Careers Website Grader: Score Your Site in 60 Seconds
A free careers website grader: enter your Lighthouse scores to get a score out of 800, then check best practice with a 20-point review. Benchmarked against 101 leading sites.
By the Happydance team. Updated November 2026.
Score your careers website
Run your careers website through Google PageSpeed Insights, then enter the eight scores below. You will see your score out of 800 beside the averages for 101 leading sites.
Test your home page and your busiest job page, because candidates see both. PageSpeed Insights shows four scores for mobile and four for desktop: performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. Results vary a little from run to run, so run each test two or three times and enter the middle result. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Lighthouse score calculator
Enter your eight scores from 0 to 100. The result updates as you type.
| Score | Device |
|---|---|
| performance | Mobile |
| accessibility | Mobile |
| best practices | Mobile |
| SEO | Mobile |
| performance | Desktop |
| accessibility | Desktop |
| best practices | Desktop |
| SEO | Desktop |
This is the printable version. Switch on JavaScript to use the live calculator in your browser.
What we score
| Area | What it measures | Why candidates care |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | How quickly the page loads and becomes usable | Most candidates are on a phone, often on mobile data |
| Accessibility | Whether people using assistive technology can use the page | It is the right thing to do, and a legal duty in many countries |
| Best practices | Safe, modern and error-free page construction | It protects trust and keeps pages working |
| SEO | Whether search engines can read and index the page | Candidates need to find you first |
How the score is calculated
Each of the four areas is scored from 0 to 100 by Lighthouse, on mobile and on desktop. Add the eight scores and you have a total out of 800. That is how the careers website performance leaderboard works, so your total is directly comparable with it.
An open source tool that audits web pages for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. Google PageSpeed Insights runs it for you and shows the results for mobile and desktop.
Lighthouse tests technical quality, not the quality of your story. That is why the second tool below checks 20 further points of best practice.
How you compare with 101 leading sites
Sample disclosure: 101 careers websites, of which 61 are Happydance customers, 38 are Fortune 100 companies and 2 are wild cards. Scores are Lighthouse results for mobile and desktop, out of 800. It compares customers with large-company careers websites, not the whole market. See the careers website performance leaderboard.
Customer sites are Happydance customers. The other sites are large company careers websites that we have no connection with. Explore the full results on the careers website performance leaderboard.
The 20-point best practice review
Tick what is true today. Items carry more weight where they affect candidates most.
20-point best practice review
Tick each statement that is true today. Copy your gaps as a fix list.
| Area | Points available |
|---|---|
| Speed and mobile | 10 |
| Accessibility | 12 |
| SEO and discoverability | 10 |
| Best practice and conversion | 12 |
This is the printable version. Switch on JavaScript to use the live calculator in your browser.
Fix list: what to improve first
- Anything that blocks applying. If a candidate cannot apply on a phone, nothing else matters.
- Accessibility blockers. Contrast, keyboard use, labels and alt text. See the accessibility audit guide.
- Mobile performance. Oversized images and heavy scripts are the usual causes. See the speed report.
- Job markup and discoverability. Valid JobPosting data and clean expiry handling.
- Content and conversion. Publish pay and process, and make stories specific.
For design guidance, see our careers website design best practices, and for how the platform handles speed and search, see careers website SEO.
Book a full audit
A grader is a quick check. A full audit looks at content, journeys, search, accessibility and governance, and gives you a prioritised plan. Read the audit checklist and scorecard, or request a careers website audit from our team.
What is a careers website grader?
A tool that scores a careers website against measurable criteria such as speed, accessibility, SEO and best practice.
Is the grader free?
Yes. It is free and needs no sign-up.
Do you store my scores?
No. The tool runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Where do I get my Lighthouse scores?
Run your page through Google PageSpeed Insights. It shows mobile and desktop scores for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO.
What is a good score?
In the 101-site sample the customer average was 723 out of 800 and the other sites averaged 618.6. Aim to beat the average, then keep improving.
Why do my scores change between runs?
Lab tests vary with network and device conditions. Run each test two or three times and use the middle result.
Is this the same as a full audit?
No. The grader is a quick technical check. A full audit adds content, journeys and governance.
Want an expert to look at your careers website?
Request a full audit or book a demo to see how a careers website CMS handles speed and accessibility for you.
Request an auditBook a demo