Most digital publishers can’t count on advertising revenue to support their websites, so they have to make an effort to develop multiple income streams. They may post sponsored content, have a premium subscription program, or build an e-commerce store. Many digital publishers boost revenue development with custom job boards on their sites.

With custom job boards, employers pay to list job openings in hopes that they’ll reach qualified applicants through your site. If you run a trade publication website, for example, employers in your trade may choose to list jobs on your job board to reach a targeted, relevant audience. With a local news website, employers hiring locally may choose to list knowing that mostly local residents will see the listings. Some publishers create their own job boards from scratch, while others choose a turnkey solution that only requires customizing touches. Still others, if they have enough capital, may purchase a fully established job board.

SEE ALSO: Job Board Technology: Which Is the Best?

Creating Your Own Job Board from Scratch

Some publishers choose to develop their own job boards. This process requires the help of programmers and web developers to get proper functionality, necessary features, and the right ”look and feel” for the overall website. When publishers create their own job boards, they must be prepared to do the extensive work required to recruit an initial supply of job listings, and must continue to devote time and effort to soliciting a steady stream of listings. To succeed, job boards need a steady influx of new listings so website users will have a reason to return to the job boards repeatedly. The main advantage of creating a job board from scratch is that the publication keeps all revenues generated from employer listings.

Buying a Job Board That’s Ready to Go

Publishers without the necessary programming expertise on staff often choose to add ready-made job boards rather than creating them. Doing this allows the job board to go live much sooner, and depending on the provider, may come pre-stocked with job listings. Publishers with pre-made job boards still have to convince employers to buy listings, but this is often easier because many pre-made job boards are part of a larger job board network, and employers can get more exposure from their listings through the network.

Pre-made job boards today often have great customization features that let digital publishers and trade publication websites adapt the look and feel of the job board to harmonize with overall site design. With pre-made job boards, publishers don’t get to keep all the revenues, but they may have an easier time with traffic development, and with recruiting high quality employers to buy listings.

Learning from Others’ Mistakes

When you buy a pre-made job board, you get to bypass many of the mistakes that publishers make when they create their own job boards. Pre-made job board solutions have already been through their ”growing pains” and can put knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work to use right away. Some job board providers offer support in the form of tutorials, statistics, and reports that help publishers and trade publication websites quickly learn what audiences want in a job board. Moreover, many job board providers offer mobile functionality, which is practically indispensable in a world where job seekers want to search for jobs anywhere, anytime.

What to Look for in a Job Board Solution

Before buying a pre-made job board solution, research several providers and learn how they help you monetize your site. Look for providers that offer job boards that are pre-loaded with listings so that from day one you are able to provide your audience with real job search opportunities. Ask prospective job board providers what types of statistics you’ll be able to gather, and what help and advice they offer about soliciting new job listings. Your job board provider should also provide a job board solution that is usable on mobile devices. Mobile-friendliness is extremely important to job seekers, as is a simple application process and the ability to store resumes for easy uploading.

SEE ALSO: Job Board Technology: Where it’s Headed and Why

For most digital publishers, media companies, and trade publication websites, buying a pre-made, pre-populated job board is the better solution compared to developing a job board from scratch. It’s also far less expensive than purchasing an established, high-volume job board outright. RealMatch offers outstanding recruitment advertising solutions for digital publishers, media companies, and trade publication websites, with mobile friendliness, easy customization, analysis and reporting, and a simple way to monetize your website.

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