A growing share of clients now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity to recommend a lawyer – or read Google’s AI Overview – before they ever visit a website. Getting your firm named by these systems is a new discipline called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Here is how it works.
Why most firms are invisible to AI
AI assistants favour firms with clear identity signals, structured data, answer-first content and consistent mentions across the web. Most law firms have tuned none of these, so they simply do not appear.
The four things that earn AI citations
- Entity clarity – consistent name, location and schema so the model knows who you are.
- Answer-first content – direct, well-structured answers to real client questions.
- Off-site validation – citations and mentions on sources these models read.
- A clean, machine-readable site, including structured data and a curated llms.txt.
These overlap heavily with good SEO – GEO extends the same foundations into AI. Because few firms have started, early movers establish themselves as the recognised source.
This article is part of GEO & AEO for Law Firms – our in-depth pillar guide for lawyers.
Read the full guide →Frequently asked questions
How do you get a law firm recommended by ChatGPT?
Through clear entity signals, structured data, answer-first content that addresses client questions, and consistent citations across the web, so AI systems recognise and surface the firm.
Is AI search worth optimising for yet?
Yes – adoption is rising quickly and most firms have not started, so acting now establishes your firm as the recognised source before the channel gets crowded.