As AI continues to transform how search engines operate, law firms must adapt quickly or risk falling behind. At the forefront of this shift is Rankings CEO, Chris Dreyer, and his Director of SEO, Logan Mosby. Together, they have decades of combined experience, making Rankings one of the most trusted authorities in legal SEO.
Before you commit to an SEO agency, take the time to ask these 8 essential questions—personally recommended by Chris and Logan—to ensure your next SEO partner is the right fit for your firm’s goals and the future of AI-powered search.
Why Hire an Agency that Specializes in SEO for Lawyers
Generic SEO strategies don’t cut it in the legal world. Law firms face unique marketing challenges—including advertising regulations, ethical compliance, and high-cost keywords. An agency that specializes in SEO for lawyers will understand these nuances and apply proven strategies designed to dominate your local legal market.
When done right, legal SEO is an asset—not a cost. It becomes a compound investment that delivers long-term, high-value cases while giving your firm a competitive edge that’s difficult for others to overcome.
Mastering SEO for Lawyers in the AI Era
“SEO is the art of overcoming disruption. And nothing is more disruptive RIGHT NOW than AI.” - Rankings’ VP of Marketing, Ken Mafli
One of the most critical developments in this space is the need for a dual approach that blends traditional SEO with Generative AI Optimization (GEO).
While classic SEO focuses on improving your visibility in search engine rankings, GEO ensures your content is structured and surfaced effectively by AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Bard.
It’s no longer just about rankings; it’s about relevance across every platform clients use to find legal help.
1. Do you conduct keyword research for SEO and GEO?
We’ve moved beyond simply chasing high-volume keyword phrases—today’s successful strategies focus on topical authority, natural language queries, and addressing the kinds of questions real users are asking.
With the rise of AI-driven search engines, like ChatGPT and Perplexity, users are interacting with search in a more conversational, question-based format than ever before.
A modern agency should be optimizing your content accordingly—moving from outdated phrases like “best lawyers San Diego” to more AI-friendly queries such as “Which are the best personal injury law firms in San Diego?”
2. Do you improve off-site authority and AI Search Engine Referencing?
Just as traditional search engines have long used off-site signals to assess a website’s credibility and authoritativeness, generative AI tools are now doing the same—often with an even broader lens.
Reputable mentions and profiles on platforms like Wikipedia, Super Lawyers, and FindLaw can significantly influence how both search engines and AI tools interpret and prioritize your firm.
A forward-thinking SEO agency should actively build and manage your off-site presence to strengthen your visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search environments.
The Latest on SEO and GEO for Lawyers
“Schema is one of the most important things you can do to rank in the age of AI.” - Chris Dreyer, CEO of Rankings
It’s essential to choose an SEO agency who offers full transparency in strategy and provides customized solutions that align with your specific practice areas and goals.
As SEO continues to evolve, it's critical to understand which foundational strategies still matter, and which have taken on even greater importance in the age of AI.
3. Do you prioritize Structured Data & Schema Markup?
Many generative AI tools and search engines perform significantly better when your site is structured in a way that’s machine-readable—making it cheaper and more efficient for AI to crawl and extract relevant content.
Your chosen SEO partner should implement structured data using JSON-LD, a JavaScript format recommended by Google, to help AI systems quickly and accurately understand your content.
Just as importantly, they must ensure your site’s information is original, up-to-date, and comprehensive—key factors AI models consider when surfacing results.
4. Do you use NLP-Friendly Language?
With the rise of smartphones and voice assistants, users are increasingly speaking long-tail, natural language questions into their devices rather than typing short, keyword-heavy queries.
A modern SEO strategy should reflect this shift by minimizing legal jargon, using simple and concise phrasing, and expanding content to include multiple variations of frequently asked questions.
Your agency should be spinning out rich FAQ sections that mirror real user behavior—creating content that feels more like a conversation and less like a list of keywords.
New Strategies for Law Firm SEO
In today’s landscape, where Generative AI Optimization (GEO) plays an increasing role in how content is discovered and ranked, it’s essential that your SEO partner is forward-thinking. That means building authority across external review platforms, leveraging multiple content formats, and ensuring your digital presence is structured for both human users and AI systems.
5. Do you target review sites and build a strong review strategy?
Positive client reviews aren’t just good for reputation—they’re a major factor in AI-driven search visibility.
Generative AI tools and search engines increasingly prioritize businesses with a high volume of strong, authentic reviews.
An effective SEO agency should guide your firm in consistently generating high-quality reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp (the primary source for Apple Maps), aiming for a rating of around 4.8 out of 5 stars with at least 200 reviews.
A robust, ongoing review strategy is essential not only for traditional SEO but also for standing out in AI-powered search results.
6. Do you create multi-format content (text, video, visuals)?
A modern content strategy should go beyond text to include video, visuals, and other formats that appeal to both users and search engines. But it’s not just about creating the content—it’s about how it’s published.
For example, instead of simply embedding a video on an existing page, your agency should create a dedicated landing page for that video, complete with a full transcription.
This approach significantly increases the chances of the video being indexed and displayed in Google’s search results, while also making it easier for AI tools to understand and reference your content.
Attorney SEO and GEO Services for 2025 and Beyond
Law firms can no longer afford to think of SEO as just “ranking on Google.” The future of search is happening everywhere—on AI platforms, voice assistants, social media, map apps, and beyond.
Generative AI Optimization (GEO) is expanding what it means to be visible online, requiring law firms to adapt to how people actually search in real time.
To stay competitive, your SEO strategy must be comprehensive, compliant, and designed for discoverability across all channels—not just the search bar.
7. Do you monitor and update content regularly?
AI search engines and traditional search algorithms both prioritize the most up-to-date, comprehensive information. That means your SEO strategy should include regular content audits to refresh statistics, links, examples, and topical relevance.
“This is especially important for time-sensitive or evolving legal topics, such as Suboxone or Depo Provera lawsuits, where news and developments may require daily adjustments.” - Chris Dreyer, CEO
A strong agency will have a process in place to actively manage and leverage your existing content assets to stay ahead of AI and user expectations alike.
8. Do you encourage social sharing and “everywhere optimization”?
Today, when you Google something, you’ll often see social media content—tweets, YouTube videos, Reddit threads—appearing directly in the results. It’s only a matter of time before AI search tools start pulling even more heavily from social platforms themselves.
That’s why your SEO agency should be optimizing content not just for Google, but for visibility across every major digital channel.
They should also help encourage social engagement and sharing to amplify your reach—and closely monitor what your competitors are posting and promoting across platforms.
In Conclusion: The Best SEO for Lawyers
Choosing the right SEO agency isn’t about ticking boxes—it’s about finding a strategic partner who understands the complexities of legal marketing and shares your ambition for growth.
By asking these 8 questions, you’ll separate the SEO pretenders from the true experts—and ensure your law firm gets the attention, results, and ROI it deserves.
Ready to hire a partner with over a decade of experience implementing SEO for lawyers? Click here to explore our tailored SEO services and book a call.
