“You Don’t Need Millions to Make It Work” – Why Strategy Beats Spend at Navartis

As Head of Marketing at Navartis, Dan Stargatt has helped transform their online candidate attraction strategy into one that holds its own against some of the biggest names in the industry. 

We caught up with Dan to talk 1am rebuilds, the value of long-tail thinking, and why you don’t need a massive budget to compete – just a strategy you believe in.

You were featured on idibu’s Attract 50 Report for your standout approach to candidate attraction. What do you think sets your strategy apart?

I could be diplomatic about it, but to be blunt… I just think there aren’t many recruitment companies that do SEO well. It’s as simple as that.
I’m approaching 14 years in recruitment marketing now, and when I first started, the idea of SEO was seen as a bit of a waste of time. But over the last four years at Navartis, we’ve seen that SEO really works if it’s done properly.

You have to live and breathe it. You have to constantly evolve, analyse, and report on it. But when you do, it delivers results. And not just for candidate attraction, which is brilliant, but for client leads coming through the website too.

Honestly, in a really nerdy way, I just love it. I see the value in it. And now we’re seeing the results of all the blood, sweat and tears we’ve put in over the past four years.

How do you collaborate with your talent or recruitment team day to day? What’s helped make that partnership click?

It’s about regular catch-ups and making sure we know what the focus is. Like most businesses, we have our core sectors and job types that we work on day in, day out. But collaboration really becomes critical when we're looking at entering a new market, discipline, or sector.
It’s not just about getting consultants up to speed. Marketing has to be looped in early too. That way, we can lay the groundwork and put the stepping stones in place before we even launch.

We did that with the technology and telecoms sector about two years ago. Before we officially launched, I already had a content and SEO strategy in place to target those candidates and clients. That system has been working really well: regular communication and regular analysis.

Is that something that you found has evolved in the four years that you've been at Navartis?

When I joined Navartis, I came in with a really solid understanding of what needed to be done and how to do it. But that came from years of learning on the job. When I first got into recruitment marketing, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just tried different things and figured it out over time.

That said, about two years ago, I had a moment where things just weren’t clicking. We weren’t getting the results we needed or tracking what we should be tracking. So I decided to rip up the website and start again. Not the branding, but the architecture behind it.

I spent two weeks working until 1am most nights, ripping apart the internal structure and rebuilding it during low-traffic hours so I didn’t impact the user experience. That process made a massive difference. Since then, we’ve seen a real influx of high-quality traffic. Again, not only from candidates, but from clients too.

We’re competing with the big players in the recruitment world – Hays, Randstad, Michael Page – and we’re holding our own. It just shows you don’t need millions in your pocket to make SEO work. You can do it on a shoestring if you know what you’re doing and have a really solid strategy in place.

What does “great candidate experience” mean to you, especially when you're dealing with a high volume of applications? What does that actually look like in practice?

On the website side, great candidate experience starts with accessibility. How easy is it for someone to find what they need?
We often obsess over how long people stay on a website. But if someone finds what they’re looking for quickly, that’s a win. They don’t need to be on there for 10 or 20 minutes. Five minutes, apply for a few relevant jobs and move on… to me, that’s success.

It also comes down to how well your website integrates with your CRM. If you get that right, applications are properly filed and can actually be used and viewed efficiently.

You can’t control the volume of applications – even with a clear job ad, good SEO, a well-structured website, and strict criteria, you’ll still get candidates applying who don’t meet the requirements. And when you're getting hundreds of applications per role, you’re always going to miss some. Every company does; that’s just the reality.

That’s where automation makes a real difference. Setting up flags and auto-response emails for unsuitable applications helps maintain a level of professionalism. Even if people know it’s automated, it still feels like the application has been acknowledged. And that really matters.

From there, it's about the overall service. Communicating clearly, managing expectations on both sides, and being transparent about the process. People really respect consistent, quality communication. I think that’s key.

If someone was starting from scratch with their employer brand, what’s the one thing you’d tell them to focus on first?

I’d say begin with your website. Make sure you build something that can grow with you. A lot of businesses create a site that reflects what they do right now, but then they expand into new sectors or open new offices, and suddenly they’re bolting extra pages on… and you can tell.
It starts to feel disjointed, and that really affects the user journey. So the foundation has to be solid. A scalable site structure, consistent messaging, and a user experience that holds up as you grow.

From there, it’s about SEO. Do your research. Who are you trying to reach? What are they searching for? What’s the search volume like? How competitive are those terms?

A big mistake people make is going after short-tail keywords like construction jobs . Sure, it gets 16,000 searches a month in the UK, but you’re up against job boards and huge companies with far more domain authority, content, and traffic than you’ll ever compete with. You’ll never outrank Indeed, TotalJobs, CV-Library. It’s just not going to happen.

Instead, focus on long-tail terms. They might have lower search volumes, but they’re far more targeted and achievable, and they tend to bring in more relevant traffic.

So yeah, get the website right first. Make sure it’s accessible, the messaging is clear and consistent, and the application process is as simple as possible. That’s the foundation everything else is built on.

Are there any shifts in candidate behaviour you’re paying close attention to right now?

I mean, post-COVID (and I can’t believe we’re still talking about COVID) it was a frenzy. Everyone who could pick up a phone seemed to be in recruitment. But over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of people leave the industry. It’s a tough business, and while the market isn’t the worst we’ve ever seen, it’s definitely tougher than it was in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

So for me, it’s about having a strong strategy to attract candidates in what’s now a really saturated market – whether that’s through LinkedIn, Google, your website, or any other platforms you’re using. I think most businesses have seen a bit of a slowdown in activity. Things like the rise in National Insurance contributions have affected growth plans across the UK, and that naturally impacts hiring activity. That said, I wouldn’t say there’s been a dramatic shift in candidate behaviour that’s forced a rethink of our approach.

One thing that has changed over the last five years – and it’s not new, but it’s solidified – is that candidates expect more transparency. If a job ad doesn’t include a salary, for example, you’ll see fewer applications. And rightly so.

The whole conversation around remote and hybrid work has evolved too. After COVID, there was a big shift towards remote working, but now we’re seeing more companies push for office-based or hybrid models.

Overall, not a major behavioural shift, but definitely an environment where clarity, transparency, and a strong strategy matter more than ever.

What’s on the horizon for you and your team in 2025? Anything exciting you’re working on or planning?

There are quite a few projects in the pipeline… though unfortunately, I can’t share too much! What I can say is that our team is small but mighty. It’s just me and my marketing executive, Lily, who’s brilliant. She spent four years in recruitment before transitioning into marketing here at Navartis, so she really gets both sides. The process and the passion.

We’re undertaking a major SEO project to audit our current pages. Looking at what’s working, what’s adding value, and what needs refreshing or restructuring.

SEO is never a ‘tick and done’ job. It’s an ever-evolving beast, so we’re making sure the site continues to grow and perform in the right way.

And finally, your work sounds non-stop. What do you do to switch off in your downtime?

I’ve got two kids, so life outside of work is pretty full-on with kids’ clubs and all of the excitement that comes with that.

I’m also a cyclist. Yes, I’m one of those middle-aged men in Lycra… but I love it! I’ve got a Peloton as well, which I’m a massive advocate for. I think it’s a fantastic piece of kit.

From September, I’ll also be coaching my son’s football team, which should be interesting. My wife’s already told me I’m not allowed to treat him any differently to the other kids, so I’ll have to be on my best behaviour. Outside of that, it’s just about spending time with family and friends. Staying as busy as ever!

Dan and Navartis were recently featured in the idibu Attract 50 report, spotlighting standout candidate attraction in staffing and recruitment. Download the full report for free.