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Post a vacancyRecruitment can be expensive, and the cost of job postings is often a top concern for employers. Indeed offers both free* and sponsored job posting options, so you can choose the best approach for your budget and recruitment timeline.
This article explains how Indeed pricing works, when paying to post a job is beneficial and answers frequently asked pricing questions.
On Indeed, you can post either a free* or paid job listing, also known as a Sponsored Job. Free listings are shown in relevant jobseeker search results but then fall back in search as new jobs are added over time.
Paid jobs (Standard or Premium Sponsored Jobs) are prioritised in relevant search results and retain their increased visibility for as long as they’re sponsored. This means they’re seen more often by jobseekers.
When you sponsor, pricing is results-based: with a daily budget, you may pay per click (PPC), and in other setups, you may pay per started application (PPSA), depending on your account and market.[1]
The cost to sponsor a job is based on Indeed’s recommendation system, which takes into account market factors such as job competitiveness, location, your recruitment timeline and the supply of jobseekers for specific job titles, among other factors.
If you’re wondering how much it costs to post a job on Indeed, the answer depends on whether you choose to sponsor your listing. Here’s how pricing on Indeed works.
Indeed will suggest a budget based on your job title, location and description. The recommendation is not mandatory but is suggested to help you reach the number of jobseekers you’ll likely need to recruit a candidate.
You incur charges when somebody interacts with your job post.
How much you spend depends on the budget you choose and how your job post performs. You can pause or close your job at any time from your employer dashboard.*
*When you downgrade a job from Sponsored to Free, you may still incur remaining charges for billable activity on our site. These charges will never exceed your maximum budget.
You’ll be prompted to provide payment information before Indeed begins to promote your job post. Indeed will validate the billing information you’ve provided as best practice to prevent fraud on our platform.
This validation step could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days in some cases. Indeed might also send an invoice when your account first reaches a balance of £25, as a secondary measure to validate your payment method, if you’re sponsoring a job for the first time.
Indeed sends invoices on the first day of the month to charge for clicks or started applications, depending on your pricing model, that your paid job posts received during the previous month.
If the balance on your account reaches a threshold of £500, it will trigger an invoice to be sent – even if the first day of the new month has not yet occurred. (Credit card only.)
You can compare your invoice against the performance report in your employer dashboard, which contains metrics such as clicks, apply starts and cost per click to further understand the charges.
To answer this, it’s helpful to understand how pricing on Indeed works to determine which option is right for you.
On Indeed, you can post up to three free jobs directly on Indeed per calendar month, each staying live for up to 30 days.[2]
Here are some questions to consider to help you decide whether sponsoring a job on Indeed is right for you:
Many job postings on Indeed can be posted for free, but certain job types and circumstances may require payment.
Here are a few reasons you may be required to pay for your job post. (Note: This isn’t a complete list and other circumstances may also require payment.)
If your job was flagged on Indeed, it may be because the content or how it was posted doesn’t meet Indeed’s job posting standards, or because certain types of roles and posting practices require sponsorship to help verify legitimacy, prevent misuse of free posts and maintain a high-quality experience for jobseekers.
Promoting your job on Indeed gives you access to two tiers of Sponsored Jobs: Standard and Premium. Each is designed to help you reach more relevant candidates based on your recruitment needs and timeline.
Whether you’re looking to attract more applicants fast or want to highlight an urgent or hard-to-fill role, Sponsored Jobs give you the flexibility to choose the right level of visibility and support, and you can pause or close jobs at any time with no long-term contracts.
Here are the benefits of each tier:
Standard Sponsored Jobs are a great way to boost visibility and get more traction than a free listing. When you sponsor a job at the Standard level, you’ll:
Your job post is promoted, so it’s shown with more visibility to active jobseekers in search results and job alerts.
Your job will be on Indeed’s homepage to jobseekers who previously searched for jobs like yours.
We’ll recommend a budget designed to help you receive applications at the right pace for your recruitment needs, using market insights.
No long-term contracts or long-term commitments required.
Premium Sponsored Jobs offer everything you get with Standard, plus additional tools and features to help you connect with the right candidates faster. With a Premium post, you can also:
Prioritise your role over similar job posts in search results to receive applications fast.
Premium Sponsored Jobs have access to the ‘urgently needed’ label, which appears on the job post as an indicator that you’re moving through the recruitment process quickly.
Target candidates who meet one or more occupational criteria, like skills, certifications, licences and degrees, along with location criteria.
Instantly match with quality candidates who fit your job criteria based on information collected from the jobseeker, and invite them to apply.
Premium jobs are actively promoted across Indeed and its media network to increase reach, especially in competitive markets.
Stand out from similar roles in search results with attention-grabbing visuals, like your company logo and images that draw attention to your job post.
Choosing the right level depends on your recruitment goals. If you’re trying to fill a critical role quickly or struggling to find qualified applicants, Premium can provide a competitive advantage. Standard is a great fit when you want to increase exposure while staying within a leaner budget.
Your job will continue to be sponsored on Indeed until you pause or close your job post. What’s the difference between closed and paused job postings? Both statuses remove your job from search results and stop your spending.
Changing your job’s status to paused keeps it visible in your dashboard. This option may be best if you’re receiving a lot of applications and want more time to review the candidates you already have.
Closing your job is recommended if you recruit a candidate or no longer need to fill the position. You can pause or close your job at any time from your employer dashboard.*
You can post up to three free jobs directly on Indeed per calendar month, each staying live for up to 30 days.
When you reach these monthly limits, you can then choose to sponsor additional jobs or extend the visibility of existing posts by sponsoring them, enhancing reach and connecting you with qualified candidates more efficiently.
To post a free job directly on Indeed, follow these steps:
Indeed accepts several forms of payment for Sponsored Jobs. Typically, payments are processed via credit card, which can be managed directly in your account.
If paying with a credit card is not an option, Indeed also offers the option to pay for Sponsored Jobs through an insertion order (IO), via ACH/Wire, cheque or by logging into the account and using the ‘pay now’ feature.
You’ll receive a separate invoice for each of Indeed’s recruitment solutions, as seen on your Billing and Invoices page.
If you have a Sponsored Job, you’ll be billed on the first day of the month or when your account spending reaches £500 – whichever comes first.[3] Your invoice will reflect the amount spent on jobseeker interactions like clicks or started applications from the previous billing period.
To check your amount of spend:
If your charges do not reach the threshold (£500) within a month, you will be invoiced on the first day of the following month for any accrued amount that has not yet been invoiced.
No. The charges you incur for your paid job post will depend on the budget type you select. If you have chosen:
Indeed pricing is built to be flexible so you can align spend with your recruitment needs. You can start with up to three free hosted jobs each month, then sponsor roles when you need more visibility, faster results or support for hard-to-fill positions.
With results-based budgets, the ability to pause or close jobs at any time and clear analytics on clicks, applies and spend, you stay in control of costs while giving key roles the reach they need to connect with qualified candidates.
Back to Recruitment with Indeed
This article is based on product information available at the time of writing, which may change at any time. Indeed does not guarantee that this information is always up to date. Please contact your CS/Sales rep for the latest on this topic.
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