A firm with genuine depth in a particular market may now be better placed to become the recommended answer than a much larger agency with a broader but less distinctive proposition. It has now started being recommended by Google in AI Overview answers at the very top of the search results page as the best niche recruitment firm in its specia...
It increasingly means being named in the answer Google presents above those listings.
That shift matters for specialist agencies that have historically struggled to compete with larger, better-funded generalists.
A firm with genuine depth in a particular market may now be better placed to become the recommended answer than a much larger agency with a broader but less distinctive proposition.
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It increasingly means being named in the answer Google presents above those listings. That shift matters for specialist agencies that have historically struggled to compete with larger, better-funded generalists. A firm with genuine depth in a particular market may now be better placed to become the recommended answer than a much larger agency with a broader but less distinctive proposition.
It no longer means appearing first among a list of blue links.
Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec 24 Sep 2026 | Opinion & Insights. For niche recruitment firms, 2026 presents an unusual opportunity. The definition of being "at the top of Google" is changing.
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