This is one of the most commonly asked questions by new business owners who are looking to launch their own recruitment agency through to Marketing Directors of well-established organisations in APAC.
The market has shifted dramatically as a result of the last 18 months and most people are now trying to do more with less i.e. those agencies that used to have 40 recruiters but now only have 20, may seek to get back to 25 but ultimately want to deliver the same level of fee income they used to, but in a far more efficient way. Equally, new businesses, are struggling to attract recruiters (as are all agencies right now) so they need their website to act as an extra head and deliver results over just looking good.
You know you need a website in order to attract candidates and clients – and don’t forget consultants right now, but what is less clear is the type of website you need in order to do this.
Essentially there are two real choices available to you: a brochure website, or a website built on a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. There’s also a third choice and that is a website built on a SaaS platform that is dedicated to the recruitment sector and its key practices…
So what are the differences and benefits of both solutions?
A brochure website is like owning a Ferrari with no engine that you keep hidden in your garage and only show to your friends when they come round to visit. A brochure site gives you:
An interesting design (particularly if you use a marketing agency), but the outcome will heavily depend on how much you’re willing to pay, and design can get very expensive!
Hosting - again, this is likely to be chargeable and from a local provider over someone like AWS
Security - the level of security will depend on how much extra you pay (they may add you to their SSL certificate but again, most likely for a fee)
Less flexibility and additional costs every time you want to make edits. You may be able to make changes to the site (content/images), but this usually costs you each time (the vendor has to make more money somehow, right?). This means that while the initial cost of the site appears low, over time, these extra charges can truly add up making the site more expensive than you first thought and in the process, impacting your budgets if the cost is significant
A generic website that is not built for recruitment will ultimately impact the candidate experience which as we’ve been told for years is the number one issue in the industry!
Alternatively building your website on a SaaS platform is still like owning a Ferrari, but this one has an engine, everyone can find it easily, and it may even be found by people who are looking for a Ferrari just like yours!
With a SaaS website platform, and in particular, one built for the recruitment industry, you will get:
An attractive design(again this can vary depending on your budget)
Built-in SEO technology and tools to help drive candidates organically to your website(so you should end up paying less on other candidate attraction methods, such as job boards)
A great user experience from initial job search through to application. The website is designed to steer the candidate, by providing relevant content at the right time in the shape of suggested jobs based on their search, or similar vacancies if the advert they select is not quite right for them.
A completely agile website that you will be able to make amendments to as and when you wish at no additional cost. Update your content via an intuitive CMS (Content Management System), change the images on every page, even add/delete new pages (really important if you are looking to grow and develop new sectors as you adapt to market changes).
Integration with your recruitment CRM and job board multi-posters will reduce your admin time by avoiding data duplication and enhancing efficiencies (giving you more time to speak to your candidates and clients).
Job alerts mean you can get relevant jobs to the right candidates without having to lift a finger (other than posting the vacancy to your site in the first place).
Support should you need help to update content or if you have a problem with your site there are experts available (the service part of SaaS)
Security and compliance built into the platform to help you manage your legal obligations and risk (and because it's a SaaS platform if the legislation changes your platform will be updated so you are always at the top of your game)
Ongoing development that benefits all customers who sit on that same platform
Building your website on a SaaS platform is guaranteed to bring you ROI. We may seem biased, but our clients like MedGen saw an 800% increase in candidate registrations in just two weeks of going live with their Volcanic website when they moved from a brochure site and there are many other examples just like this.
It’s not only candidates though, our sites help you win business by attracting clients, and through dedicated pages such as ‘Work for Us’ they are proven at helping you find your next consultant.
Results
Building your website on a SaaS platform is guaranteed to bring you ROI. We may seem biased, but our clients like MedGen saw an 800% increase in candidate registrations in just two weeks of going live with their Volcanic website when they moved from a brochure site.
So what about the cost?
Even seeing the difference in ROI that you can get from a SaaS website, we appreciate that everyone has a budget to work to, and often we are asked why would you pay more for SaaS when a brochure website appears so cheap. Try and think of this example:
You may pay anywhere from $40 - $150 per month for a brochure website equating to $480 - $1,800 per year. That’s not expensive, right? But remember you will pay this every year with little to no return as you will struggle to get applications through your website.
A website built on Volcanic Go’s (entry-level) SaaS platform could cost you around $400 per month or $4,800 per year which in comparison to the brochure website can appear considerably higher. However, if you make just one placement in that year from an application generated via your website, then imagine how much profit you would make from multiple placements made from candidates and clients attracted through an amplified online presence.
Your website should never be considered finished! It should instead grow, change, and develop in the same way your business does. It needs love and attention. You need to keep it updated, add fresh content, change images and actually ‘drive it’ forward. With our SaaS platform, we give you the tools and empower you to do just that, not charge for every request made, and ask you to wait a couple of weeks before we can do it.
So does this answer why you should choose SaaS over a brochure website? If you’re still unsure and would like to talk to us in more detail about how we can ensure your website brings you ROI, book a demo with us today.
Rod Ko
ANZ Sales Manager
Volcanic
Connect
02 9884 4044
rod.ko@theaccessgroup.com
