3Search is a UK marketing recruitment specialist that covers digital, content, sales, and e-commerce. The agency relaunched on a new domain in July 2025 with 4 keywords ranking and zero SERP snippet ownership. Ten months of Pro SEO Retainer work later, 3Search now holds 359 Top 10 positions and 540 AI Overview features across the marketing recruitment category.
Key Takeaways
- 3Search relaunched on a new domain in July 2025 with 4 Top 10 keywords and zero SERP snippet ownership. By April 2026, the agency held 359 Top 10 positions and 84 SERP snippets across tracked queries.
- AI Overview Features grew from 17 in July 2025 to 540 in April 2026, a 3,076% lift. The agency ranks position 1 across Google AI Overviews for queries including "best marketing recruitment agencies uk" and "content marketing recruitment".
- Organic sessions grew 139% from 888 in July 2025 (new domain launch) to 2,123 in April 2026, with engagement time per session holding steady at 65 to 73 seconds throughout.
- The Pro SEO Retainer included the full migration recovery, content velocity build, authority cluster development, and AI visibility methodology that led to these outcomes.
- Engagement: Pro SEO Retainer at £2,195 per month. Pro covers higher content velocity, deeper off-page authority, and AI visibility work for mid-competitive sector specialists.
The Starting Point
3Search is a UK marketing recruitment specialist covering digital marketing, content, sales, e-commerce, and creative strategy. The agency relaunched on a new domain (3searchgroup.com) in July 2025, the starting reference point for this case study.
Baseline metrics in July 2025, the new domain launch month:
- Organic sessions: 888
- Engaged sessions: 584 (66% engagement rate)
- New users from organic: 664
- Top 4 keyword rankings: 4
- Top 10 keyword rankings: 4
- Top 15 keyword rankings: 10
- SERP snippet ownership: 0 tracked queries
- AI Overview Features: 17
- Page speed (load time): 2.1 seconds
- Average engagement time per session: 65 seconds
The new domain inherited some authority signals but minimal organic traffic.
The job was to rebuild ranking visibility from a near-zero starting point and establish AI visibility from scratch in a competitive category.
What We Did
The engagement followed the Pro SEO Retainer pattern: rebuild fast, build broad, and layer AI visibility.
Phase 1: Migration recovery and indexation (July to August 2025)
Indexation was prioritised. Schema across sector pages, internal linking, and JobPosting markup were rebuilt for the new domain. Top 10 ranking count grew from 4 in July to 275 in August, evidence the recovery converted authority signals into ranking visibility quickly.
Phase 2: Authority cluster build (September 2025 onward)
Four authority clusters were built: Head of Sales, Head of Growth, Head of Ecommerce, and Creative Strategist. Each received a pillar page plus longtail spokes targeting commercial, candidate, and informational queries.
Phase 3: AI visibility deployment (October 2025 onward)
FAQPage schema, AnswerBlocks, and structured H3 questions were added across commercial pages. Monthly prompt testing tracked 3Search across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. AI Overview Features grew from 17 in July to 540 in April, with the agency now surfacing in AI answers for queries including "best marketing recruitment agencies uk" and "content marketing recruitment".
The Results
The numbers below come from 3Search's tracked KPI dashboard, populated from Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics 4.
| Metric | July 2025 (new domain launch) | April 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 keyword rankings | 4 | 359 | +8,875% |
| Top 15 keyword rankings | 10 | 562 | +5,520% |
| Organic sessions per month | 888 | 2,123 | +139% |
| Engaged sessions per month | 584 | 1,404 | +140% |
| AI Overview features | 17 | 540 | +3,076% |
| SERP snippet ownership | 0 | 84 | from zero baseline |
| New users from organic | 664 | 1,294 | +95% |
| Avg engagement time per session | 65s | 72s | +11% (held quality) |
The headline is keyword recovery and scale. Growing from 4 Top 10 keywords to 359 in 10 months covers both migration recovery and the build phase. The AI Overview Features growth (17 to 540) is the strategic outcome: 3 Search now competes for AI search citations in marketing recruitment, a category where most competitors have negligible AI visibility.
Engagement time remained between 63 and 73 seconds throughout, indicating that new traffic arriving via the rebuilt rankings found what it expected. Engaged sessions grew from 584 to 1,404, tracking session count growth at parity.
What This Means for Similar Agencies
3 Search's results are achievable for any marketing or sector recruitment agency facing a domain migration, relaunch, or rebuild from a weak starting position. Variables affecting timeline are inherited authority signals, sector competitiveness, and content cluster depth.
If your agency is migrating to a new domain, recovering from a previous SEO engagement, or relaunching after a brand refresh, this case study describes the engagement that rebuilds visibility fast.
The Pro SEO Retainer at £2,195 per month is the right tier. Higher content velocity supports authority clusters mid-competitive specialists need, and AI visibility work captures citations in categories where competitors have not yet invested.
FAQs
How long did the 3 Search engagement take to recover post-migration ranking visibility?
Top 10 keyword count grew from 4 in July 2025 to 275 in August 2025 (month 2). Within 8 weeks of the new domain going live, ranking recovery had crossed the threshold most migrations take 6 months to reach.
What is the AI visibility outcome for 3Search?
AI Overview Features grew from 17 in July 2025 to 540 in April 2026, a 3,076% lift. The agency ranks first across Google AI Overviews for sector-defining queries, including "best marketing recruitment agencies uk" and "content marketing recruitment."
Can my agency expect similar results post-migration?
If your agency operates in a comparable mid-competitive sector and faces a domain migration or relaunch, the methodology applies directly. Outcomes vary by inherited authority, sector competitiveness, and content cadence.
What retainer tier does this case study reflect?
3Search engaged the Pro SEO Retainer, £2,195 per month. Pro covers strategy, technical SEO, deeper content velocity, off-page authority at the Starter Linkbuilding tier, and AI visibility work.
Is 3Search available for a reference call?
Yes, by prior arrangement. Serious prospects can request a reference call with Chloe Stout, Global Digital and Content Manager, during a triage call. Reference calls are not available to general inbound enquiries.
