8 Common Job Board Problems and Their Solutions

Kyle Davidson

Kyle Davidson

April 29, 2025

Operating a job board is challenging because it requires balancing the needs of employers and job seekers. Without enough job listings, candidates won't visit. Without active candidates, employers won't post jobs. Here's a quick overview of the most common problems job boards face and how to solve them:

Quick Comparison Table

Challenge Solution Key Benefit
Low Traffic SEO + Content Strategy Attracts more users
Few Employer Posts Tiered Pricing + Easy Posting Increases job listings
Revenue Challenges Premium Features + New Income Streams Boosts revenue
Poor Website Design Mobile-Friendly + Fast Loading Improves user experience
Low Job Listings Job Backfilling + Employer Support Adds variety and volume of listings
Inactive Job Seekers Job Alerts + Career Resources Keeps users engaged
High Tech Costs No-Code Platforms Reduces expenses
Scaling Challenges Data-Driven Growth Expands audience and opportunities

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1. Getting More Website Traffic

Driving more traffic to your website is key to attracting job applications and building employer trust.

SEO Best Practices

Google handles over 5 million job-related searches every day. To tap into this, try the following:

Optimize your job listings by focusing on:

Job listings are a major traffic driver. For example, LinkedIn Jobs attracts 83% of its 6.2 million monthly Google visitors through optimized listings.

Content Strategy
Create and share content that job seekers find useful, such as:

"The key to a good SEO for job boards is being able to target the right audience with relevant content." - Marty Aghajanyan, JBoard

Technical Optimization
Ensure your site performs well by focusing on:

While SEO lays the groundwork, you can expand your audience further with social media and partnerships.

Social Media and Partner Marketing

SEO is just the start. Social media and partnerships can help you reach even more people.

Educational Partnerships
CyberSecurityJobs.com boosted its visibility by collaborating with:

Content Distribution
Share content that’s easy to engage with, like:

Keep in mind, SEO efforts typically take 2-3 months to gain traction. Focus on creating useful, engaging content while maintaining a consistent publishing schedule.

2. Getting More Employers to Post Jobs

Offer Employer Benefits

The job board market in the U.S. is worth about $14.7 billion[3], making it a competitive space for attracting employers. Here's a breakdown of tiered posting packages:

Package Level Price Range Key Features
Basic $300/month Standard listing, access to 100 resumes in the database
Premium $550/month Featured listing, social media promotion, boosted visibility
Enterprise $5,500/month Full-service recruiting, candidate screening included

To stand out, consider offering additional features like pre-screening, guaranteed visibility, and social media promotion:

By incorporating these features and ensuring a smooth process, you can make your platform more appealing to employers.

Easy Job Posting System

Simplifying the job posting experience is key to attracting more employers. Focus on creating a fast, user-friendly system with advanced features and competitive pricing.

Quick Submit Process

Enhanced Listing Features

Smart Pricing Strategy
Base your pricing on industry standards, application quality, and guarantees for application volume. Niche job boards often charge between $10 and $30 per application[3].

3. Making More Money

Setting Up Price Tiers

A smart pricing strategy can help you boost revenue while catering to employers with different budgets. The goal? Create packages that deliver clear value and meet employer needs.

Here’s an example of a pricing structure based on current market trends:

Package Level Price Point Key Features
Basic $300/month Single job posting with standard visibility
Featured $600/month Job posting with premium placement and a 200-view guarantee
Premium $1,200/month Multiple postings plus access to a resume database
Enterprise Starting at $5,500 Full recruitment services, including candidate interviews

Tips for Value-Based Pricing:

Once your pricing tiers are set, you can grow revenue further by offering premium services.

Adding New Income Sources

Expanding beyond basic job postings can unlock more revenue opportunities. With the U.S. job board industry valued at approximately $14.7 billion [3], there's plenty of room to grow.

Premium Services

"The number one method job boards use to make money is by charging employers for job postings. What employers expect back in return is the number of applicants they are happy with. So, the more qualified applicants you bring, the more you can charge employers per job posting."

  • Marty Aghajanyan, JBoard [3]

Other Revenue Opportunities

Start with basic posting fees, and as demand grows, layer on premium features to maximize profitability.

4. Fixing Poor Website Design

A poorly designed website can cost you both applicants and job postings.

Mobile-First Design

Making your job board mobile-friendly is essential for consistent performance across devices. Here are the core elements to focus on:

A well-designed mobile experience naturally leads to a smoother application process.

Quick Application Process

Pairing a mobile-friendly design with a simple application process reduces frustration for candidates. Use intuitive features like clear progress indicators and instant feedback to minimize errors and make the process faster.

Technical Must-Haves:

Regularly test your site on different devices and browsers to ensure it works smoothly for everyone. This benefits both employers and job seekers by creating a hassle-free experience.

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5. Increasing Job Listings

Understanding Job Backfilling

Job backfilling helps keep your job board active by automatically importing listings from aggregators and company websites. This process reduces manual effort, adds thousands of relevant listings, and keeps your board updated while fostering connections with employers.

Here’s how to set up effective job backfilling:

While automated listings are great for maintaining activity, they should complement - not replace - direct employer contributions for sustained growth.

Boosting Employer Posts

Direct employer posts play a key role in building a successful job board. To encourage more postings, focus on creating resources that meet employer needs. For example, job boards offering targeted job description templates saw a 20% rise in employer posts in February 2025.

Here are some ways to support employers:

Simplify the posting process with clear pricing options, easy-to-use submission forms, fast approvals, and a mobile-friendly employer dashboard. Regularly engage with employers to improve their experience and encourage repeat postings.

6. Keeping Job Seekers Active

Job Alerts That Work

Job alerts are a great way to keep users coming back. To make them effective, make the subscription process easy and deliver alerts that match users’ interests.

Here’s how you can do it:

Keep the process straightforward. Ask only for essential details and allow users to upload their CVs. This reduces hassle and encourages more people to sign up.

But don’t stop at alerts - expand engagement by offering career resources that add real value.

Career Resources and Tools

A well-stocked resource center can keep users engaged long after they’ve browsed job listings. For example, Virtual Vocations’ Remote Career Center launched in April 2025, featuring over 40 expert resources, is a great case study.

Focus on these areas for your resources:

"Content is one of the few ways to 'make your own noise' from a marketing standpoint. It allows you to generate traffic on your own, keep people on your site (and get them to come back). Good content builds credibility in your business." - JobBoardSecrets.com

Consider adding coaching sessions, webinars, career guides, checklists, and templates to your offerings. These tools position your job board as more than just a listing site - it becomes a go-to career development resource, keeping users engaged and coming back regularly.

7. Reducing Tech Costs

No-Code Platforms

Save on tech expenses by using no-code platforms that offer essential job board features without the need for custom development.

Since February 2023, Job Boardly has changed the way job boards are created and managed. It provides key features such as:

You can launch a fully functional job board for just $395 (one-time) or $199 per year. This price includes hosting, maintenance, and regular updates - helping you avoid spending thousands on custom development.

"We started Job Boardly in February of 2023 with the simple goal of making powerful job board software that is easy to use and affordable." - Kyle and Jason, Job Boardly

"Job Boardly is an all-in-one platform for building your online business, designed to grow and monetize any job board in any niche you're familiar with. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to create your online business, monetize, and attract more traffic and leads."

Website Security and Speed

A fast and secure website doesn’t have to break the bank. These two factors are crucial for improving performance and keeping costs under control.

Key Security Practices:

Speed Improvements:

Fast-loading websites not only improve Google rankings but also keep job seekers and employers engaged. Starting with an all-in-one no-code platform ensures these technical essentials are covered. These updates not only enhance user experience but also help you manage tech expenses more efficiently.

8. Growing Your Job Board

Expanding your job board effectively means reaching new audiences while keeping your services top-notch.

New Markets and Locations

To find the best opportunities for growth, compare search volumes across different job categories. Here's a glimpse of monthly search data for popular career-related topics:

Career Content Type Example Monthly Searches
Salary Information Registered Nurse Salary 33,000
Interview Guides RN Interview Questions 18,000
Resume Templates Teacher Resume Template 13,000
Company Lists Best Remote Work Companies 12,000
Career Guides How to Get a Job in HR 4,900

Use this data to create landing pages tailored to high-traffic job categories and specific locations. Structure these pages to focus on different job types, experience levels, and regions. Align these insights with your board's performance metrics to target growth more effectively.

Using Data to Grow

Your job board's data holds the key to smarter growth. Regularly analyze performance metrics like new job postings, top-performing categories, and user engagement with job alerts and applications.

Job Posting Analytics:

User Behavior Insights:

For example, if you notice strong interest in remote tech jobs, consider creating specialized content and features to attract that audience.

To boost your visibility in search results:

Conclusion: Solutions Summary

Achieving success requires tackling key challenges with a clear plan. With top job boards pulling in 6.2 million visits per month from Google searches alone, focusing on SEO can lead to impressive outcomes.

Here’s a breakdown of challenges and actionable solutions:

Challenge Solution Expected Impact
Low Traffic SEO-optimized job pages 83% of job board traffic comes from optimized listings
Poor Engagement Mobile-first design + quick applications Better user experience and more completed applications
Limited Job Posts Backfilling + employer acquisition Greater variety and volume of job listings
Revenue Growth Tiered pricing + new income streams Broader revenue opportunities

These strategies have shown to turn obstacles into advantages. Start by optimizing job pages for location, category, and job type. Experts emphasize that Google remains a key traffic source for job boards, making effective SEO a must-have for attracting high-quality visitors.

With over 5 million daily job searches happening on Google, your site needs to be secure, mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and search-engine optimized to tap into this massive audience.

FAQs

How can job boards keep both employers and job seekers engaged to maintain a thriving platform?

To maintain a successful job board, it’s essential to balance the needs of both employers and job seekers. Employers are drawn to platforms with a steady flow of qualified candidates, while job seekers look for a wide variety of relevant job opportunities.

To achieve this balance, focus on creating a diverse and high-quality job listing database that appeals to job seekers. Simultaneously, implement strategies to attract employers, such as showcasing detailed analytics about candidate engagement or offering customizable job posting packages. By meeting the expectations of both groups, you can foster consistent engagement and build a thriving, two-sided marketplace.

What are the best strategies to improve a job board's SEO and drive more organic traffic?

To boost SEO and increase organic traffic, job boards should focus on a few key strategies. Optimize job listing pages by including relevant keywords for location, job type, and category to make them more search-engine-friendly. Add structured data to your job postings to get featured on Google Jobs, which can significantly expand your reach.

Creating a blog with helpful content like salary insights, job market trends, and interview tips can attract your target audience while improving search rankings. Building backlinks from reputable websites, such as universities or industry-specific blogs, and sharing engaging content like infographics or niche statistics can also enhance your authority online. Finally, ensure your site is optimized for on-site SEO by using proper title tags, meta descriptions, HTTPS, mobile-friendly design, and fast loading speeds for a better user experience and higher rankings.

How can job boards leverage data analytics to grow and enhance their services?

Job boards can harness data analytics to uncover growth opportunities and refine their services by analyzing key metrics like job posting views, application click rates, and user behavior trends. This data helps identify popular job categories, user preferences, and potential gaps in offerings.

By understanding these patterns, job boards can improve the user experience, recommend optimizations for employer job listings, and attract more traffic and engagement. For example, if analytics show high demand for remote jobs, operators can highlight these listings or create dedicated sections to meet user needs.

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