How to Create a Niche Job Board

Author: [[@searchbound on Twitter]]
Full Title: How to Create a Niche Job Board
Tags: #tweets

Notes

This is an interesting thread. I tried a similar approach from 2017-2021 with frontendremotejobs.com, but with much less success.

URL: https://twitter.com/searchbound/status/155990845475571303

Highlights

How to create a niche job board - on a great domain, as a solo builder - & directly compete with Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, etal (from someone who's done it) (Let's find an actual domain for sale and hypothetically build it out) a brain dump 🧠 🚮: (View Tweet)**
First off, select a niche where you have some level of interest, or curiosity. If you pick one outside this orbit, chances are, you'll lose interest & bail in the early days. This is a game of endurance, so be selective in your choice. The turtle wins this race. (View Tweet)**
"But there are so many niches. I don't know where to start". Not a problem. Start window shopping .com domains for sale at marketplaces. Wait for a name to strike your fancy, and that represents a strong category. For this exercise, we'll skip expiry names & simply focus on BIN (View Tweet)**
try your best to stick to this domain framework: (industry) + (jobs) + (.com) examples: ranchjobs.com seojobs.com mechanicjobs.com (View Tweet)
go to https://t.co/6qKAlnov9k click 'Advanced Search', then add criteria below: Ends with: jobs Extensions: .com Min price $2,500 (u pick) Max price: $3,100 (u pick) then start window shopping - look at the descriptive names for inspiration on industries you're curious to serve (View Tweet)**
some names that pop up for me, ridiculous or not: elfjobs•com, $3,095 - seasonal job board hiring Xmas elves? meh rodeojobs•com, $3,088 - intriguing, but search volume seems low philosophyjobs•com, $3,000 - good search volume, established industry 👉 let's research this one. (View Tweet)**
I'm curious of the competitors in this field. I search 'philosophy jobs'. results: Philjobs•org HigherEdJobs•com some Unis along with Indeed, etc. I'm curious what they charge for submissions. I dig a little. (View Tweet)**
Philjobs•org = $75-$250 HigherEdJobs•com = $370 I like this. If I built, I could start as low-cost option; charge $50/per, raise price later But how active is this industry posting jobs? No need building a board if one (1) job submission /month is the norm. So let's check: (View Tweet)**
Interesting, appears 3-5 postings a day is norm. Let's assume after a year, 1 /day submitted. So 30 a month @ $50 per = $1,500/mo; $18,000 yr. This makes me feel better re $3k price. Opportunity for 3x/day $100/per = $100k/yr is there. so, we'll hypothetically pick this one. (View Tweet)**
Now, first step, we're gonna create a temporary 'Coming Soon' landing page on Carrd or Dorik that will collect emails (via @emailoctopus) for site launch notification, and will also include web analytics (try @Clicky or @PlausibleHQ), so we can gauge early traffic baseline. (View Tweet)**
To build your job board, choose a development route where you're most comfortable. Options: plug & play: @NiceboardHQ no code: @dorik_io CMS lite coding: @Wordpress CMS hire: pay someone from Upwork, etc to build you custom job board on WP, Rails, PHP, etc. (View Tweet)**
For Design & UI, visit other boards & borrow elements you like. I recommend a dumb-simple UI. No account creation. No resume upload. No login... (View Tweet)**
Just a homepage with latest jobs posted, second level pages (ie state/city specific, or role specific - ie Philosophy jobs in Iowa), & a job submission page tied into Stripe/Paypal. Also, collect emails for a weekly Jobs Newsletter you'll send. (View Tweet)**
Also, goto @logoground & buy a pre-designed logo; they're usually $100-$400.(I got https://t.co/mJg14cb9rf balloon logo here.) Then find matching Google Font. Websites look better with logos, imo. Here's one I found for this; $200: (View Tweet)**
Now it's time for you to get to work. Grunt work. You're gonna personally find relevant jobs to post here before hiring org's begin submitting themselves. A ghost-town job board with old, irrelevant jobs, or no listings is a death knell. Avoid. "bUt HoW dO i fiND jObZ 2 poSt?" (View Tweet)**
Dear egghead, you have a supercomputer at your fingertips. There's a new invention called a 'search engine'. Find philosophy uni's, curate their philo job listings. Find good ones, post on your board, & link to orig. Do this for 365+ days (or until natural submissions appear) (View Tweet)**
"tHaT'z a LoT uf wErK" no it's not. you're lazy. Just turn into a private detective & search out unique philosophy jobs. Then share them on your board. Do this properly & you begin serving this unique audience, and they'll return. (View Tweet)**
"hOw Do i GiT tRaFfiQ?" go learn paid search. also seo. also hang out on relevant social boards like reddit & twitter & be helpful. As a baseline, your domain will receive type-in traffic due to its descriptive nature. (View Tweet)**
Then slowly, if you're doing this right, a Paid submission will whistle in. And the Stripe notification email will stun you. "Holy shit, it's working ..." (View Tweet)**
Then you over-serve that crowd. Dote on them. Upgrade their listing at no extra cost. Extend the duration if they've yet to hire. Bend over backwards. Indeed ain't doing that. Nor is any close competitor. You will, though. (View Tweet)**
The more you do this, the more trust you build, the more you're mentioned via word-of-mouth, Fbook, Insta, Reddit, via email, forums, under a bridge. (View Tweet)**
This is the avenue I took with @RanchWork ($73k TTL) to compete with Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Monster, & other niche boards. I'm a solo builder, barely a coder, and I made it work. So can you. A great .com domain is the perfect start. It's your unfair advantage. (View Tweet)**
Trust me, job seekers WANT your boutique board w/ curated listings. Hiring co's are tired of paying Indeed over $1k for job listings & receiving a wave of irrelevant submissions. A niche job board addresses this. (View Tweet)**
If you think "there are already 2 established niche job boards for the philosophy employment industry"... let me remind you, for an alt project of mine - DudeRanch•com, I was the 5th dude ranch directory to come online. repeat, 5th. The $ from that allowed me to quit the 9-5. (View Tweet)**
I'm not the only one who's done this - @levelsio & @_etdev did the same, and they've carved out significant market share. What I've done is a grasshopper to their giant pandas. It just shows that it's possible, from indie builders against soulless behemoths. (View Tweet)**
@levelsio @_etdev The profit margin on job boards is also attractive. I usually see 80% or more. No product to box up & ship out. No inventory. Just you as gatekeeper, sharing information, with a close watch on quality. And service. Your job here is to serve. Don't forget that. (View Tweet)**
One year from now you could have a year under your belt. If I could speak to my younger self, I'd tell him to start building a job board. And I shit you not, as I type this I just received a $230 job submission at @RanchWork. (View Tweet)**
To recap: Search https://t.co/6qKAlnov9k for good .com names Select a niche you're curious about Build a simple UI board You populate jobs are first; wait for organic submissions Promote via PPC, SEO, Social, Forums Collect emails Earn $ Overserve your audience Have fun (View Tweet)**
Your first try may not be a fit (for you or your audience) - don't let that impact you. Rinse & repeat with another. I tried to build on MechanicJobs•com and it wasn't a good fit for me, so I sold it to @drewwash (thanks Drew). (View Tweet)**
now, with this champagne bottle, I will send you off 🍾 go forth, window shop said domain listings & build serve a neat, niche audience. they're waiting for you (View Tweet)**