Why Only Hiring on Indeed Is Holding You Back

If you’re an employer frustrated with Indeed, you’re not alone. Many businesses rely on Indeed for employers to find job candidates, only to discover they’re spending too much money and still struggling to get quality hires. While job boards like Indeed can be a valuable part of a hiring strategy, they’re just one piece of the puzzle.

If you’re looking for alternatives to Indeed for employers, the solution isn’t just posting on different job boards—it’s diversifying how you source candidates altogether. This article is for employers, not job seekers, who need better ways to find, attract, and hire top talent without over-relying on Indeed.

Challenges with Relying on Indeed Alone

Indeed is one of the most popular tools for employers searching for candidates, but using Indeed for hiring has its limitations. Indeed offers two types of job postings: free and sponsored. Free posts get higher visibility for the first few days but quickly drop in search rankings.

Previously, employers could “refresh” job listings to boost free posts in search results, but Indeed has eliminated this option—regardless of whether you post directly on Indeed or through another system. This change pushes businesses toward paying for job sponsorship to maintain visibility.

How Much Does It Cost to Sponsor a Job on Indeed?

Many employers find that Indeed’s costs add up quickly, especially for ongoing hiring needs. The price of sponsoring a job varies based on location, industry, and demand, but the return on investment isn’t always there. Even when sponsorship increases applicant volume, it doesn’t guarantee more qualified hires.

An over-reliance on Indeed presents key challenges:

• It doesn’t expand your applicant pool—it only increases visibility within the same group of job seekers.
• It can be expensive for “evergreen” roles that require continuous hiring.
• More applicants ≠ better hires—higher volume doesn’t always mean higher quality.

When Indeed is your only hiring channel, your only solution for attracting more candidates is paying more for sponsorship. However, there are other, more effective ways to improve hiring success.

Hiring Success Beyond Indeed

Relying on a single job board means limiting your reach and missing out on great hires. A better hiring strategy goes beyond simply posting on another job board.

Employers who truly want alternatives to Indeed for hiring employees need to rethink how they source candidates, engage with them, and convert them into great hires.

Diversifying your sourcing channels beyond Indeed not only expands your applicant pool but also helps you identify which sources yield the best hires—rather than just the most applicants—for each role and location.

Underused Sourcing Methods

Too often, employers wait for candidates to apply on Indeed, rather than actively reaching out through more effective, less competitive channels. Here are a few powerful, yet often overlooked, ways to diversify your hiring strategy:

• QR Codes & Text-to-Apply: Make applying effortless for candidates who see your job ad on flyers, vehicles, or in-store signage. A simple scan or text message starts the process instantly.
• Social Media Advertising: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow you to target job ads based on location, experience, and interests, reaching both active and passive job seekers.
• Craigslist & Niche Job Boards: For certain industries, Craigslist and specialized job boards (like those for skilled trades, manufacturing, or hospitality) can be excellent applicant sources.
• Employee Referrals: Incentivizing your current workforce to recommend candidates leads to higher-quality hires who are more likely to stay long-term.

Improve Your Hiring Process

Expanding your sourcing channels is just one piece of the puzzle. The way you engage with candidates and present job opportunities makes a major difference in hiring success. Two key factors stand out:

Speed of Engagement: The best candidates don’t stay on the market for long. Employers who quickly respond to applications and reach out via text or phone—rather than waiting for email replies—see better hiring results.

Job Posting Quality: The best applicants aren’t just looking for a job; they’re looking for the right job. Strengthening job descriptions ensures they resonate with top talent:

• Use keywords that matter to candidates (avoid internal jargon).
• Clarify job responsibilities (e.g., "Customer Service Associate" instead of just "Associate").
• Include seniority or career progression details to highlight growth opportunities.

By broadening your sourcing strategies and fine-tuning your hiring process, you can reduce reliance on Indeed and attract a more diverse, high-quality pool of applicants—without increasing costs.

Rethink Your Hiring Strategy

If you’ve been relying solely on Indeed to source candidates and feel like you’re paying more but getting fewer quality hires, it’s time to explore Indeed alternatives for employers that actually work.

Instead of asking, "How much does it cost to sponsor a job on Indeed?" or "Is there an alternative to Indeed?" consider a better question: How can I attract top talent to my business without relying on Indeed?

By diversifying your sourcing methods and improving how you engage with candidates, you can reduce hiring costs, increase quality hires, and make better hiring decisions—without being locked into Indeed’s pay-to-play model.

_{This article was originally published on October 6, 2002. It was last updated on March 14, 2025.}