In this blogpost, we will outline three essential steps to help you successfully migrate your job board to a new software provider—without the headache.
#1 Find your new job board software provider
Choosing the right job board software is obviously an important part of your migration process. Depending on the features and support the new software offers, this choice can also determine how smooth the transition will go.
There are a lot of different providers, but most of them fall under one of 4 categories, each with its own advantages and considerations. You should start by deciding on one model and only then compare the actual providers.
Fully-managed solution with recurring payment: This option is often the easiest and fastest. A fully-managed and hosted software, like Niceboard, allows you to pay a subscription fee while all aspects of your job board are handled, including domain registration, hosting, data management, and SEO optimizations. This means you can simply upload your data and go live within days.
Revenue-share job board software: This model is particularly appealing for those that need to minimize upfront costs. Typically, this type of platform requires little to no initial payment but charges a percentage of your revenue. This can be beneficial if your job board is just starting out but may become costly as your revenue grows.
Plug-in with one-time payment: A plug-in can be a cost-effective solution, available for a flat fee. It allows you to retain all revenue generated from your job board while offering more control over design and customization. However, this option requires technical expertise to manage independently.
Custom developer-built: If you have specific needs that off-the-shelf solutions cannot meet, hiring developers to create a tailored job board may be the best route. This option provides maximum customization but can be very costly and time-consuming.
Having built the software behind Niceboard, we know first-hand how much work is involved in setting up a full custom job board from scratch, and have seen many potential customers choose to go the "cheaper" route, only to find that they've wasted weeks in setup and the solution doesn't perform well.
For this reason, we recommend skipping the headache and opting for a managed solution from the get-go.
We had seriously considered building a custom job board before finding Niceboard. That's a huge task by the time you consider Stripe integration, email subscriptions, back-filling job listings, etc.
Out of the box Niceboard has all the features we would have spent weeks building and testing, now we can focus on the sales and marketing side of building a job board.
— Tony S, Co-Founder & CTO
#2 How to approach features
Likely, you are unhappy with your current software solution and have a whole list of new features you want with your new job board.
But this is your reminder to not forget about the features you currently utilize that might be essential for your job board's ongoing operations. Here are some considerations:
- How do you source jobs?
For instance, if you currently source job listings via an API, you need to ensure that your new software supports API access to automate job imports and access job board data. - How do you market your job board?
If your primary traffic source is a job alerts newsletter, look for software that can capture job seeker email addresses and send out alerts automatically or software that integrates with third-party email platforms, such as ConvertKit. If organic traffic is your main source, prioritize software that supports Google Jobs API integration, is mobile responsive, and offers the customization of metadata. - How do you monetize your job board?
Identify how you generate revenue with your job board. If selling job listings is your main income source, ensure the new software allows employer and job seeker accounts and supports tiered pricing. If you plan to sell ad space, verify that the provider can accommodate this.
#3 Migrate the data
Now we come to the most important part: actually migrating your job board, including your domain, data, integrations, SEO, and design.
Domain
You have two options regarding your domain:
- Use your existing domain: In your domain provider settings, can point your existing domain to the new job board.
- Adopt a new domain: Some job board software may come with a new domain, which can be beneficial if you want to rebrand or switch to a more suitable domain.
Data transfer
This is where it gets a bit more involved. Ideally, you want to migrate most of your existing data such as jobs, job seeker & company profiles, applications, payment plans, and blog content.
How exactly you can transfer this data hinges on the volume and the two platforms involved. Depending on how far back your data goes, it might also be worth considering what you actually want to keep, for instance you could chose to only important data from the current year. The less data you have to deal with, the simpler the process will be.
This is how you can approach data transfer:
- Export data: The first step is exporting all relevant data from your current provider. You might get a simple CSV file or your new job board provider may have an API with which you can create commands to retrieve jobs, companies, and other elements of your board programmatically.
- Import data: Transfer the exported data to your new provider using API or automation tools like Zapier. If supported, XML bulk imports are also an easy way to populate your job board with existing data.
Ensure the data is in the correct format for the new platform. This might require you to clean, edit, and reformat your data in between these two steps.
Be aware that ongoing payment details may not be transferable due to security concerns. So make sure you notify anyone with an ongoing subscription payment.
Integrations and automations
If you have existing email alerts or automations, ensure your new platform supports these features. You might even be able to import job alerts information with the respective profiles as described in the previous step. This is a good opportunity to audit your current job alerts and assess their effectiveness in driving traffic.
Other automations you have set up are probably related to sourcing jobs. There are 3 main way to programmatically import jobs:
- API: For your new provider, you want to check how often the imports are updated since it’s important to have relevant listings at all times.
- XML: You should understand any limit to the number of feeds you can create, and if this works with your needs.
- Backfill: Get to know which partner networks your new provider supports and whether you’ll find the types of jobs you need.
SEO
Maintaining SEO rankings during a migration to new job board software is important for preserving your site's visibility and organic traffic. Here are elements to consider for a smooth transition while keeping your SEO performance intact.
Domain
One of the most effective ways to maintain your SEO rankings is to keep your existing domain, which you can easily do with Niceboard. This helps preserve backlinks and existing traffic, which are some of the most important aspects for achieving good search engine rankings. If you switch to a new domain, you risk losing the authority your current domain has built over time.
URL structures
During the migration, pay close attention to your URL structures. Your current job board’s taxonomy (read: website structure) should be replicated on the new platform.
For example, if your existing URL for product design jobs is https://domain.com/category/product-design, ensure that a similar page exists on the new site. Note that the same page could logically also be nested under https://domain.com/jobs/product-design or https://domain.com/jobs/category/product-design. If this is the case, you will want to create 301 redirects to the new pages so both search engines and users will find to your new page.
SEO metadata
Metadata plays a significant role in SEO. Before migrating, document the title tags, meta descriptions, and other relevant metadata for your most important pages. ScreamingFrog is a great tool for this. After the migration, ensure that the information is accurately transferred to the new platform. This step helps maintain your rankings for targeted keywords.
Backlinks
Backlinks are a cornerstone of SEO. If you keep your domain and URL structures consistent, your backlinks will remain intact. However, if you must change URLs, reach out to sites linking to your old URLs and request updates to point to the new pages.
Design
While migrating, you may need to adjust your job board's design. Overall, you want to aim for a design that aligns with your website even if this means changing the current look of your job board. Also keep in mind that less customization often leads to a more cohesive look, a much faster setup, and better performance.
If you need that extra level of customizations, opt for a platform like Niceboard that offers custom CSS edits, to ensure your job board fully integrates with your brand and specific needs.
By following the steps outlined, you will be well on your way to a brand new platform that aligns with your operational needs and improves your job board's user experience.
Niceboard makes the switch easy by offering built-in functionalities, such as API, XML, integration with automation software like Zapier, and custom support throughout your migration.