Careers
Posting a job ad on Indeed: employer account, costs and alternatives
How the employer side of Indeed works: creating the account, posting an ad, knowing when you pay, and writing an ad that attracts the right candidates.
Key points
- The employer side of Indeed is separate from the candidate side: you create an employer account and post from its own dashboard.
- Posting is free; you pay when the ad is sponsored, per click or per application depending on the model you pick.
- A clear ad (role, location, contract, salary range, hiring process) cuts useless applications more than any filter.
- For an Italian SME the most efficient mix is a portal ad, a careers page on your own site and one direct channel such as LinkedIn or your network.
- Without tracking where applications come from, you cannot tell which channel to fund and which to drop.
On the hiring side, Indeed looks nothing like what candidates see: there is a separate employer area, with a dashboard for posting ads, reading applications and tracking spend. This guide covers how it works, when you actually pay, how to write an ad that brings relevant candidates, and which alternatives are worth running alongside.
How to post an ad, in practice
- Employer account. You register the company with legal name, registered office and contact person. You need a company email: platforms verify the domain, and a generic address slows approval down.
- Company page. Logo, description, sector, size, location: this is what the candidate looks at before applying, and in Italy it matters more than people think.
- Creating the ad. Title, location, contract type, text, requirements, application method (on the portal, by email, or a redirect to your own site).
- Choosing visibility. Standard or sponsored ad: the second puts it at the top of results, and in most cases it is paid.
- Management. The dashboard collects applications and lets you reject, contact and archive. Anyone who does not triage applications loses the good ones in the first 72 hours.
When you pay, and how much
The general model on the big portals is simple: posting the ad is free, visibility is what you buy. You either pay per click (you pay when someone opens the ad) or per application, depending on the product you pick and the country.
| Item | How it works | Effect on budget |
|---|---|---|
| Standard ad | Visible in the portal's organic search | No cost, limited visibility over time |
| Sponsored per click | Shows at the top; you pay for every visit | Controllable, but it grows with every curious click |
| Cost per application | You pay only when someone applies | Predictable, but it can attract weak applications |
| Multiple ads / plan | Bundles for several roles | Worth it only if you hire regularly |
| Employer branding | Enhanced company page, video, content | Useful if you hire often, pointless for one role |
Two practical warnings. First: prices change by country, sector and season, and the figures in sales documents do not match what you see in the dashboard. The only number that counts is the one shown before you confirm the campaign. Second: without a daily spend cap, a campaign can burn the budget in a few days on a role everyone wants.
The ad that brings the right candidates
A badly written ad does two kinds of damage: too few good applications, and plenty of useless ones to screen. Nearly all of the difference sits in five pieces of information.
| Information | Why it has to be there |
|---|---|
| Real role and duties | Jobseekers skip vague ads; those who apply anyway get rejected later |
| Location and mode (on-site/hybrid/remote) | Keeps out applicants who cannot reach the office |
| Contract type and hours | Fixed term, apprenticeship, part time: it changes who applies |
| Salary range | Cuts applications that expect more and lines up the negotiation |
| Hiring process | How many interviews, with whom, how fast: it reduces drop-off |
Be pragmatic about the salary range. Pay transparency rules are pushing in that direction, and a well-written wide range ('€28,000–34,000, depending on experience') puts off fewer people than no number at all, and attracts closer matches.
Indeed, LinkedIn, InfoJobs or your own site?
There is no best channel in the abstract: there is the right channel for the role you are trying to fill. An SME hiring two people a year does not need the same strategy as a company with ten open roles.
| Channel | Best for | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Indeed | Operational roles and volume, national reach | Free + sponsorship |
| Qualified roles, passive candidates, employer branding | Single ad or subscription | |
| InfoJobs | Reach in Italy, traditional sectors | Ad or bundles |
| Company site (careers page) | Every role, and it stays yours | One-off, then upkeep |
| Recruitment agency | Hard or urgent roles, complex contracts | Percentage or fee |
| Referrals and network | Trusted roles, short timelines | Time, not money |
The point almost nobody considers: the careers page. An ad on a portal lasts three weeks; a good page on your own site stays, gets indexed by Google and keeps bringing spontaneous applications for years. For an SME it has the best cost-to-lifetime ratio of any channel.
Mistakes that cost money
- Sponsoring a badly written ad. You pay to send more people to a confusing text: write first, then pay.
- No spend cap. A role in high demand can eat the budget in a few days.
- Leaving the ad open after the hire. You keep paying, and applicants get no reply.
- Replying weeks later. Good candidates vanish in days: the first 72 hours decide.
- Not tracking the source. Without knowing where interviews come from, you cannot decide which channel to stop.
- Ignoring ad accessibility. All-caps text, tables, PDFs to fill in: every extra hurdle is an application lost.
What to track from day one
Three numbers are enough to decide where the budget goes after two hires: ad views, applications received, applications that reach interview. If a channel brings many views and no interviews, the problem is the copy or the targeting. If it brings few interviews but good ones, put more money there.
And a note on privacy: CVs contain personal data. Store them as the regulation requires, with a stated legal basis and a defined retention period, and delete them when they are no longer needed. This is an obligation, not an optional good practice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to post a job ad on Indeed?
Posting a standard ad is free; you pay for sponsorship, per click or per application depending on the product and the country. Prices vary by sector and season, so the figure that counts is the one in the dashboard before you confirm the campaign.
Where do I sign in to the Indeed employer area?
The employer area is separate from the candidate one, with its own credentials and dashboard, and you post ads and manage applications from there. Your personal profile login does not open the employer dashboard.
Can I post an ad with my personal email?
Technically yes, but use a company address on the company domain: domain verification is faster and candidates trust it more. A generic address slows down account approval.
Indeed or LinkedIn for hiring?
Indeed for operational roles, volume and national reach; LinkedIn for qualified roles, people who are not actively looking and employer branding. For an SME the usual efficient mix is Indeed for volume plus a careers page on your own site.
Do I have to state the salary in the ad?
It depends on the regulatory framework, which is still moving: pay transparency rules are introducing obligations in stages. Even where it is not mandatory, a wide range cuts applications that expect more and settles the negotiation earlier.
How many applications does an ad get?
It depends on the role, the area and the visibility: operational roles in large cities can draw hundreds of applications in days, specialised profiles a few dozen. The count matters less than how many reach interview.
What happens to CVs after the selection?
They are personal data: keep them only as long as the selection needs, with a stated legal basis and a defined retention period, then delete them. Hoarding them for the future without a rule is a risk, not a stockpile.