The goal of any good career site should be to turn visitors into applicants and hires. You spend a lot of time and money driving traffic to your job descriptions, and it’s important to get those qualified candidates to apply. Read on for 3 tips to optimize your career site for conversions.

1. Write job descriptions that make people want to apply.

Some people will actively seek out your company to work, but the first time most will be introduced to your company is when they land on your job description from one of your job advertisements or from a referral. If you want to improve your conversion rate, it’s imperative that you jazz up your job descriptions to make people want to work for your company.

So share some information about what makes your company unique, why your current employees like working at your company, and what your candidate will get out of working at your company.  Adding pictures to illustrate these things is good, but video is better.

Then, share some information about the hiring manager and the team. Again, utilize pictures and video to show the candidate what the team is like, what the hiring manager is looking for, and what kind of impact they would have if they joined the team.

Finally, share some information about the position. Talk about they key goals and include a short list of skills and qualifications (no more than 3-5). Add in the type of person you’re looking for – an outgoing and creative individual, a heads-down thinker, a brilliant mind with a flair for corny jokes. Whatever it is you’re looking for, let it be known – but let it also be concise. This will ensure that you get the right quality and quantity of candidates.

Long story short: sell your company first, and the position second. That way, if the candidate doesn’t feel that the current role is a good fit, you can capture their interest so they apply (aka convert) in the future.

2. Add content other than jobs to your career site, which explains why the candidate should want to work for your company.

Everything discussed above should also be applied on the career site, but in greater depth. You should have different sections for benefits, culture, employee testimonials, employee bios, etc., which are linked from the job descriptions so that your job seekers don’t have to dig to find this information.

You may also want to include a blog – either a dedicated employer blog or your corporate blog where you share information about your company and your positions with candidates. Getting content is easier than you may think – just ask your employees to contribute! Topics can include employee events, new hires, veteran employees, your interview process, or even exciting company news that would interest candidates.

Including a variety of content on your career site keeps your visitors engaged, and helps them understand if your company is the right fit for them. It won’t be for everyone, but you’ll get a better quality of candidates this way. And, as mentioned previously, you’ll more easily retain potential candidates that aren’t currently ready to apply.

3. Provide several ways, other than applying, for candidates to indicate interest in your company.

Since many of your website visitors may be waiting for the right opportunity to apply, it’s smart to include some additional calls to action, other than applying, so candidates can keep in touch with your company. This may include job alerts, but try to go a little further than that. If you’re blogging, create social media channels and a monthly or quarterly newsletter in which you can share your blog posts – and ask your website visitors to connect with you or subscribe. This will help you create a talent pipeline, so you have quality candidates when you need them.