This is the checklist we point firms to after a scan comes back weak. None of it is exotic. Most of it is work most firms simply haven't done yet, because AI visibility didn't exist as a category until recently.
- 1Answer the actual question on the page
The first paragraph of a practice-area page should read like a direct answer to “who should I call,” not an introduction to the firm.
- 2Add LegalService and Attorney schema markup
Structured data tells an AI what a page is about in a format it can parse reliably, instead of inferring it from prose.
- 3Keep your name, address, and phone number identical everywhere
Your website, Google Business Profile, and every directory listing should match exactly. Inconsistent NAP data is one of the most common reasons AI hedges on naming a firm.
- 4Publish real case results, not just testimonials
Specific facts and outcomes read as evidence to an AI system. Generic praise (“great lawyer, highly recommend”) does not.
- 5Give every attorney a real bio
Credentials, bar admissions, and years practicing are exactly the kind of expertise signal AI systems are trained to weigh heavily for legal content.
- 6Get listed and reviewed on the directories AI actually cites
Avvo, Justia, FindLaw, Google, and your state or local bar association listing are common sources AI engines already trust.
- 7Build one practice-area page per city you serve
A single generic “practice areas” page for the whole firm reads as thin to an AI comparing it against a competitor's city-specific page.
- 8Add FAQPage schema to your key pages
It mirrors the direct question-and-answer format AI answers are already built from, and makes your content easier to lift into a response.
- 9Keep content current
Update pages when laws, results, or staff change, and show a visible last-updated date. Stale pages get skipped in favor of maintained ones.
- 10Earn a mention from a source AI already trusts
Local press, a bar association feature, or a legal directory spotlight all carry more weight than another page on your own site.
- 11Make sure AI crawlers can actually read your site
Allow GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended in robots.txt. A site that blocks them can't be cited, no matter how good the content is.
- 12Monitor it
Check on a regular cadence whether ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity actually name your firm. AEO isn't a one-time project; the answers change as competitors publish and AI models update.
Item 12 is the one most firms skip. CiteRadar does it for you, automatically, every week.
Run your free AI Visibility Scan →Where should a firm start on this list?
Run a scan first. Fixing schema markup on a firm that's already consistent across directories is wasted effort if the real gap is inconsistent NAP data or missing case results. Start with the item your scan flags as weakest.
How is this different from a normal local SEO checklist?
It overlaps heavily, because AI systems and Google's local pack draw on many of the same signals. The difference is the checklist is filtered down to what specifically affects whether AI names you in the answer itself, not just your ranking position.