In short
- Clients search by practice area and location. A separate page per practice area with a clear location is the most important foundation.
- Google Business Profile, regulator and law society listings and legal directories must contain the same details.
- Reviews help, but replies to them must not reveal anything about the matter.
- Professional rules require accurate, factual information. AI systems value exactly that kind of factual content.
How clients search today
People who need legal advice rarely search for “lawyer”. They search for the problem and the place: “unfair dismissal solicitor Leeds”, “divorce solicitor Bristol cost”, “planning lawyer Manchester”. More and more often the question is also written out in full in ChatGPT or Gemini: “Which firm in Cardiff specialises in employment law for employees?”.
The answer is assembled from a few sources: firm websites that name the practice area clearly, the Google Business Profile with reviews, listings from regulators, law societies and directories, and expert articles. Firms that appear consistently and specifically in those places get named. Firms with a generic home page and a long list of practice areas less so.
The foundations: one page per practice area
- Show practice areas individually: for every area you genuinely handle, a separate page with a heading such as “Employment law for employees in Leeds”. Five strong pages are better than twenty lines on one.
- Name typical situations: dismissal, settlement agreements, references. Clients recognise themselves in specific situations, and AI systems match the page to the right question.
- Explain process and availability: how does the first conversation work, what should clients bring, how soon can they get an appointment? That answers common questions before they are asked.
- Show the people: who handles the area, with what qualifications and experience? Only use protected titles and accreditations you actually hold.
- Add structured data: with the Schema.org type LegalService, name, address, opening hours and practice areas become machine-readable.
Profiles and directories
Besides your website, the listings that clients and machines both read count: your Google Business Profile with the right category, your regulator’s or law society’s search, established legal directories and Bing Places. Make sure the firm name, address, phone number, practice areas and languages are identical everywhere. After a move or a change of partners, old listings often stay online for years and lead to wrong answers.
Content that genuinely helps clients
Expert articles work when they answer a specific question and give orientation without replacing advice:
- Questions from practice: “What should I do after being dismissed?” or “Which documents do I need for a divorce?”, in plain language and with a pointer to applicable time limits.
- Make costs understandable: how fees are generally calculated and what they depend on, without binding promises.
- Current developments: new judgments or legislative changes in your area, with date and source.
- Honest assessment: when proceedings are probably not worth it. That builds trust and is readily cited.
Respect professional conduct rules
Lawyer advertising is allowed in all the countries covered here, but it is regulated. The common core: factual, truthful, not misleading and respectful of confidentiality. The key rules at a glance:
| Country | Basis | What applies at its core |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | § 43b BRAO | Advertising only insofar as it informs factually about professional activity in form and content and is not aimed at obtaining instructions in an individual case. “Fachanwalt” (specialist lawyer) only with the title granted |
| Austria | § 47 RL-BA 2015 | Advertising must be truthful and factual. Not permitted are, among other things, loud self-promotion, comparisons with a specific other firm and naming clients without their consent |
| Switzerland | Art. 12(d) BGFA | Advertising is allowed as long as it remains objective and meets the public’s need for information |
| England and Wales | SRA Code of Conduct, 8.8 and 8.9 and SRA Transparency Rules | Publicity accurate and not misleading, including on charges. No unsolicited approaches to members of the public other than current or former clients. For certain services, such as residential conveyancing or uncontested probate, price and service information on the website, plus details of the complaints procedure |
| France | RIN, Art. 10 | Advertising and personalised solicitation are allowed if they give sincere information about the services and respect the essential principles of the profession. No comparative or disparaging statements. “Spécialiste” only with a specialisation certificate |
| Spain | Código Deontológico, Art. 6 | Objective, truthful and dignified. State the bar association, no promises of results, name clients only with written consent, claim specialisation only with proof |
| Italy | Codice deontologico forense, Art. 17 and 35 | Transparent, truthful, not comparative and not suggestive. State the professional title, firm name and bar association. No client names, not even with their consent |
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland have their own regulators and rules. For your website this means: no sensational promises, no success rates without a basis, and no details of the matter when replying to reviews, because confidentiality applies there too. If in doubt, check sensitive wording with your regulator or bar. This overview is general information, not legal advice.
Common mistakes on law firm websites
- All practice areas on one page: a list running from “employment to commercial law” matches no specific question and is rarely cited.
- Legal jargon only: clients search with everyday words such as “sacked” or “maintenance”, not with section numbers. Both belong on the page.
- No location in the text: if the location only appears in the legal notice, the link between practice area and city is missing.
- Outdated team pages: former partners or old phone numbers on the website and in directories make answers unreliable.
Where AI also takes work off the firm
Visibility brings enquiries, and they have to be handled. Many firms now also use AI internally: sorting enquiries by practice area, suggesting deadlines from documents, extracting information from papers. Data protection, confidentiality and servers in the EU or UK matter here. Our article on automating customer enquiries shows what this looks like in practice.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Schema.org: LegalService
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website