Clients search differently than they used to. Instead of searching for a law firm, they ask a question: how to challenge a dismissal, what applies in an inheritance division, who supports a company formation in their region. Increasingly they ask AI assistants these questions too. Law firms and fiduciaries wanting to appear there need no loud advertising messages but precise, trustworthy content.
Stay factual
For Swiss lawyers, advertising is permitted as long as it remains objective and meets the public’s need for information. That fits well with what search engines and language models reward: clear, verifiable information instead of superlatives. Good SEO for law firms is therefore, at its core, good information.
One page per practice area
The most important lever is a dedicated page for each practice area or service, describing what it covers, whom the firm acts for and which questions typically arise. A home page listing practice areas can hardly be found for specific questions. Why that is so is covered in our decision guide one-pager or multi-page website.
Make people visible
Clients choose people, not logos. Profiles with practice areas, admissions, education, languages and publications build trust and are also a strong signal of experience and expertise that search engines and language models take into account. The glossary covers this under E-E-A-T.
Be findable locally
Many searches have a local angle. A maintained Google business profile with correct address, opening hours and category, plus consistent name, address and phone details across all platforms, helps a firm appear in local results and maps. Particular care applies when replying to reviews: replies must not disclose any information about a matter, not even to correct the record.
Structured data
Schema.org has dedicated types such as LegalService for law firms and AccountingService for fiduciary and accounting providers. Together with details about the organisation and its people, they help search engines and language models understand the firm unambiguously. The basics are covered in our article on schema markup.
Appearing in AI answers
For generative search the same logic applies in sharper form: cited pages are those that answer a question precisely and whose sender is clearly identifiable. Short, factual answers to typical client questions, a small glossary on your own practice areas and allowed AI crawlers raise the chance of being named as a source.
Technology and data protection
A fast website that works well on a smartphone is a prerequisite. For law firms, data protection standards come on top: a privacy notice under the revised FADP, a contact form with careful data processing and no unnecessary tracking tools. What clients ask in confidence does not belong in advertising networks.
Measure
Search Console shows for which questions practice area pages appear and where titles or descriptions fail to convince; our Search Console playbook describes the approach. We offer building such a website as websites for law firms, fiduciaries and family offices; what it costs is described on the page on law firm website costs.