Solved: Improve PPC for Tech Recruiter Marketplace Sign-Ups

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out, happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on improving your PPC strategy for your freelancer marketplace. From what you've told me, it sounds like you're getting a lot of clicks, but not many recruiter sign-ups or job postings. That's a common problem, and it usually boils down to either the targeting or the landing page experience not being quite right. I've seen it a million times.

Let's break down some ways you can refine your campaigns and get better results. I'd say, you've gotta look at your landing pages first and foremost, this is often where things go wrong...

We'll need to look at your landing pages...

Honestly, this is where I see most people falling down. You can have the best targeting in the world, but if your landing page is rubbish, you're just throwing money away. Loads of people send all their ad traffic to their generic homepage, but that's a really bad idea.

The key is to make sure your landing page is super relevant to the ad copy and the search term that someone clicked on. Think about it: someone searches for "freelance AWS Devops engineers" and clicks on your ad. They expect to land on a page that's all about finding AWS Devops engineers, not just a generic "find tech talent" page. If the landing page doesn't match the ad, they'll bounce straight away.

So, what should a good landing page look like? Well, it needs to be clear, concise, and focused on getting recruiters to take action. Make it really easy for them to post a job. Use strong headlines that speak directly to their needs, e.g. "Find Top Tech Talent Fast" or "Hire Qualified Freelancers Today". Include social proof like testimonials or case studies to build trust. And make sure the call to action is really clear, like "Post a Job Now" or "Get a Free Consultation".

Consider using dedicated landing pages for each ad group or campaign. This way, you can tailor the message and the call to action to the specific audience you're targeting. If you're targeting recruiters in the finance industry, create a landing page that speaks directly to their needs and challenges. If you're targeting hiring managers at startups, create a landing page that highlights the benefits of using freelancers for fast growth.

And for gods sake, check your page load speed. A slow loading page is a conversion killer.

Okay, so that's enough on landing pages. Now let's get stuck into targeting, I'd say you should refine your Linkedin targeting...

I'd say you should refine your Linkedin targeting...

LinkedIn is brilliant for getting really specific with your targeting, but you need to know how to use it properly. The key is to think about who you're trying to reach and then use the targeting options to narrow down your audience as much as possible. You could also look at Linkedin audience insights to see if there are any suprises.

Job titles are your best friend here. Target job titles like "Recruiting Manager", "Talent Acquisition Specialist", "Head of HR", "Technical Recruiter", etc. You can also use the "Job Function" targeting option to reach people in the HR or recruiting departments. And don't forget to target by company size, as larger companies usually have more open positions and internal recruiters. If you know of some really massive tech companies in particular, you can target these specifically.

But don't just rely on job titles and company size. Think about the skills and interests of your target audience. Are they interested in AI recruitment? Do they attend tech conferences? Use these insights to further refine your targeting and reach the most relevant people.

Also, experiment with different ad formats on LinkedIn. Sponsored Content ads with lead gen forms can be really effective for generating leads. Or you could try Conversation Ads to start conversations with potential clients. Image and Video ads can also work well to drive traffic to your landing page.

Next, look at negative keywords for your Google Ads, You probably should look at your Google ads negative keywords...

You probably should look at your Google ads negative keywords...

Negative keywords are essential for filtering out irrelevant traffic and improving the quality of your leads. You want to make sure you're only showing your ads to people who are actually looking to hire freelancers, not people who are looking for jobs.

Add terms like "jobs", "salary", "training", "courses", "careers", "employment", "recruitment agencies", "job boards" to your negative keyword list. You can also add location-based negative keywords to exclude irrelevant locations. For example, if you're only targeting recruiters in the UK, add negative keywords for other countries.

Use broad match modifier or phrase match negative keywords to block out variations of those terms. For example, if you add "-jobs" as a broad match modifier negative keyword, it will also block out searches like "freelance jobs", "tech jobs", "remote jobs", etc.

And don't forget to regularly review your search query report to identify new negative keywords to add. This will help you stay on top of irrelevant traffic and continuously improve your campaign performance.

Another tip: if you find that certain keywords are driving a lot of clicks but not generating any leads, pause them. It's better to focus your budget on keywords that are actually working.

Okay, that's a lot to take in, but I hope it gives you some ideas on how to improve your PPC strategy. I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Paid advertising is a complex beast, and it takes time and effort to get it right. I know this is a lot of information to take in, and it can be a bit overwhelming to implement all of these changes on your own. You might consider getting some expert help.

We've helped plenty of software companies, including recruitment platforms, to refine their PPC strategies and generate better results. I remember one client, a medical job matching SaaS, where we managed to reduce their cost per user acquisition from £100 to £7 by optimising their Meta and Google Ads campaigns. We offer a free initial consultation where we can review your current campaigns and provide tailored recommendations based on your specific needs. In the consultation, we will review your strategy and account together which usually is super helpful and gives potential clients a taste of the expertise they'll see going into their project if they decide to work with us.

Hope this has been a help!

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh