Indeed Best Practices

Indeed has certain guidelines in place to provide the best possible experience for job seekers. Following these guidelines when posting a job is important for maximum visibility on Indeed's job board.

Read this blog from Indeed summarizing their best practices.

One job, one post

Indeed’s revenue model is largely based on ad sponsoring. Indeed is particularly on the lookout for this in organic posts, as seen in their Search Quality Policies. Never post for multiple openings with a single job post.

• Don't pluralize job titles

• Don’t use phrases like “we’re always hiring” in the description

• Don't reference any other open positions in the job description

• Don't advertise any jobs as part of a job fair or as an attempt to recruit a crew (such as for landscaping)

• Posting multiple job opportunities is acceptable, but make sure that each post is for a unique job opening

• If the company has multiple physical locations within a 25-mile radius, it's best to include the physical address of the unique location within the job description.

  The only exception to this rule is when the search is for Spanish-speaking candidates. In this case, users may post two jobs that are exactly the same — one in English and one in Spanish.

Refresh job postings that are still vacant

Indeed's Search Quality policy on reposting jobs states that jobs may be reposted if the position is still vacant. It is okay to refresh the job posting 30 days after it was last posted or refreshed, as R365 Hire allows, as long as the position is still vacant.

Refreshing jobs to fill a pipeline after a hire has already been made is not allowed. Instead, after making a hire, make the job posting passive (listed on your Careers Page but not on the job boards) to fill a pipeline.

Keep job titles simple and clear

If the job title is not something that the employee could put on a business card or LinkedIn profile, it's probably not appropriate for Indeed.

It's important to avoid spammy titles:

• Don’t use phrases to create urgency. (e.g. “Hiring ASAP”, “Need to fill position immediately”)

• Don’t use all caps

• Don't list the dates/times of shifts in the title, unless for overnight shifts

• Avoid symbols

• Avoid unnecessary descriptors in the title

• Calling out reliability, trustworthiness, or enthusiasm, is great in the job description, but leave it out of the job title

Using the following phrases in job titles will result in your posting being removed from Indeed:

• "Life is Too Short Not to Work Somewhere Awesome"

• "Urgent need"

• "Weekend Part Time"

• "Benefits offered"

• "Urgent Hire" OR "HIRING BONUS" OR "APPLY NOW" OR "IMMEDIATE OPENINGS"

• "Be your own boss" OR "Run your own business"

Avoid discriminatory language in job descriptions

There are a number of exclusionary phrases or words that, if included in a job description, will cause Indeed to limit the visibility of a job posting.

Here are some words and phrases to avoid:

• "Must have clean record," "No criminal record," or "Must pass a background check"

• "Background"

• "Non-smokers"

  "No smoking on the premises" is allowed

• Gender-specific job titles

• Use "server" instead of "waitress"

• Coded-language (per EEOC guidelines)

• "Must live within city limits"

• "Must be currently employed"

• "Recent graduate"

Fill in all job template placeholders

If it's decided to use template placeholders that are filled manually, make sure they are filled before posting the job. Unresolved template placeholders are a huge red flag for the Indeed QA team.

Avoid location blasting

Only post an opening in the zip code of the physical location of the workplace. Posting a job to all of the zip codes within the area served may cause Indeed to flag or remove posts. Indeed calls this 'location blasting.'

According to Indeed, "Location blasting will require sponsorship. Excessive cases may result in removal from the site." Read more on Indeed's Search Quality Policies.

If the location of the job is near a larger city, it is okay to select that city as the job's location as long as the exact physical address of the location is specified within the job description.

The work environment

The experience of a job goes beyond the immediate job duties. The office space, the company culture, and coworkers go a long way to let a potential applicant know what working for a company will truly be like. Devote a section of the job description to let an applicant know about what the company is like outside of day-to-day job duties.

Remote jobs

A remote job does not require reporting to a specific location and can be done from anywhere in the U.S.

Indeed recommends being clear about remote positions and including one of the following phrases in the job description:

• “This is a remote position”

• “Employees will be working remotely”

• “Remote work allowed”

• "Will be fully remote"

What’s in it for the applicant?

Most people know the standard topics to cover in a job posting. Let the applicant know about the responsibilities of and requirements for the role, but don’t stop there — talk about the company itself. Remember, recruiting someone for a team is a formation of a partnership. 

• Mention salary information in concrete terms like an hourly rate or approximated annual salary. Do not use spammy phrases like "unlimited earning potential" or "Make CA$H"

• List non-financial benefits like retirement plans, possible career advancements, or the company's vacation policy

• Remember, the job description is pitching the company to the applicants just as much as applicants are pitching themselves to the company

  Indeed posts now automatically include compensation on every job, so we strongly recommend adding this. If salary information is not specified, Indeed will assign an estimated compensation to the job posting.

Remember to review all job postings and templates before pushing them live. It takes only a few minutes to make sure that jobs posts fall within these guidelines. Doing so ensures the best possible experience for applicants, makes job posts more effective, and mitigates the risk of violations being the cause for the suspension of organic posts. As Indeed’s QA standards and our understanding of them evolve, we’ll release updates to our best practices to ensure that all job postings have the highest visibility possible.

Indeed Job Board Inclusion Guidelines

Indeed Job Posting Best Practices