Ask any hiring manager what they want from a recruiter beyond candidates and the answer is usually the same: market insight. What should we pay? How competitive is this role? Are we losing people on salary?
A salary guide answers those questions, and that makes it one of the most commercially valuable pieces of content a recruitment agency can produce.
Why salary guides work
- They are genuinely useful, so people save, share and return to them.
- They give consultants a reason to contact clients and candidates.
- They capture leads when offered as a download in exchange for contact details.
- They earn links from press, blogs and industry sites, which supports SEO.
- They are exactly the kind of original data AI assistants cite when answering salary questions.
What to include
Focus on the roles you actually recruit for. Cover salary ranges by seniority and location, typical benefits, contract day rates if relevant, and the skills that command a premium. Add commentary from your consultants on what is driving the market. That context is what turns a table of numbers into expertise.
Where the data comes from
Your own placement and offer data is the most credible source. Supplement it with a candidate and client survey, and be open about your methodology and sample. Avoid copying figures from other guides. Original data is what makes yours worth citing.
Making it work for search
Publish the headline findings as web pages, not only as a PDF. Create a page for each key role or specialism, such as "data engineer salary UK", with the figures in clear, readable text and tables. Add FAQ structured data for common questions. Update it every year at the same URL so it builds authority over time.
Getting it seen
- Email it to clients and candidates in your database.
- Break it into a series of LinkedIn posts for consultants to share.
- Offer comment to trade and regional press.
- Use it as the centrepiece of a paid social campaign aimed at hiring managers.
The long-term payoff
A salary guide published consistently every year becomes an asset your market expects. It positions your agency as the authority in its niche, and it keeps working long after launch.