Every single day, qualified job seekers are searching for your company.
They’re not guessing. They’re not browsing randomly.
They type one very specific query into Google:
“[Your Company Name] careers”
And what do they find?
- A 404 error
- A confusing redirect
- A third-party job board ranking above you
- Or worse your competitor
That’s exactly what the “keine karriere subdomain gefunden” error means. And if you’re ignoring it, you’re silently losing top talent every week.
This isn’t a small technical issue. It’s an SEO problem, a recruitment problem, and a brand trust problem all at once.
In this guide, you’ll learn what this error really means, why it’s killing your hiring visibility, and how to fix it permanently, even if you’re not technical.
No jargon. No theory. Just real solutions that work.
What Does “Keine Karriere-Subdomain Gefunden” Mean?
Translated directly from German, “keine karriere-subdomain gefunden” means:
“No career subdomain found.”
In plain English?
Search engines cannot find your career section.
SEO tools, crawlers, and recruitment platforms expect a clear, accessible career URL — and they’re hitting a wall.
This error commonly appears in:
- SEO audit tools (Screaming Frog, SEMrush, Ahrefs)
- Google Search Console
- Job aggregator rejections
- ATS diagnostic reports
- Enterprise SEO health checks
Think of it like this:
You built a great company. You have open roles. But you forgot to put your office address on Google Maps.
Candidates are searching and getting lost.
Why This Error Is More Dangerous Than It Sounds
Most companies underestimate this issue.
They think:
“Our jobs are on Workday / Greenhouse / Lever. That’s enough.”
It’s not.
Here’s what’s actually happening:
- Google cannot associate job listings with your brand
- Your domain builds zero authority for hiring searches
- Job boards outrank you for your own company name
- Google Jobs ignores or suppresses your listings
- Candidates lose trust immediately
This is how strong companies quietly lose top-tier talent.
Career Subdomain vs Subdirectory (No Confusion)
Let’s simplify this completely.
Option 1: Career Subdomain
careers.company.com
Option 2: Career Subdirectory
company.com/careers
| Feature | Subdomain | Subdirectory |
|---|---|---|
| SEO Authority | Separate | Inherits main domain |
| Technical Setup | Complex | Simple |
| Maintenance | Higher | Lower |
| Best For | Enterprises | SMBs & startups |
| Speed to Rank | Slower | Faster |
The truth?
For 90% of companies, subdirectories win.
If your SEO audit says “karriere-url keine karriere-subdomain gefunden”, it often means:
- You have neither set up correctly
- Your career pages are external only
- Or crawlers can’t reach them
The Most Common Causes of This Error
1. External ATS Platforms Only
Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, SmartRecruiters.
Great tools terrible SEO when used alone.
If your careers button sends users to:
company.greenhouse.io
jobs.lever.co/company
Google sees:
“This company does not host job content.”
Result: Zero SEO benefit.
2. Broken DNS or Subdomain Setup
You think careers.company.com exists.
But:
- DNS records aren’t configured
- SSL isn’t applied
- Cloudflare blocks bots
- The subdomain returns errors
If Google can’t load it it doesn’t exist.
JavaScript-Heavy Career Pages
React. Vue. Angular.
Beautiful for users. Invisible to search engines if misconfigured.
Google sees empty pages → indexing fails → error triggered.
Robots.txt Blocking Career Pages
This happens more than you think.
Check:
yourdomain.com/robots.txt
If you see:
Disallow: /careers/
Disallow: /jobs/
You’re telling Google:
“Do not index our hiring pages.”
SEO Damage You’re Experiencing Right Now
You are losing rankings for:
- “[Company Name] careers”
- “jobs at [Company]”
- “[Company] hiring”
- “work at [Company]”
- “[Role] job at [Company]”
These are high-intent searches.
Candidates typing these are ready to apply but never reach you.
Even worse?
Job boards rank above your own website for your brand name.
Google Jobs: Why You’re Invisible
Google Jobs is the largest free recruitment channel in the world.
But it only works if you have:
- Crawlable job pages
- JobPosting schema
- Clean URL structure
- Indexable content
No career section = no Google Jobs visibility.
Companies that fix this see:
- 40–60% more organic applications
- Lower cost-per-hire
- Higher applicant quality
Technical SEO Fixes That Matter
JobPosting Schema (Non-Negotiable)
This tells Google:
- Job title
- Location
- Salary
- Employment type
- Posting date
- Application URL
Without schema, your listings are guesswork.
Internal Linking
Your career pages must be linked from:
- Header navigation
- Footer
- Homepage
- About Us
- Blog content
No links = no discovery.
XML Sitemap for Careers
Create a dedicated career sitemap and submit it via Google Search Console.
Step-by-Step Fix Guide
Step 1: Audit Ruthlessly
Use:
- Google Search Console
- Screaming Frog
- Rich Results Test
- PageSpeed Insights
Document everything.
Step 2: Choose Structure
✅ company.com/careers (recommended)
Step 3: Build Proper URLs
/careers/
/careers/engineering/
/careers/engineering/software-engineer
Step 4: Display Jobs on Your Domain
Use ATS APIs to pull listings onto your site, not redirect away.
Step 5: Validate Everything
- Mobile
- Schema
- Speed
- Indexing
- Forms
Internal Linking & Crawl Optimization
Search engines follow links, not intentions.
Best practices:
- Careers link in main menu
- Homepage job highlights
- Related job links
- Department landing pages
This distributes SEO authority correctly.
Aligning with Google’s Helpful Content Update
Write for humans, not algorithms.
Strong career pages include:
- Salary transparency
- Clear hiring process
- Real employee stories
- Honest role expectations
- Growth opportunities
This boosts E-E-A-T:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trust
Measuring Success After the Fix
Track:
- Organic traffic to careers
- Google Jobs impressions
- Application conversion rate
- Time-to-fill
- Cost-per-hire reduction
SEO success = better hires, cheaper, faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long until results appear?
Technical fixes show improvements in 2–4 weeks. Full SEO recovery takes 2–3 months.
Can I keep my ATS?
Yes. Use embedded or API-based listings on your domain.
Do I need many job postings?
No. Quality beats quantity every time.
Should US companies use “karriere”?
No. Use /careers for English-speaking audiences.
Is a subdomain ever better?
Yes for large enterprises with regional career portals.
Final Conclusion: Your Career Pages Deserve Better
The “keine karriere-subdomain gefunden” error is not harmless.
It means:
- Lost visibility
- Lost trust
- Lost candidates
- Lost money
Fixing it gives you:
- Control over your hiring funnel
- Free organic applicants
- Stronger employer branding
- Long-term recruitment scalability
Your future employees are already searching.
The only question is:
Will they find you or your competitors?
Fix the foundation. Everything else becomes easier.
