Do NOT Use WordPress For Your Recruitment Website In 2022 (+ best alternative)

Rick Mare • March 9, 2022

Everyone will tell you WordPress is the best solution for your new recruitment website because everyone is using it.

While it might have been solid advice at some point this century, it is NOT the way to go in 2022.


I’m writing this from the perspective of a recruitment platform designer with 15 years of recruitment website development experience. I have spent so much time and energy to educate and help customers avoid the world of pain they often experience using ill-conceived plans and being oversold by design agencies who in reality haven't a clue what it takes to build a recruitment ecosystem with integrations that work....


This post is pretty extensive, and here is what you can expect:

  • Who am I to make this post?
  • If WordPress is the old school way of making a website - what's new?
  • The transition from working with old technology to the new age of “low-code” and “no-code”
  • The reasons why you people TELL YOU WordPress is the right fit for your business and why to NOT listen to them!
  • The reasons why you might THINK your business should be using WordPress after you have been told TO use Wordpress!
  • My main concerns with WordPress and the people that suggest it is the only way to go
  • The smarter, no and low-code way of building for the web changes everything
  • The reasons why Shazamme is the best no-code recruitment website platform in 2022
  • Ok, we will attempt to deal with The opposition: “Why WordPress Is The BEST Platform To Build Your Business or Startup Website On”
  • WordPress vs Shazamme
  • About the author
  • Conclusion - why never to consider Wordpress for recruitment websites!


This post is for you if you need a recruitment website or career-site for your business, and want another perspective on Wordpress.Also, if you have fairly basic e-commerce needs, though you may very well want to look at Shazamme.


This post is also written with frustrated marketers and project managers in mind, who could use some ammunition to convince their business owners that Wordpress might not be the best solution for their recruitment website right now as it won’t have the required technical features, security and integrations.

Anyway, no code platforms like Shazamme are super advanced and will be able to handle the most advanced websites possible.


...my love for efficiently creating the right thing has allowed me to focus on building the best recruitment website platform for the industry...

Who am I to talk?

Hey! My name is Rick Maré. I've been designing and developing recruitment web platforms since 2007 and have created over 2,000 recruitment websites with a variety of businesses. Some of our clients were the largest recruitment companies in the world like Adecco, Manpower, Kelly Services and RGF Staffing. Shazamme is the latest reinvention where we have been able to get rid of all the legacy problems and solve the biggest customer complaints over the past 15 years. 


I have been knee-deep in frontend and backend development for so long and loving it, however, I am not a developer! That is the beauty of the no and low code revolution, business ideas can develop so much faster without the developer roadblocks. If you're curious, you can learn more about me at the end of the post.


Somewhere in the middle of this journey of 15 years, WordPress was a solid candidate for the typical small recruitment website.


If WordPress is the old school way of making a recruitment website - what's new?

Come on; it's 2022. You should not have to worry about servers, development environments, deployments, and outdated code anymore if you’re building a recruitment website. Seriously. There are way better services to build and host your recruitment website. Shazamme was developed to allow recruitment websites to be built and maintained without ever writing a single line of code. Shazamme should be the platform of choice for anyone recruiting globally, recruiter or corporate talent acquisition teams. Some other no-code website platforms to mention for comparison are Wix, Canva, Squarespace and Weebly. The platforms offer great functionality but aren’t quite ready to be used for recruiting.


Coming from a background in both development and design, I have been through everything from developing one of the first elaborate .net and PHP based CMS for recruitment in 2007, to being blessed with the amazing no and low code tools we as designers and developers have today. Somewhere in the middle of this journey, WordPress was a solid candidate for the typical recruitment website. But they should no longer be a consideration. The reason is that they are bloody hard to use and require coding. A bit further down, I will outline a few reasons why people still sell you the idea of a WordPress website in 2022 and I have no idea why!


The (incredibly fun!) transition to the "age of no and low-code" for web development

"WordPress, it's not you, you just happen to be a victim of a paradigm shift". First of all, this is not really about WordPress and also not really about the better alternatives that I'll cover. It's about a paradigm shift from having to relate to code, servers, plugins, security updates, development environments, and all that headache, to the “age of no and low-code”.


“No and low-code” web development refers to working with platforms that generate the code for a website automatically in the background, while the website builder offers visual tools to create the structure and content. So writing HTML, CSS, and JS is not required. But it’s often possible to add custom code in a no-code website builder to add functionality that is not included out-of-the-box.


Being a business leader that does not know how to code, I made an educated decision when redesigning our platform about one year ago to gradually steer away from the old school ways of making websites and follow my dream and vision I had from day 1. That vision was that I, like other people that can’t code should be able to build an elaborate recruitment website within days. Since then, content, design, and user experience has gotten the focus it deserves, while the code has been written automatically in the background. The age of no and low-code is absolutely amazing. There's just no turning back. 


The best and really only visual no-code recruitment website builder out there is Shazamme. Since coming to market we have been delighting our customers and putting smiles on their faces.

How does the transition to no-code web development affect the business?

Imagine for a minute you manage a successful recruitment website. You have to rely on developers to make changes, only they can make the changes. One day, you come across  Shazamme. You realize that you can make 99% of the website changes yourself in the same time as it takes to write the email to the developers. No need to wait and explain in detail what you want. No code, no bugs, no server management and optimization, none of that - it's all automated. Ok great! We save time. You become more agile and save money. Fun times! No wonder most WordPress developers are going to keep convincing themselves and clients that WordPress is the way. They have to double down. The alternative is unthinkable for most.


Been there done that

I'm speaking from experience. Tough, tough, really tough experience. I have taken my recruitment websites platform from a large business based on code, servers, lots of staff and all that, through a rough transition to the age of no-code. 


The ability to now create new recruitment website in 1/10 of the time or less has made a fundamental difference to the industry. We can now charge less, meaning that smaller recruitment businesses can get better technology and drop the old expensive platforms that are hard to maintain and that are costly and also very risky!


Time to evolve

About one year ago, I had the vision to change the world of recruitment websites. There had to be a better way to provide a solution to the industry and remove the cost, frustrations and lengthy painful process. I spoke with around 100 different companies around the world about the future of niche industry tech platforms. There was a clear pattern that the smart money was following no and low code platforms. It is faster to develop and significantly less to operate and maintain. Our experience has seen it to be 5-10% of the cost of running a traditional dev team.


No and Low code is here to stay and it's not always going to be pretty for old technology to change but it's time for many WordPress developers and agencies to pivot before they become obsolete. Anyone building a business on Wordpress is not being rational.


WordPress is currently hosting about 32% of the entire web.


4 reasons why people TELL YOU WordPress is the right fit for your business

The reasons may be many. Below are the top 4 reasons why I think people feed you WordPress BS. The first one is delicate and scary.


Reason 01

You're being sold WordPress because that is what they sell, not because that is what you need

A bold claim, sure. But in many cases, that is simply the truth. The business, agency or freelance developer is still using WordPress, simply because that is the best short term strategy for their business. Evolving is both painful and costly, so they choose not to. More details on that in this section: 


Reason 02

The person guiding you lacks knowledge of the new alternatives to WordPress

One of the reasons WordPress is currently hosting about 32% of the entire web, is due to a "ripple effect" of recommendations, from people with limited knowledge of the now available alternatives or people who use it to build something quickly.


Having been a top alternative for many years, WordPress as a one-size-fits-all CMS has become an established truth. So, even if it might not be the right option in 2022, endless developers and users have never been introduced to a better alternative. And they keep telling their friends, and they tell their friends.

Thus, I believe "everyone is doing it" is going to have some truth to it for a long time still. Whether or not WordPress is the right solution for your business website.


Reason 03

WordPress is free, and you can more or less Google yourself through it or hire affordable help

Setting up WordPress without the right skillset could be a dangerous path. A lot of people will sell you WordPress because they have limited development knowledge, but they can Google and hack their way through WordPress. Or you might even find yourself doing this. 

 

But trust me, it can get really nasty if you skip right past important development principles. Like separating a development (local on your computer), staging (test server before pushing anything live) and production (live website) environment, code versioning (history), backups, server configuration, security patches, WordPress and plugin updates. 


Your recruitment website might be running on a minefield just waiting to blow up. And even if you hire help, a setup like this will require attention, time, and money to keep running smoothly. And, given the excellent alternatives we have in 2022, it's just no point most of the time.


Reason 04

There is actually no reason 4 for recruitment websites - Wordpress is not the right fit - ever!


The more time and money we invest in something, the higher we value it.


5 reasons why you might THINK your business should be using WordPress

Sometimes you don't need anyone to sell you WordPress, as you already know that is what you need. A lot of recruiters have been exposed to WordPress websites and that is really all they know. Some recruitment clients even require WordPress in their project brief. This post might allow me to have a nap instead of explaining to yet another client that no, they really don't :) Here are the typical reasons why, and why not.


Reason 01

Our current site is on WordPress, and we're already comfortable with the platform

Having had to learn how to use all aspects of WordPress, I appreciate your concern! On the other hand, I can teach you everything you need to learn to be a master Shazamme content editor, in about 2 minutes. No joke. I make a quick tutorial video for our clients and never hear from them again regarding content editing.


It's perfectly natural to feel safe sticking to the old. Learning something new can be scary. But trust me, it's no big deal when you're moving from an old school CMS to a new school no and low-code visual web platform.


Reason 02

The web platform has to be open-source and free

Those who have experience with expensive paid web platforms will typically look to an open-source and free platform as their saviour. Or those who are on a very tight budget. But the thing is; WordPress cost accumulates and the opportunity cost by moving slow is HUGE.



Reason 03

We have invested way too much time and money in our WordPress site to start over on a new platform

It might also be that you have invested a LOT of money into your existing website on WordPress. And psychologically, the more time and money we invest in something, the higher we value it. This way we can live with all the choices we have made along a, possibly long and rough, road. The longer you have struggled and the more you have paid, the more it feels you have to stick with it.


If you need to freshen up your site significantly, I am willing to bet that we can do it faster from a blank canvas in Shazamme, than a WordPress agency or developer can do it based on the old. Try us!


Reason 04

Replacement developers must be easy to find, in case you can no longer assist us

You'll find WordPress developers around every corner. So this concern was very legitimate in the early days. With Shazamme though, this concern is almost eliminated, because you don't need a developer. You need anyone with experience in Shazamme, or you can give a designer or developer or even your next-door neighbor a crash course and you're good to go! Also, make sure your site is built with a good SEO foundation to make Google happy.


Reason 05

What if the platform we go with dies off?

If you can be sure of one thing, it is that WordPress will be around for a long time still. So no worries there. 

Shazamme is also already profitable and will be kicking it for a long time and won't go anywhere in the foreseeable future.


...100% of recruitment web projects where WordPress is used, has significantly greater risks than no-low code recruitment website platforms.


You don't need to be responsible for the server, code, SSL certificate, and all that heavy lifting.


8 of my main concerns with WordPress

Here are a few of the concerns I have with WordPress

Reason 01

WordPress is not very user-friendly from an editors perspective. To show you an example, I searched for “WordPress content editing” and actually laughed out loud watching this person making a very hard to build a wordpress site sound super easy and fun.


Now compare that to our videos. On-site editing is far easier than navigating the WordPress admin dashboard, which is totally detached from the website and the content in its natural context.


There are some plugins that add similar in-line content editing for WordPress, but most editors will relate to the detached front and back of the platform.


Reason 02

Issues related to plugins, updates, and compatibility. If WordPress is updated, a plugin can stop working. And if a plugin is updated to a version that does not support the current version of WordPress you have installed, the site can also break down. It's not uncommon for a WordPress site to break down every few months.


Reason 03

WordPress has a LOT of unnecessary code for your specific website. It is a bloated all-in-one monster that will likely leave you with a site that is heavy and slow to load, unless it's set up by a "WordPress speed expert". And a slow website will leave your users frustrated and hurt your Google ranking.

 

Reason 04

WordPress puts heavy constraints on creativity. To work creatively, you basically have two options. You can either design, prototype and then write your own HTML/CSS/JS and WP-template. Or you can find the closest WP-template to what you want to build, and then push it around until you reach your goals or lose your hair. Also, it may end up costing you more time and money then building it from scratch.


Reason 05

There are significant challenges with security, and WordPress requires continuous upgrades and patching. Since it is the most common CMS, it is also the one most hackers give their attention to. So many WordPress websites are left outdated and easy to breach.


Reason 06

Unstructured and messy code can cause a lot of unexpected bugs. It is so hard to maintain and keep clean. Open-source can be great, but when a host of developers are involved, it can also lead to a mess of disparate code styles. 


Reason 07

WordPress has no dedicated support. So if something is not working, you need a developer to look into it. Comparing the constant issues we have with self-coded and hosted websites, to the smoothness of Shazamme - it's just two different worlds.


Shazamme is able to solve 95% of support issues within 5 min on a 24/7 chat facility.


Reason 08

WordPress has too much freedom and possibilities, and too little structure. As a rule of thumb, a platform that solves "everything" is not solving anything optimally.


Last but not least, more often than not, it’s just no point hosting a website yourself in 2022. You don't need to be responsible for the server, code, SSL certificate, and all that heavy lifting. 


Through all my years managing web teams, technical infrastructure and maintenance have been what kept me up at night.


No joke, we often have clients working with real content in the CMS only a few hours after our initial setup with no prior knowledge.

The smarter, no-code way of building for the web changes everything

Again, this post is not really about specifics. It's about the paradigm shift from code to no and low-code recruitment web development. But anyway, I'm going to tell you about my recruitment no and low-code platform. Shazamme is the best tool to transform the way we build recruitment websites right now, in my opinion. The platform is 100% hosted, meaning you never touch any code. The code for the website is produced automagically in the background, while we keep our focus on what matters; amazing recruitment widgets, integrations, content and user experience!


Bye-bye code, servers, development environments, deployment scripts, security updates, ...HELP!


Through all my years managing web teams, technical infrastructure and maintenance have been what kept me up at night. Wordpress has the same issues, the hassle that comes with building and hosting with platforms like WordPress. 


Shazamme has proven that the right technology produces happy clients, our clients couldn't be happier! Developers have turned into web producers and they love working with it. 


"Content first" web development is a total game-changer

With Shazamme, we can build websites' content first. No joke, we often have clients working with real content in the CMS only a few hours after our initial setup. The client adds CMS driven content while we are shaping the structure around it. Then when it is time to apply the visual layer, most of the content is already in there, as opposed to building a site on hypothetical Lorem Ipsum content. Typically the client can already login and work with the copy. We can set up a client in less than 5 minutes and if they wanted to, they could purchase it online with none of our involvement.


Build from scratch at lightning speed, or start with a template

We have only done about 30% of Shazamme sites based on a template, as it is so easy to build with sections and widgets. So, we can have your amazing business website ready in about an hour based on a template, and tune it from there. Or like we most often do, develop a solid strategy for communication and content, then develop the ideal solution in a matter of days.


It's worth mentioning that a Shazamme template is not like a WordPress template. It does not have a fixed set of options, and if you want something different, you have to fiddle with code or plugins. It's more like we get a starting point, and we can still build and edit as quickly as when building from scratch without touching code.


Building in Shazamme from scratch requires no basic understanding of HTML/CSS principals

If you are building your own recruitment business with no cash to spend on a website, Shazamme is for you. Whether you want Shazamme to build it or you want a simple do-it-yourself recruitment website. 


We usually tell the client we can deliver 90% of their dreams for 30% of the cost.


You log in, and then navigate your site and click on any text or image you want to edit!


12 reasons why Shazamme is the best no-code recruitment website builder in 2022. 

Shazamme is #1 no and low-code recruitment website builder as of now. It’s worth mentioning that Shazamme is a “drag-and-drop” website builder like Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly that lets you build your website with readymade blocks without any prior knowledge of how to structure websites with HTML and CSS. The huge difference is that you don't have to write code, rather create the elements and styles from a graphical user interface, like Canva. 

So I guess you could say that Shazamme has building blocks that you can piece together.


Ok, let’s get into why Shazamme is awesome. Our clients just freaking love it :) As do all the designers and developers I have working on the platform.

Reason 01

Automated programming = Focus on content, design and user experience

The most obvious upside with a no-code web builder like Shazamme is that the platform is building the code for you automagically in the background. You don't ever have to see it, but you can if you want to. 


The no-code approach cuts down the development time of any custom designs, animations, interactions, and CMS setup significantly. And most of the time, we still have all the tools available that we do in traditional development. 


Reason 02

Create AMAZING designs and user experiences without template restrictions

It’s ridiculous how awesome you can make your site look and feel using Shazamme’s advanced tools for interactions and animations. 


Reason 03

Ease of use for content editors

Last but not least by a longshot! It is so incredibly easy to edit content in Shazamme. You log in, and then navigate your site and click on any text or image you want to edit! Content and presentation are not decoupled like it is in WordPress and other CMS's. 


Also, several editors can work on the site at the same time, and you'll see who is doing what and where.


Reason 04

Preview your website before republishing

Shazamme comes with a way to preview the website where you can experiment and showcase your work before pushing any changes in content or design to your live site. If you're running a WordPress website, chances are you don't even have a staging server and site setup. Any mistakes made go live on your website. Pray for a backup!


Reason 05

Backups

Speaking of backups - every time you make a change in Shazamme, a new backup is created. So if anything unexpected happens, you can get right back to safety within seconds. Preview and easily revert to a previous version of the site from the Shazamme control panel.


You can also easily duplicate a Shazmame website. It is free until you connect it to a custom domain. A duplicate site can be useful if you want to create a new website based on one of your existing ones. Or if you want your current website available on a different URL while you build and launch a new version. In any case, you can duplicate an existing Shazamme website in seconds.


Reason 06

Affordable hosting, maintenance, and upgrades

Licensing and hosting with Shazamme starts at $99USD / month for a CMS driven site. The platform is automatically and continuously upgraded without more than notifications about new features for you. And if you need to change or upgrade anything regarding design or structure, it is super fast. What we used to spend hours on developing, testing, and deploying, is usually done in minutes in Shazamme.


Reason 07

Superior performance and speed!

I cannot overstate the importance of performance and speed. If your site is slow, both users and Google will be very unhappy. The speed you get with Shazamme is INSANE! When your site is on Shazamme, you are enjoying their world-class global server infrastructure and CDN (Content Delivery Network).

 

Reason 08

Custom e-commerce

Shazamme recently released its own built-in e-commerce. So now you can build out totally customized webshops all the way through the checkout, with the same ease and speed as other recruitment website pages. 


Reason 09

Shazamme sites come with free SSL certificates (https://). Nothing to set up, it just works. Better for user experience and Google rankings.


Reason 10

CMS API and custom code

We have an API (Application Programming Interface) for the Shazamme CMS, that allows us to get content out of and push content into the CMS. This can be used to pull content into other applications or to push content into Shazamme every time something happens in a different platform.


We are also able to include custom code blocks onto pages or websites as a whole. We have used this to populate a container with customer names and logos, pulled from a client's API, to give you one example.


Reason 11

A safe bet

Shazamme is a safe bet. The team have been around since 2007 and understand recruitment marketing and recruitment websites better than anyone in the industry. 


Reason 12

Simple SEO

Using the Shazamme Editor, you have access to the basic SEO tools you need. From page titles and meta descriptions to Open Graph (Facebook and such) settings to easily optimize your pages for site search and social sharing.


Reason 13

Shazamme Recruitment focus

The most important part of Shazamme is that it is totally recruitment centric. It has countless integrations with ATS, MPS, HRIS and CRM’s. It has over 50 dedicated recruitment widgets and over 40 dedicated recruitment sections. Noting that each widget can’t be configured many ways! This means that together with the 100+ widgets your recruitment website becomes a powerhouse of functionality.


Reason 14

Shazamme limitations

Hey, wait! You said 13! Yes, but I can't be that one-sided so here are the current Shazamme limitations too, as the “lucky number 14” on our list.

  1. You can’t change the backend. This is governed by the Shazamme team. So we typically do an initial evaluation to determine future needs. If any backend integrations are required, we usually have to go with another platform.
  2. There is no concept of free plug ins, we have designed the widgets for recruitment and any requests need to be lodged with Shazamme.

If you search “should I use WordPress for my business website”, you will get a sweet mix of YES and NO articles. Please note that there are no recruitment specific articles on this.


The opposition: “Why WordPress Is The BEST Platform To Build Your Recruitment Website On”

If you search “should I use WordPress for my recruitment website”, you will get NO results so we have opted for a general search on “should I use WordPress for my business website”,  you will get a sweet mix of YES and NO articles. Here is the most in-depth YES article I could find in the top 10 results: https://medium.com/swlh/why-wordpress-is-the-best-platform-to-build-your-business-or-startup-website-on-df3fe932fad7


I gave it a read, and can’t find any arguments that outweigh what I have discussed in this post. At a high level, the following are the author's main points. I’ll add my comments.


WordPress is open, and you can do anything you want with it

Yes, and if you need these infinite possibilities so much that it outweighs all the issues in this post, go for it.

It’s cheap.


Sure, WordPress is cheap, even free. In theory. But, people who have done projects on WordPress, find that WordPress often gets pricey after all. The accumulating cost includes everything from the cost of plugins to maintenance cost to developers. 


WordPress crushes other well known CMS platforms like Joomla and Drupal

Well yes, I wouldn’t touch Joomla or Drupal with a ten-foot pole. Being better than those two does not mean WordPress is the right tool for our job.


Endless plugins and integrations

Yes for sure! But that also comes with all the challenges outlined. In my experience with Shazamme so far, I have very rarely come across a challenge that I cannot solve fairly easily, without the equivalent of a Wordpress plugin. 


...those with in-depth experience with all the platforms, generally leave WordPress on the losing side.


WordPress vs Shazamme

I have personal experience with both platforms.


The basic differences are:

  • Shazamme is created as a recruitment website platform, Wordpress is not.
  • Shazamme is integrated with a lot of recruitment systems, Wordpress is not.
  • Shazamme is highly secure and managed on Enterprise infrastructure, Wordpress will ALWAYS be plagued by security issues, no matter what people tell you! It also depends on whoever created the website to rely on their expertise on security and hosting.
  • Shazamme has over 50 recruitment specific widgets, Wordpress has very few that compare, and the ones you find as plugins are too generic or old and broken.
  • Shazamme has a super easy website editor that people love and requires no-code, Wordpress is complicated and requires coding to make it work.
  • Shazamme can be used by anyone, with no prior knowledge within hours. Wordpress requires extensive training and understanding of how to use it, and then even it can be complicated.


To conclude, for recruitment websites, Shazamme generally leave WordPress on the losing side.


About me.

Hey again! If you didn't catch it in the intro, my name is Rick.

  • Born in 1968.
  • Always interested in solving complex problems and challenging the status quo
  • Was General Manager at a chocolate and biscuit factory
  • Was COO at major housing company building 11,000 homes a year
  • Created my first online business in 2002
  • Can’t code anything if my life depended on it
  • Started a job board in 2006
  • Used the job board technology created in 2006 to create one of the first SaaS recruitment website platforms in 2008
  • Never looked back and I have been building businesses, brands, identities, and recruitment websites and recruitment technology ever since

I work on creating other recruitment technology with my amazing business partner Nicole Clarke. These days, we are applying all our skills and experience with business, branding, design, and development acquired from working with clients in the recruitment industry for over 15 years. 


In short: WordPress will NOT be the right fit for recruitment websites of any size in 2022.

Conclusion - should I use WordPress for my recruitment website?

In short: most of the time, WordPress will NOT be the right fit for a recruitment website in 2022. The reason is that the modern “no-code” web builders as outlined in this post, eliminate the need to relate to code, servers, updates, and all the headache that follows. With platforms like Shazamme, you can build world-class websites with amazing performance, without the pain.

A few last words:

  • I wrote this post because I have seen too many recruitment owners left in a world of pain that often comes with WordPress. I hope this has provided a foundation to make an educated decision to use a better alternative. It’s a jungle out there.
  • You should get with the times and use a no-code platform like Shazamme
  • Please use the arguments you have read here to convince decision-makers in your company to steer away from WordPress, unless they have counter-arguments that outweigh everything I have addressed in this post.
  • If you have any questions or want help to get started with Shazamme, please head on over to https://www.shazamme.com and get in touch :)


This is mostly my personal perspective meant to trigger healthy discussion. I am open to discussion, and will even admit when I'm wrong :) If you're one to keep it constructive, let's chat!


That's it for now. See you around!

Accessible websites: Complete checklist for site owners

By Chloe Wedgewood • April 30, 2025
On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into effect, requiring websites and digital services to meet accessibility standards across the EU. This means agencies working with European clients—or those with global audiences—need to ensure their sites comply. Non-compliance could result in legal penalties, financial losses, and reputational damage. To learn more about EAA compliance, check out this guide written by our partners, AudioEye. But accessibility isn’t just a regulatory issue—it’s a fundamental human right. The United Nations has declared accessibility a human right. As such, web design agencies and designers must ensure that their creations are accessible to all. This is not only the right thing to do but also protects clients from lawsuits for failing to provide accessible online experiences. And yes...that happens. Between 2017 and 2024, over 4,000 lawsuits were filed annually against companies for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) non-compliance, according to reports from Accessibility Works and Clockwork Design Group. In 2024 alone, more than 4,000 lawsuits were filed in state and federal courts, continuing a consistent trend of high litigation volumes. While high-profile suits like those against Domino's, Fox News, Hasbro, Target, and even Beyoncé get all the attention in the media, 77% of the lawsuits in 2023 were actually filed against businesses doing less than $25 million in revenue. And, according to the Bureau of Internet Accessibility, the average settlement cost is roughly $25,000. As an agency, it's your responsibility to make sure your clients are aware of and meet these requirements. If a client has to pay $25,000 to settle an accessibility lawsuit, they're going to be looking for someone to blame. And guess who that's going to fall on? In today's article, we'll give you a complete checklist to run through when handling web accessibility for your clients. A deeper dive into web accessibility We know YOU already know what web accessibility is. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made it this far as an agency owner. That said, you have an additional responsibility to educate your clients on the importance of web accessibility and how it impacts their business. Web accessibility = "the ability to access" for everyone. Having an accessible website is about providing equal access and opportunity to people with physical and situational disabilities. It also extends to those with socio-economic restrictions on speed and bandwidth and people who prefer mobile devices over desktops and vice-versa. It doesn't just benefit people with disabilities . While features for auditory support or color contrast may be meant for users with disabilities, things like mobile optimization and clear navigation benefit everyone. Your clients' sales are on the line . According to the World Health Organization,1.3 billion people around the world experience a significant disability. Without an accessible website, as many as 1 in every 6 site visitors won't even have the opportunity to become customers. Failing to meet accessibility requirements costs them dearly . Not only will your clients potentially face lawsuits and settlements, but they'll also lose credibility and trust from customers if their website is inaccessible. When you factor in lost sales, diminished public image, and potential lawsuits, you're looking at a six-figure loss. Why is website accessibility so important for agencies? As an agency, it's your responsibility to make sure your clients are aware of and meet W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2). In addition to showing you care about creating inclusive online experiences, building accessible websites for your clients ensures they aren't at risk of legal action per the ADA. By extension, it shields your business from the potential legal consequences of delivering work that isn't in compliance with accessibility standards. If a client has to pay $25,000 to settle an accessibility lawsuit, they're going to be looking for someone to blame. And guess who that's going to fall on? (We’ll give you a hint, it’s you…) By prioritizing web accessibility for your clients, you can: Market your sites as "accessible" to future clients Enhance the user experience and maximize conversions Protect yourself and your clients from accessibility-based lawsuits Improve SEO performance through accessibility features Boost your agency's reputation and credibility You'll also be able to create new revenue streams for your clients. By making websites accessible, agencies help their clients reach a broader audience, including the estimated 25% of the US population with disabilities, who hold significant spending power. In the US alone, this group has discretionary spending around $175 billion. And for your agency, offering web accessibility services (e.g., accessibility audits, consulting, and remediation) allows you to diversify, differentiate, and provide additional value to clients. You can charge for these separately or bundled with other offerings. Be prepared to answer clients' questions regarding accessibility. Certainly, some of your current and future clients will ask about what you're doing to make sure their site is accessible. They'll want to know things like: The # of critical accessibility errors currently live on their site The tools you use to assess the UX for accessibility errors Which accessibility standard(s) your team evaluates against (A, AA, or AAA) How you approach web accessibility when designing an eye-catching website Your process for creating accessible content (alt text, captions, transcripts, etc.) How do you monitor accessibility over time How you collect and incorporate feedback from various user groups into future UX iterations Clients want to know that accessibility isn't a one-time consideration for your team. Demonstrating an effective mechanism for incorporating user feedback and designing for diverse needs and personas will put you ahead of 90% of the web design agencies out there. Be prepared to explain the importance of accessibility to clients who object. Of course, creating an accessible website can sometimes be more expensive. And if you're selling an accessibility package on top of your standard services, they might not see the real value in spending the extra money. They might say something like: "Nobody's ever complained about our site before." "People with disabilities don't buy what we sell." "We don't have the resources for this right now." "It's just going to make our site look boring." "We already use an AI-powered overlay." Clients who don't know the facts might make assumptions about their customers or how accessibility impacts their business. In reality: Most people aren't going to tell the site owner their site's inaccessible. They'll just leave. Or, the site could be so inaccessible nobody can even reach the "Contact Us" page or email form. Blind people might not purchase flying lessons for themselves, but they might for a friend. The potential loss from an accessibility lawsuit is significantly higher than the cost of creating an accessible site. And if they're an ecommerce client, they're disproportionately at risk. You can make a site accessible without changing the core design. According to UsableNet's abovementioned report, there were 414 lawsuits filed against companies using overlays or active widgets. The legal aspect: accessibility guidelines, regulations, and standards The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were first introduced by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative in 1999 with WCAG 1.0. This early version provided 14 guidelines based on fundamental principles of accessible design, such as providing text alternatives for non-text content and using colors that do not rely on color alone for meaning. Since then, WCAG has undergone several updates, and multiple other legal documents have been introduced to regulate website accessibility. Let's dive in. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (1998) Not long after WCAG 1.0 was released in 1999, the US government passed Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible. Section 508 standards were refreshed in 2017 to incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level AA criteria, aligning federal requirements with widely recognized web accessibility standards. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) While HIPAA primarily addresses the privacy and security of health data, its implications for web accessibility center around ensuring that electronic healthcare records and other online health information services are accessible to individuals with disabilities, under broader non-discrimination policies. WCAG levels: A, AA, AAA WCAG 2.0 guidelines are categorized into three levels of conformance to help organizations meet the needs of different groups and situations: Level A (minimum level): The most basic web accessibility features must be implemented. Failing to satisfy this level would make it difficult for many people with disabilities to access the content. Level AA (mid-range): Addresses the biggest barriers for disabled users, and is generally aimed at improving accessibility for all. It is also the level most often referenced in legislation and policies. Level AAA (highest level): The most complex level of web accessibility, level AAA improves the experience for users with a wider range of disabilities. This level is not required by most policies but is good practice to aim for if possible. POUR principles WCAG 2.0, released in 2008, introduced four key principles under which accessibility should operate: the POUR principles. This update expanded the guidelines to encompass all digital content and was structured around testable criteria, making it easier to implement and verify. The POUR principles outline four essential criteria to consider for accessibility: Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can easily see. Operable: UI components and site navigation need to be functional and easy to operate. Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. Robust: Content must be well-written and structured enough that a wide variety of users and assistive technologies can interpret it correctly. WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2 each introduced specific improvements to the existing web accessibility guidelines to better address emerging needs, especially as digital technologies evolved. WCAG 2.1 enhancements Released in June 2018, WCAG 2.1 added 17 additional success criteria to WCAG 2.0. Key enhancements included: Mobile accessibility: New guidelines were introduced to improve access for mobile and touch-screen device users. This includes making functions accessible from a keyboard and ensuring that users can use devices in any orientation (portrait or landscape). Low-vision support: Improvements were made to support users with low vision, such as requirements for text spacing and non-text contrast, which help ensure legibility and readability. Cognitive disabilities: New criteria aimed to help users with cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities, offering more ways to find content and making it easier to use inputs other than keyboard. WCAG 2.2 additions The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) or WCAG 2.2 were officially published as a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023. This update fine-tuned user interactions and contexts that were not fully addressed by WCAG 2.1. It added nine more success criteria to further support users with cognitive and learning disabilities, as well as users with low vision. Key introductions included: Findable help: This criterion requires that help be available on a website, such as human contact information, self-help options, and automated help, which is especially beneficial for users who may struggle with navigation or complex information. Consistent help: Ensuring that help options are available consistently across different web pages. Accessibility of personal information: Guidelines that help users with cognitive disabilities by simplifying the process of entering personal information and correcting mistakes. ADA compliance The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all public entities and businesses that serve the public must be accessible, including online resources. This act covers a wide range of disabilities, including physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. Websites must be designed to provide equal access and equal opportunity for people with these disabilities. European Accessibility Act (EAA) As mentioned earlier in this article, the EAA will come into effect on June 28, 2025, and requires websites and digital services to meet accessibility standards across the EU, representing a significant milestone in digital accessibility legislation across the European Union. This comprehensive directive requires websites, mobile applications, eCommerce platforms, and digital services to meet specific accessibility standards. The EAA mandates that digital products and services be designed to be more accessible to people with disabilities, covering a wide range of digital technologies. Organizations must ensure their digital offerings are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, aligning closely with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. Non-compliance can result in significant financial penalties and legal consequences, making it crucial for businesses operating in or serving EU markets to prioritize digital accessibility. The complete website accessibility checklist for agencies 1. Ensure color contrast ratios. Color contrast ratio refers to the difference in light between text (or graphical elements like icons) and its background. High contrast makes content more readable for those with visual impairments, including people with color blindness or deteriorating vision conditions. To meet WCAG AA, the contrast ratio should be at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, graphics, and UI components (like form input borders). Our platform has recently introduced a built-in Color Contrast Ratio checker within the website builder. Located in the color picker of text elements, this feature provides instant feedback with a failed (red X) or passing score of AA or AAA, allowing agencies to verify color contrast without leaving the editor, and design with color contrast in mind from the start. Tips: When designing elements like buttons or graphical controls, test the foreground/background on those elements before implementing them on the website. Ensure that contrast remains sufficient even in dark mode or high-contrast settings, as some users may rely on these for better visibility. 2. Make sure your client’s website is keyboard accessible. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) emphasize keyboard accessibility as part of the "Operable" principle, which mandates that all web functionalities must be accessible by keyboard alone.  This allows anyone who can't use a mouse — due to physical disabilities, visual impairments, simply not having one, or personal preference — to navigate and interact with site content. Users should be able to navigate menus, activate links and buttons, fill out forms, and use custom interactive widgets without a mouse.

4 App Connectors to Automate Marketing Operations

By Chloe Wedgewood • April 30, 2025
We’ve added four powerful new marketing and CRM app connectors you can leverage to seamlessly integrate and automate your business while enjoying streamlined processes and improved efficiency. Platform app connectors - a quick recap App connectors let you put your business on auto-pilot by connecting your sites with powerful integrations of their favorite platforms, using simple, zero-code app connectors. Here’s more info on connectors and how they work. Meet the new connectors for automating marketing and customer management Here are the four new app connectors worth exploring for enhancing your marketing efforts: HighLevel An all-in-one sales and marketing platform built for agencies and businesses to automate lead nurturing, customer follow-ups, and campaign management. 

Crafting multi-channel stories that search engines and humans love

By Chloe Wedgewood • April 30, 2025
"Crafting multi-channel stories that search engines and humans love," featured insights from industry veteran Casie Gillette. A discussion centered on the evolving landscape of content creation in the face of increasing AI influence and the importance of developing a multi-faceted approach that resonates with both search algorithms and human audiences. Gillette began by illustrating the limitations of traditional SEO-focused content strategies, sharing an example of a blog post that once ranked well and garnered significant traffic but was completely overshadowed by an AI overview in search results. This highlighted a crucial point: relying solely on a single blog post optimized for a specific keyword may no longer be sufficient in a search environment increasingly populated by AI-generated answers. In response to this shift, Gillette advocated for a paradigm shift towards a multi-channel content strategy. Instead of creating a singular asset and hoping it captures all relevant traffic, the focus should be on developing a core piece of content, such as comprehensive guides, and then strategically repurposing and adapting its information across various formats and platforms. She provided a compelling example of transforming an email capture guide into dedicated blog posts targeting longer-tail keywords, a short and engaging video for platforms like Reels and TikTok (remarkably featuring an AI-generated avatar), and social media updates designed to increase visibility. While the original guide might not achieve top rankings due to AI overviews, the combined efforts of these diverse assets led to increased keyword visibility, traffic from multiple channels, and, most importantly, demo requests from organic sources. This underscored the power of a cohesive content ecosystem where different formats support and amplify each other. A significant aspect of this new approach is the strategic utilization of AI tools to streamline content creation and repurposing. Gillette emphasized that it has never been easier to produce content in various formats, thanks to advancements in AI. She showcased how tools like GPT can be used to quickly generate new blog post ideas and outlines from existing long-form content like e-books. Furthermore, AI image generation tools like GPT , Grok , and Meta AI can rapidly produce visuals for blog posts and social media, significantly reducing the time and resources traditionally required. The session also highlighted the power of AI-driven video repurposing tools such as Opus Clip , which can automatically extract key moments and create short, engaging video clips optimized for different social platforms from longer recordings like webinars . Gillette even shared a surprising example of a blog post being autonomously transformed into a podcast using AI audio generation tools like Monica , demonstrating the expanding possibilities for reaching audiences through different mediums. She contributed valuable insights on evolving content strategy beyond simple keyword targeting. She emphasized the need to move away from solely focusing on high-volume keywords and instead adopt a more holistic strategy aligned with business outcomes. This involves understanding user intent and creating valuable content that truly meets their needs, rather than just trying to rank for specific terms. She echoed the importance of being present in relevant online communities, not just for promotion, but for genuine engagement and understanding audience pain points and interests. By actively participating in platforms like Reddit, content creators can identify unmet needs and tailor their content accordingly, potentially uncovering new avenues for visibility and engagement within the changing search landscape. The discussion also touched upon the enduring importance of topical authority in conjunction with a "search everywhere" optimization strategy. Building a comprehensive body of content around core topics remains crucial for demonstrating expertise to both search engines and AI models. This involves creating a network of interconnected content that delves deeply into various facets of a subject, catering to different levels of user understanding and intent. Furthermore, both Gillette and Clarke stressed the significance of understanding where your audience spends their time online and meeting them on their preferred platforms, even if those platforms are not traditionally considered primary SEO channels. Testing different platforms and content formats is essential to discover what resonates best with your target audience. In her concluding remarks, Gillette reiterated that the fundamental principles of good marketing remain vital. This is advice you’ll hear countless times throughout the full webinar, from nearly every speaker. While AI provides powerful tools and necessitates strategic adaptation, the core goal remains to create valuable, engaging content that connects with human audiences.  By embracing a multi-channel approach, leveraging AI for efficiency and creativity, and focusing on understanding and serving user needs across various platforms, content creators can navigate the evolving digital landscape and continue to thrive in the age of AI-enhanced search. The session served as a powerful reminder that while the tactics of SEO and content marketing may change, the underlying principles of providing value to human beings remain constant and are more critical than ever in building sustainable success.

The True Cost of Poor SEO in Recruitment: What You’re Missing Out On

By Chloe Wedgewood • April 13, 2025
In recruitment, visibility is everything. If candidates and clients can’t find your agency online, you might as well not exist. Yet, too many staffing firms still treat SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as an afterthought. The result? Lost candidates, wasted budgets, and competitors outranking you at every turn. Why SEO Matters in Recruitment Search algorithms will continue their furious rate of change. And make no mistake, chasing their every whim will be futile. Now is the time to get back to the fundamentals and refocus on your audience. Is your content written primarily to rank for a keyword? Start over. Write something your audience will read. Are you posting on Reddit just to get your content to rank in Google results? Figure out if that’s where your audience is actually spending their time, then decide if it’s the right channel. The Hidden Costs of Poor SEO Your Competitors Are Taking Your Market Share The recruitment industry is worth over $500 billion globally , and competition is fierce. If your agency isn’t ranking for relevant keywords like “best IT staffing agency” or “finance recruiters near me,” someone else is. And here’s the kicker: 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results . That means if you’re not there, Employers won’t find you and your competitors are closing deals that could have been yours. Fewer Candidates, Higher Cost per Hire Recruitment marketing isn’t cheap. Agencies spend thousands on paid ads, job board postings, and social media campaigns. But what if your website could attract candidates organically - without paying per click? A well-optimized recruitment website brings 50% more organic traffic , reducing reliance on expensive PPC campaigns. Without SEO, you’re locked into a never-ending cycle of ad spend just to stay visible. 3. Candidate Drop-offs and Poor User Experience  Google’s algorithm favors websites that provide fast, mobile-friendly, and well-structured experiences. A slow-loading career site can increase bounce rates by 32% after just three seconds of waiting. Candidates won’t stick around for a clunky, outdated website when they have dozens of other options. If your site isn’t optimized for search, it’s probably not optimized for user experience either - and that’s a direct hit to conversions. Weak Employer Branding and Trust Issues Think about it - if a job seeker Googles your agency and finds nothing, what does that say about your brand? In today’s digital world, 90% of candidates research a company online before applying . If your site lacks authority, ranks low, or doesn’t showcase testimonials, candidates (and clients) will move on. Strong SEO enhances credibility, positioning your agency as a trusted industry leader. How to Fix It (Before It Costs You More) Ignoring SEO isn’t just risky - it’s expensive. The good news? A few strategic changes can drive long-term gains. Optimize for Keywords That Matter – Identify and target keywords that candidates and clients are searching for. It’s not about stuffing “best recruitment agency” everywhere; it’s about intent-driven search terms that align with job searches and hiring needs. Fix Your Website’s Speed & Mobile Experience – Google prioritizes sites that load fast and work well on mobile. If your career site is sluggish, your rankings (and conversions) will take a hit. Invest in Quality Content – Agencies that regularly publish job market insights, salary reports, and industry trends see 55% more engagement than those that don’t. Blog content, case studies, and thought leadership pieces help establish credibility and improve SEO rankings. Leverage Local SEO – If you recruit in specific regions, make sure your site is optimized for geo-targeted searches. Local candidates searching for “staffing agencies near me” should be landing on your site - not your competitor’s. Where Shazamme Comes In At Shazamme, we specialize in SEO-optimized recruitment websites designed to get you found, fast. Our platform ensures that your job listings, blogs, and landing pages are structured for maximum visibility on Google and beyond. With seamless ATS and CRM integrations, advanced SEO tools, and a mobile-first design, we help staffing agencies stop losing candidates to poor SEO and start winning the digital race. The right candidates are out there searching for you - don’t let them find someone else instead. Let Shazamme make your recruitment website work for you. Book a demo today and let’s put your agency at the top where it belongs! https://www.shazamme.com/contact-us

Why Your Recruitment Website Provider Must Be ISO 27001 Certified!

By Nicole Clarke • March 14, 2025
Data Security For Recruitment Websites Must Be A Priority for 2025!

Modern website designs: Trends and actionable tips for 2025

By devansh K • March 12, 2025
When you search for “modern website designs,” you'll definitely find some cool examples. But all those lists have one thing in common: they stop short of delivering the practical, hands-on guidance agency owners really need. While the phrase “modern website design” might seem straightforward to seasoned web professionals, it's a lot more than just pictures, colors, and buttons on a page. Its nuances profoundly shape user expectations, brand perception, and a site’s long-term viability. In fact, web design is responsible for 94% of a visitor’s first impression of your clients’ businesses. In today's post, we’ll take a forward-looking approach to 2025’s most important design trends. And we'll give you actionable steps to take so you can confidently integrate them into your agency’s web design process. Our top 11 website design trends for 2025 1. Maximalist typography
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