised job feeds, oversized images, and heavy scripts. Optimising assets and using a CDN typically reduces load time significantly.

Why are my client pages not indexing?

If client pages aren’t indexing, it’s often because search engines are prioritising job feeds over service pages. Submit key URLs in Google Search Console and reduce thin or duplicate job pages to free crawl budget.

 

About the Author

Written by Daniel Jones, Senior SEO Strategist at Kaizen SEO. With over a decade of recruitment SEO expertise, Dan has helped agencies fix technical errors, increase Google Jobs visibility, and generate millions in placement revenue.

 

Next Step

Still unsure what technical issues are blocking your recruitment site?

Book a free consultation with Kaizen SEO and we’ll run a quick visibility check to reveal the top three technical errors costing you clients and candidates.