5 Keys Driving Local Search and AI in Legal

Staying on Top in the AI Age Means Owning Your Backyard

Search is getting way smarter. With AI playing a bigger role in how results are delivered, staying visible in local searches takes more than it used to. Google is analyzing more factors and answering queries in new formats, and firms need a strategy that reflects this new reality. Local visibility will remain one of the strongest drivers of consistent case volume, but only if your online presence is optimized and competitive. As technology continues to shape how people decide to hire law firms, attorneys that adapt early will be better positioned to capture local cases in the not-so-distant future.

From Local 1.0 to 3.0

Local search has gone through three major stages. Each one has raised the bar on how firms advertise themselves online.

Local 1.0 The first phase of local search was about cleaning things up. Firms really just needed accurate business information across directories like Avvo and Justia. Several tools and services came out to help manage outdated listings, which helped firms get ahead while others managed things internally. Either way, what mattered most was consistency. If your firm’s name, address, and phone number were correct everywhere, you appeared in local results. This got you in the game, but eventually everyone got in.

Local 2.0 The next phase raised the bar. Local success meant delivering a better experience across the entire search journey. That included content, performance, and the actions users take once they land on your site or profile.

Local 3.0 Our current phase, driven by artificial intelligence. AI models interpret search queries’ intent, context, and relevance with more precision than ever. They answer after doing the research for the user. These systems also learn from user behavior over time and across platforms. That means your entire online presence needs to be optimized for AI interpretation.

This evolution changes the marketing playbook for attorneys. Success is based on whether search AI interprets your firm as a trusted match for someone’s legal question. That depends on structure, clarity, and how well your digital content supports both humans and algorithms.

The Five Keys Driving Local Search in 2025

Local search in 2025 is shaped by five main areas. Each one affects how law firms are discovered, evaluated, and contacted. Here’s what to know and where to focus.

1. Discovery

AI models pull data from law firm websites, directories, reviews, images and video. This data is scraped into the model’s existing knowledge, but AI tools can also search the internet in real time for updated knowledge. If your firm’s online content is inconsistent or incomplete across these sources, you may not be discoverable in local search results.

Accurate listings and structured website data help AI tools identify your law firm as a reliable match for local legal queries. A single outdated phone number or untagged video can reduce visibility, and could miss a big case from connecting with you.

Law firms should audit their presence across directories, ensure schema markup is in place, and use tools like IndexNow to speed up indexing. Updated location pages, clear service descriptions, and properly labeled images improve your chances of being found.

2. Experience

Google’s AI Overviews are controversially dropping organic click-through-rates, as we’ve discussed in previous blog posts. Queries are increasingly being answered in a chat format instead of a list of links, and this is changing user behaviors and expectations.

To stay competitive, your content must be specific to the user’s location and intent. AI models prefer content that reflects local knowledge, timely information, and client-focused language.

Firms should also improve mobile performance, simplify page layouts, and build content that addresses real client questions to enhance the user experience. Avoid relying on AI-generated images, which have lost visibility due to Google’s new quality filters.

Any client loyalty signals, such as frequent site visits, a website profile or engagement with emails, may influence how often your firm appears in results. AI will soon enter a hyper-personalized level, where it can leverage a user’s personal online behaviors and experiences to provide better search results. The more connections you have to users, the better.

3. Relevance and Authority

AI tools now evaluate how well your content matches a user’s intent, not just keywords. They also track signals that point to credibility, such as client reviews, topical focus, and how often your firm is mentioned or linked to online.

Content that answers specific legal questions, reflects local presence, and shows a clear practice area focus tends to perform better. Pages should include detailed explanations, FAQs, and structured data that helps AI understand the content.

Law firms should always encourage client reviews, stay active online, and build out content that reflects both legal knowledge and community presence. The more consistent and topic-focused your content is, the more trustworthy it appears to AI systems.

4. Conversions

Once a potential client reaches your site, speed and ease-of-use are what matter most to generate a case. Long load times, cluttered layouts, unclear calls to action and even outdated designs can cause visitors to bounce to another law firm’s website.

Law firms should seriously consider Conversion Rate Optimization, A/B testing, UI and UX audits for their websites. This means regularly test intake forms, simplify navigation, and prioritize mobile usability. Every element on the page should support a clear next step, whether it’s scheduling a consultation or making a call.

5. Performance

Search engine and AI model rankings now factor in how users interact with your listings and website. Actions like phone calls, clicks for directions, and time spent on a page influence how often your firm appears in search.

What matters is what users do after they find you. If people consistently engage with your content and listings, that behavior reinforces your relevance to similar searches.

Law firms should be tracking metrics like click-through rates, engagement on location pages, and conversion events tied to listings. These data points help identify what’s working and where to adjust.

AI Is Now Choosing Who Gets Seen. Is Your Firm Prepared?

Clients are asking AI tools for legal help and taking action based on the responses. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity answer with specific recommendations pulled from structured data, reviews, and past behavior. If your firm isn’t represented clearly across those inputs, you won’t be included in potential clients’ decision-making process.

This change is already affecting traffic. AI-generated summaries and direct answers are replacing traditional search listings. Visibility now depends on how well your firm is indexed, structured, and recognized by these systems.

TSEG helps law firms compete in this new environment. We build search strategies that stand out to AI, not just search engines. That includes optimizing structured data, refining content for intent, and tracking the signals AI models rely on.

Firms that prepare for this now will keep getting cases. Firms that wait will see fewer opportunities, even if their content is still technically visible. Contact us for more info today.