What a recruitment agency website needs: a 2026 checklist
In short
A recruitment agency website has two jobs: help candidates find a role and apply quickly, especially on a phone, and help employers get in touch. Underneath that, it needs job pages kept up to date by your recruitment system, applications that arrive without re-keying, fast and accessible pages, clear privacy information, and content your team can update.
1. Job search that works on a phone
Keep job search to a few simple filters that match how candidates search: location, sector, hours and job type. A handful of good filters beats a long list of overlapping ones. Results should load quickly and stay readable on a small screen.
2. Job pages that answer the obvious questions
A candidate should know within seconds whether a role is worth applying for: a clear title, the location, the hours, pay where you can share it, what the work involves and how to apply. Vague titles and copied descriptions send people back to the search results.
3. A short apply route
Ask only what you need to consider an application. Everything else, from full profile details to onboarding paperwork, can come later in the process, when the candidate has a reason to give it.
4. A way to register without a specific job
Not everyone finds the right vacancy on their first visit. A short registration route lets them leave their details for future roles, and gives your team a reason to call.
5. A separate route for employers
Candidates and employers want different things. Give employers their own clear route: the sectors you cover, how you work, and a simple way to tell you about a vacancy.
6. Jobs and applications connected to your recruitment system
If vacancies are typed into the website and applications are typed back into your recruitment system, someone is doing the same work twice. Connecting the two, for example a WordPress website and Giig, means jobs are updated in one place and applications arrive linked to the right vacancy.
7. Who you are, in your own words
Candidates and clients want to know who they will be dealing with. Show your team, the sectors and locations you cover and how you work. Add reviews and case studies only when they are genuine and you have permission to use them.
8. Speed and accessibility
Pages should load quickly on a mobile connection and work for everyone, including people using screen readers or keyboards. Aim for the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standard, and check Google’s Core Web Vitals in Search Console.
9. Privacy and careful forms
Every form collects personal information, so publish a clear privacy notice, ask only for what you need at each stage, and get consent before setting any non-essential cookies, such as analytics. Never ask for passwords, bank details or sensitive documents through a general enquiry form.
10. Built to be found
Give every page a unique title and description, use accurate structured data on genuine job pages so Google can show them in its job search, and verify the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Pages that answer the questions candidates and employers ask, plainly and near the top, also give AI assistants something clear to quote.