How Much Does It Cost to Build a Website Like Indeed in 2024

Indeed is the most visited platform among other job-related online marketplaces. It boasts a massive pool of resumes and job postings. The portal regularly updates its functionality to match candidates with the relevant employers.

In this article, you will find out what makes Indeed so famous and unique. Besides, we will discuss the challenges startuppers may face, what functionality the job platform should have, and more.

On the whole, you will know how to create a job posting website like Indeed and how much it costs to build a similar platform to outdo Indeed’s success.

What is a job search website?

Long story short, it is a platform where employers list their job offers and search for relevant candidates. On the flip side, applicants post their resumes and look for the desired vacancies. Also, the job website stands for a worldwide search engine. It aggregates job postings from many other employment services and places them on the platform.

In order to get a better understanding, let’s briefly cover the advantages of such a website for workers and employers:

• Online CV

  It is highly convenient for employers, as they do not need to sort out tons of resumes by hand. Also, there is a possibility to set different filters for every job opportunity published so that it becomes more convenient to manage the CVs sent.

  For example, most well-known job websites, such as Glassdoor or Ladders, provide employers with an ATS (applicant tracking system). ATS functions as the main filter, automatically removing all unsuitable resumes, considering keywords and the overall format of an applicant’s CV. The system allows companies to avoid sorting out tons of irrelevant resumes. Thus, businesses save time and make the acquisition process more efficient.

• Job boards

  Companies take advantage of paid and free boards. Thus, they advertise their vacancies and target applicants with certain skills and experiences in a particular job sphere.

• Employer research

  It allows job seekers to see the company profile, read reviews, and view ratings from other applicants.

Considering the market volume of job websites, it is really huge. Apart from Indeed, there are employment-related giants such as Glassdoor, Monster, JobisJob, Lensa, Simply Hired, ZipRecruiter, and CareerBuilder.

However, according to Statista, Indeed is one of the most visited job search websites globally. Below, you can see the number of visits in recent years.

Source: statista.com

Notably, Indeed was included in the Fast Company 2022 list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. This list presents enterprises that are making a significant impact on their businesses and society.

As of 2023, Indeed has 350+ million unique monthly visitors and 245 million resumes, according to their website.

What makes Indeed so prosperous and unique?

As was stated by Davide Novelli, Director of International Online Operations, there are three main keys to the Indeed job platform's success:

1. Building up local market expertise

   It means that a job board company hires only those professionals who know the specific features of every regional market.

2. Delivering relevant results with contextual translation

   The platform provides three-stage contextual translation to cover all the cultural and local needs of its users.

3. Designing the job search experience for every location

   Applicants have the ability to search for any position and location from all over the world. For example, if you are now in the US, you can easily look for the desired job position in Germany. The search system is not location-based, which greatly boosts job seekers’ user experience.

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Main challenges in creating a job search website

Once you decide to build a job search platform, you need to understand the main challenges that may appear. You may face them before or after you start an online job business. Understanding these issues will help you escape them.

Candidate mismatch

It means that an applicant may look like a good match for a company. But then they appear overqualified or do not have the required set of professional abilities. On the other hand, a job vacancy may also seem irrelevant to a candidate even after passing an interview.

Primarily, the problem is caused by algorithms that match results based on SEO (search engine optimization). For example, these algorithms can be outdated. If a candidate does not use a proper or enough number of the “right keywords,” then a mismatch issue may appear.

To avoid a mismatch, job board websites use artificial intelligence technologies for search. For example, such a giant as IBM implements AI-based software that picks candidates’ resumes. AI technologies are common today among the leading job platforms, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster, and others.

The operational principle is pretty simple and powerful. The algorithm monitors both applicants’ CVs and their social network profiles to collect more data about a candidate. Afterward, the program matches the skills of the applicant to provide the most relevant job vacancy.

However, implementing AI-based software is a complex and quite costly process. In many cases, startuppers can do without this or use alternative solutions.

Reliability of job postings

Many applicants who use employment platforms complain about outdated postings. Some job search websites do not regularly update the employer/employee base. It leads to outdated job offers or already-hired candidates.

Irrelevant posts appear when website moderation does not work on a sufficient level. To solve this problem, we recommend that you think about the way you can track whether the postings are high-quality and up-to-date. The nice idea is to automate the monitoring process. So that the program controls the job post date, its status, and the user/company that published the vacancy.

Another good solution when you create a job board is to implement posting fees on the platform. No more employers will be interested in keeping the job post outdated or irrelevant.

User data vulnerability

In terms of virtual communication, it is very hard to prove the accuracy of the data provided. Both job seekers and employers cannot fully trust the information until the personal interview.

By the way, this fact leads to a large number of swindlers emerging daily to collect personal data or deceive users. Job website visitors often suffer from spammers who capture their emails or send tons of messages to their mobile phones. So, the platform owner should think about securing their users' data. Enhanced security will improve the credibility of the job website.

For sure, there are such American laws as HIPAA (in the medical sphere), CCPA (in California), and others that partly protect personal information.

However, there is no legal rule in the United States that fully defends private data as it does GDPR. It is the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union. For this reason, take into account the following methods to enhance your job search platform security:

• Don’t display users’ contact information.

  You can implement an intraplatform chat to give users an opportunity to communicate.

• Prevent information from being copied.

  Integrate anti-scrappers that will not allow other job search engines to copy data from your job search website.

• Notify users of all rules and policies.

  Ask both employers and job seekers to carefully read the policy documents and confirm they have reviewed the material.

Read also: 5 Biggest Mistakes When Building a Marketplace and How to Bypass Them

Aspects to consider before starting a job search website

Now, let’s take a look at the primary pre-development stage aspects that you need to contemplate when you create a job posting website.

Pick your niche

Indeed, Glassdoor and Monster are job-board juggernauts that have captured the market. Their approach is “everything for everyone”. They aggregate tons of information every second from all over the world. So, it will become really difficult to compete with them at the very beginning.

Under these conditions, it is a nice idea to start with a certain market niche, ideally unique, that has not been captured yet. Concentrate your website on a particular professional sphere.

For instance, you can initially build a job search platform for creative experts. They are designers, editors, writers, and painters. 99designs is a great example of a platform for hiring professional designers.

Also, you can create a job platform for vehicle drivers or personal finance specialists.

Furthermore, you can narrow your focus according to a certain location. In Australia, one of the local job search platforms is Ethical Jobs. It is intended for Australians.

With a specific niche, you gain the first users onboard and see how your product is useful and valuable for the community. When your platform gives positive business results, you can expand it by adding new professional spheres.

You may also like: How to Create a Job Board Website Like Glassdoor: A Full Guide to Follow

Choose the monetization model

Most of the well-known job search websites are profit platforms. They make money by implementing different fees. Let’s look at the 10 most common revenue sources that will help you earn money.

Job listing fees

You charge employers for listing their offers for a particular period of time. For example, Dice takes $495 per single job post. Thus, employees get wider job exposure, and job websites generate income.

Subscription fee

When employers pay a monthly subscription fee, you give them the opportunity to post a specific or unlimited number of job openings during the month. This method is convenient for employers who hire frequently and brings a stable revenue stream to a job board.

Premium fee

This monetization model means you provide platform users with a certain set of free and paid functionality. No-cost features fully cover the basic needs of both website sides. If the users want to get more, they can purchase a premium and receive some advanced functionality.

For example, Monster offers a premium option for $299 per month. It allows you to promote unlimited jobs, search a database, and communicate with candidates.

CV access fee

You provide employers with the ability to view job seekers’ resumes or get access to a database of applicants for a fee. It is an extremely profitable model when you have many job seekers on the platform.

Featured listings

Premium or featured job listings allow employers to highlight their vacancies. Job boards show such listings on top of others, providing better vacancy visibility. Thus, they attract more attention from job seekers.

Affiliate programs

Such an approach allows employers and job seekers to recommend the job board to other businesses, entrepreneurs, and portal users. When a newcomer accesses the job board, the recommending user earns the commission. Thus, a job board reaches a wider audience.

For example, Upwork offers their affiliates a discount of 70% for the first contract amounting to $150.

Pay per application

Indeed offers this option to employers and HR specialists. An employer or HR can choose applications to be paid for if they match the job description requirements. Also, Indeed gives 72 hours to reject the application before an employer will be charged.

As for now, this pricing option is available depending on employing titles and roles, though Indeed does not specify who will be able to use this pricing option.

Advertising

Job boards can post advertisements for relevant businesses and services. You can show these ads in prominent areas with high visibility for employers and job seekers.

Further reading: 9 Top Payment Gateways for Online Marketplaces

Beneficial features to your Indeed-like job website

You have chosen the desired niche and picked the most relevant revenue models. Now, it is time to define the most important platform features that will allow both employers and job seekers to reach their goals.

Indeed constantly improves its services for employers, HR specialists, and job seekers based on relevant feedback. Below, we describe Indeed’s features by dividing the functionality into two parts for your convenience. So, when you create a job posting website, you might consider including such functionality.

For employers:

• Personal profile

  This feature empowers companies to tell about their businesses and specify their main activity spheres. It also enables the publishing of statistics and job seekers' reviews. A personal profile shows the advantages and goals of the companies in the short and long run. It also inserts links to job search websites and social media.

  For instance, here is the Spotify profile on Indeed. It gives users a complete understanding of the company’s benefits, salaries, and rating overview.

• Job listings

  Employers post their vacancies to hire specialists. This feature allows for specifying all the details about the job position. These are requirements, responsibilities, working conditions, and extra offerings from a company.

• Employee search

  Companies can use a filtering system that greatly specifies the result employers want to achieve. Job title, state, city, distance, education level, professional skills, experience, and additional faculties.

• Hiring dashboard

  The dashboard helps employers view and manage candidates' information and job postings, facilitating the recruitment process. With Indeed’s dashboard, employers and HRs schedule events, check hiring market trends for better job postings, and message candidates with instant alerts.

• ATS Sync integrations

  The Indeed platform integrates with 200+ ATSs globally. Integrations include candidate information and hiring progress data exchange. Thus, HR and employers can track the hiring progress of each candidate. The ATS Sync service is free of charge.

• Masked phone-to-phone calling

  This feature allows employers and HRs to contact candidates directly. When an employer dials the masked number, it is protected with a pin. So, both parties get protection for their sensitive data. The feature is helpful for direct communication and in cases where the connection is unstable.

• Candidate management

  Indeed updated options for handling contact with candidates. The updates include improvements for contacting candidates and scheduling events with real-time access to candidate information. Also, Indeed matches candidates for employers based on published jobs and saved searches.

For job seekers:

• Worker’s profile

  In order to create an account on the job platform, candidates need to enter an email address, password, location, and build or upload their resume. This way, applicants will be able to send their CVs or attach them to the cover letter.

  By the way, job candidates can see their work application statuses in their Indeed account. So they can identify whether a potential employer has viewed a request.

• Vacancy search

  This feature allows using different search filters to specify the job request more accurately. For example, you can choose the salary level, company size, remote/in-office cooperation, etc.

• Salary comparison

  Candidates can check the level of the rates for the entered position within a country, state, city, or different companies.

  Here you can see the salary distribution for a Software Engineer job position within the biggest corporations.

• Employer’s profile

  Here, candidates have an opportunity to view the company’s information. They get a list of all job opportunities and check photos. Most importantly, they read the reviews of an employer from current job seekers and applicants.

• Apply for a job

  It is the final decision stage when an applicant sends a cover letter and attaches a built/uploaded resume to it.

• Salary calculator

  This feature allows candidates to calculate their approximate salary value. This calculator considers professional skills, years of experience, and current wages. The algorithm takes into account all the values entered. Thus, it estimates the compensation within the current market situation.

  Notably, this calculator determines the candidate's gross pay. It means the salary amount before an employer deducts taxes.

• CV builder

  It is a perfect option for both beginners who fill in their resumes for the first time and skilled specialists who want to save time. It offers you different templates to pick from. In the selected template, you should enter the required information to form a professional CV.

• Add to a wishlist or hide a job posting

  In case a candidate likes a position but is not ready to apply for it, they can add it to their wishlist (bookmark) for the future. At the same time, if an employee does not want to see a vacancy, they can hide such a job posting.

• Different levels of CV privacy (public, limited, and private)

  Some applicants do not want employers to view their CVs. For this reason, you can implement different levels of resume privacy, such as public, limited, and private.

Read also: How to Create an Online Service Marketplace: Ultimate Guide

How to create a job board like Indeed: 3 solutions

Now, let’s take a look at the 3 main ways that will allow you to build a job search platform.

Solution #1. Ready-made software

Such software vendors as SmartJobBoard, Madgex, Recooty, and Monster TMS offer cloud job board solutions with one click. You do not need to stew about hosting and upgrades. They are included. It is worth noting several advantages and disadvantages to this option.

Benefits

• No specific knowledge or skills are required. You can think away coding, quality assurance, hosting, upgrading, and other technical aspects of the development.
• Relatively affordable price. For sure, this solution is not cheap when you create a job posting website, but the final quote is lower than for custom software development.
• Maintenance and support. You don’t need to think about bugs, crashes, or performance falls. These aspects are under the control of the software provider.

Drawbacks

• Zero customization. You have no ability to build a custom template or implement your own features. Everything you can do is use corporate colors and logos.
• Limited control. The service provider only gives you the platform to use it. It means you have no control rights, and you do not own them.

In a few words, this option is a nice idea when you want to start a job platform in a matter of minutes. Don’t you need a unique and complex job board solution? Then it is a good choice for you.

Solution #2. Content management systems

Another option for job portal website development is to use a CMS (content management system) like Joomla, Drupal, or WordPress. Specifically, they provide themes and plugins that give you the ability to create a job website similar to Indeed.

Benefits

• Freedom of action. Within the chosen template, you are able to customize most of the job platform elements. Also, you can find a large number of themes and plugins for your job platform, both free and paid.
• The development is cheap. That is, to create a site, you do not need to pay a lot of money to the developers.
• You can build a web product quickly. It will take several hours or days to create a site on a CMS, depending on the complexity of the solution.

Drawbacks

• Technical knowledge. Initially, there will be no problem starting a job platform without any programming skills. Going forward, if some crashes or bugs emerge, you will need to use your technical skills to solve the problems.
• Low compatibility. If you develop a job website on Joomla, then there is no opportunity to add some themes or plugins from other systems.
• Lack of support and control. By choosing a CMS for web development, you’re responsible for the functionality and maintenance of your web solution. Also, you should monitor potential security matters on your own.

This option is perfect if you need to launch quickly and verify your idea with minimal investment. If you have already built a job platform using CMS, you will just need to build in some themes or plugins.

Solution #3. Custom software development

You can hire a software consultancy or a team of custom software developers to build an online job search website. Let’s take a look at the main advantages of this solution for job portal website development.

Benefits

• High scalability. In case you need to start fast, build an MVP (minimum viable product) first. It allows you to verify your business idea through minimal investments. After that, you can improve your job search solution based on users’ feedback.
• Customized UX/UI. It is a perfect option to stand out from your market rivals. You can create a unique user experience that greatly simplifies the way job seekers will apply for a vacancy.

You may also like: How UX Design Solves Online Marketplace Issues

Drawbacks

• Quite time-consuming development. This solution option requires more time for development than the previous two.
• Relevant pricing. Custom development is more expensive than web creation with the help of a CMS or ready-made software with one click.

A custom software development service is a perfect option in the long run. High scalability and unique design allow you to grow your job platform continually. You can add new features and provide your target audience with the best user experience. If you want to integrate or build in some plugins and systems, you will not face any problems with compatibility.

At Codica, we help our clients build profitable custom web products. For example, one of our successful projects is a smart job search.

The Codica team worked thoroughly to develop a stable, personalized, and appealing web product. This app helps its target audience working from home find workplaces. Thanks to the development of PWA (progressive web app), we made the solution effective for both iOS and Android devices.

The result of our custom development can be seen in the video below.

The cost of creating a job board similar to Indeed

Basically, there are several factors that influence the total cost of your job board custom development.

The first one is the development approach. You may use ready-made software that will be cheaper. Alternatively, you can opt for custom software development. This approach will be more expensive. Still, you will get a solution tailored to your specific business requirements.

Another factor that determines the cost of building a job website similar to Indeed is the functionality you want to implement.

Finally, the hourly rate of your web development partner will greatly influence the cost of your future job search website.

To make things easier for you, the table below shows the approximate costs of creating a job search website with basic features.

To answer the question of how much it costs to build an Indeed-like job website, the price is $68,000. This is an approximate budget you will need to create a similar job platform. This price is relevant if you collaborate with a development company located in Eastern Europe, for example, Ukraine.

Of course, the final estimate of the job portal website development cost will depend on your business requirements and priorities. Also, the price will vary according to the hourly rate of your development team. If you prefer to work with a team from the US or Western Europe, the custom development costs to create a job search website will be different.

Recommended reading: MVP Development Cost: 5 Main Aspects for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

How Codica can help you build a job search website similar to Indeed

At Codica, we have been delivering complex custom service marketplace websites for many years. We focus on building optimized and engaging platforms that bring a lot of traffic, improve conversion rates, and boost sales. Also, our expert teams take into account the end-users’ needs to create a web solution that your customers will enjoy using.

With a deep analysis of your potential clients and their demands, we deliver intuitive UX/UI design services. It positively affects the overall impressions of users and makes them stay on your job platform.

To better understand how we build job boards at Codica, let’s take a look at our project development lifecycle.

1. Research & discovery (R&D)

At this stage of job portal website development, we define your business goals and potential customers to create the best ways of targeting them.

Below, you can see a video where Taya, Sales Manager at Codica, describes this stage in more detail.

2. Product Design (UX and UI)

We built a prototype and a user interface for your platform, considering the product goals and end-users' demands. It allows us to create a job board with an intuitive user journey and build a custom web solution that your customers will enjoy.

3. Product (MVP) development

This way, you will get a reliable, scalable, and easy-to-maintain marketplace. Moreover, you get the opportunity to add new functionality to your job platform when needed.

Watch this video below to learn more about a minimum viable product and how it can benefit you.

4. Optimization and QA

With our QA services, we test each web solution we create and optimize the code to ensure the high quality and stable performance of all the custom apps we deliver.

5. Deployment, monitoring, and support

Once your marketplace is created and launched, we monitor the platform and immediately solve any issues that may emerge. In case you don’t have an in-house development team, Codica will help you build a thriving job search website similar to Indeed and support it further.

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Following these custom development stages, we created a lucrative global online hiring platform. The solution is intended to help firms and recruiters quickly hire job seekers worldwide. Initially, we made the solution mobile-friendly thanks to progressive web app development services.

Later, we helped our client rebrand the platform and enhance it with artificial intelligence capabilities. Now, recruiters can use the RecruitAgent.ai platform to create job descriptions. The solution harnesses the power of a ChatGPT chatbot and Weaviate vector database integrations and offers recruiters a questionnaire with automated options to create a job description.

Why is this important and helpful? In such a way, recruiters spend less time creating a job description. Also, HR specialists get the job title compliant with the standard naming for jobs, which allows you to post openings on prominent job boards.

The Codica team developed a convenient, secure, and fast-loading platform for recruiters. Below is an image showing the resulting job description with all necessary aspects based on the recruiter’s answers.

Check out our portfolio for more successful projects we have delivered so far.

Related reading: PWA vs Native Apps: Advantages and Disadvantages, Features Comparison

Conclusion

Job search websites have become an innovative and effective way to hire professionals and apply for jobs. Many people from all over the world visit such platforms, thus generating huge search engine traffic. It makes them a prospective business concept to invest in and generate profit from.

Surely, building a job board website similar to Indeed is a pretty difficult task as it takes a lot of effort. You need to choose your niche, solve the main challenges, define the basic functionality, and implement it technically.

Considering how to build a job board like Indeed, take into account a reliable team. If you have an experienced custom software development company you can cooperate with, it becomes much easier.

Codica has a solid background in building custom marketplace platforms. We have developed many successful projects in different domains. These are finance, accommodation rentals, automotive, insurance, travel, and ecommerce. Let’s get in touch, and we will bring your business idea of the job search website to reality.