Mobile Recruitment Websites: Why they are the Ultimate Conversion Tool
Designing your recruitment website for a smartphone rather than a desktop is a business-critical decision. But don’t confuse mobile responsive with mobile-first - there is a big difference, particularly when it comes to results.
According to the Ofcom Online Nation 2020 report, 71% of all measured time spent online was on smartphones. While 35% of internet users accessed it only via a mobile device. For recruiters of even greater significance is that according to Indeed, mobile devices account for the majority of job searches for most occupations.
Here’s why mobile-first recruitment websites are the ultimate conversion tool and the key numbers to bear in mind when you are thinking about your mobile recruitment website project.
Mobile-first vs mobile responsive
Mobile responsive means that CSS is used to shrink your desktop website to fit into your smartphone screen. So it is designed to accommodate the needs of desktop users first.
Sure, the website will adjust effectively and it will work, but it’s a bit like an afterthought and does not provide the optimal experience that mobile users take for granted in all other aspects of their lives.
Thumbs up to mobile-first design
The most important part of the body when using a mobile is the thumb meaning designers need to think carefully where to position the most important content and CTAs.
The outer edges of the screen, particularly as phone screens get bigger and bigger, are dead zones. Designers need to organise content in a way that puts primary interactions front and centre, saving secondary and tertiary function for the top and bottom screen edges.
Mobile recruitment website: teeny, tiny real estate
On smartphones you have to make every pixel on the screen add value. Starting with the navigation bar. Get rid of it, that’s what hamburger menus are for - those little horizontal lines at the top of a website reveal the full menu selection when clicked.
Making the best use of the space insists on a less is more approach, clear concise content, single sentences, short paragraphs, simple font and white space.
Optimising your mobile recruitment website
CTAs on mobile have to follow the same rules of engagement relative to mobile-first: quick, instant and optimised for use on mobile. Equally landing pages need to be built for speed.
This is why chatbots are becoming increasingly popular; they are easy to use and offer instant engagement. A more pragmatic example are links that allow your phone number to automatically dial when clicked or for Google maps and directions to reveal themselves when your address is engaged.
Faster is better when it comes to mobile recruitment websites
Three seconds is the timeframe a user abandons your website on mobile if it does not load fast enough. In today’s modern, fast-paced world, we all want quick information at the touch of our fingertips, and candidates are no different.
Size matters, from JavaScript to style sheets, fonts to images, how much data that is being served will affect your page load speed. Images should be compressed in such a way as to balance the quality and the small size. Try either TinyJpg or ImageOptim both are easy-to-use. Keep bespoke or multiple fonts limited to one and remember that video content and pop-ups can slow things down.
It’s not just the data size that impacts load speed, it’s important that it is served through the Content Distribution Network (CDN). This is the network of servers distributed around the world that work together to provide fast delivery of content to load your recruitment website.
Trust through design
Consumers consider well-designed websites more trustworthy so it’s essential you don’t forget a human’s need for beautiful design.
For data integrity and compliance Volcanic’s micro-services architecture implements security by design. Private data is stored within our unique Vault architecture, secured behind multiple firewalls, security protocols and encryption in transit and at rest.
Mobile-first design and our increased usage of smartphones has changed the journey to the apply button. Download our Data-Driven Design eBook for more about how to make your website the cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy.
Volcanic websites are highly functional yet completely customisable in design and provide multi-device design to ensure your mobile recruitment website looks the same whether viewed on an iPhone, an Android smartphone or a tablet. With Volcanic you can build Accelerated Mobile Pages to ensure a quick and smooth mobile experience. Request your free demo today.
