In this episode of Counsel Cast, we sit down with three-time guest and digital strategist Pete Everitt to tackle the existential dread currently haunting law firm marketing departments. We’re moving beyond the “GA4” basics to answer the million-dollar question: Is AI officially replacing Google for legal search, or are we just witnessing the most complicated rebrand in internet history?
The core of the current “freak-out” in the legal industry is a misunderstanding of how AI actually works. Pete Everitt reminds us that Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity aren’t just “fast Googlers.” They are next-word prediction engines built on complex entity maps. They don’t just find a link; they ingest the internet to build a working knowledge base.
For decades, the SEO rule was simple: get it right for Google, and everyone else will follow. In 2026, that formula has shattered. With half a dozen major players—each with their own nuances, and including AI-based answer engines—law firms can no longer rely on a fixed formula. We are now in a phase where “intuition and observation” drive results more than traditional “Google-only” optimization.
If you want to stay relevant, you have to understand entities. An entity isn’t just a keyword; it’s a thing or a concept that is singularly identifiable. For instance, “Karin Conroy,” “Conroy Creative Council,” and “California” are three distinct entities.
To play the AI game, your website needs a “Knowledge Graph” sitting in the background code. This involves:
Schema Markup: Using code to tell the LLM that “this blog post about probate” is related to “this Wikipedia article on wills” and was written by “this specific partner” who has “these social profiles.”
Author Pages: AI ranks content based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). If you don’t have dedicated author pages that validate your 20 years of expertise, an AI-generated site from a fresh graduate might actually look more “authoritative” to a bot.
In March 2025, Google ran two algorithm updates that fundamentally changed the game. First, they cleared out the “AI spam” (sites written entirely by bots). Two weeks later, they replaced that space with their own AI overviews.
The result? The Zero-Click Era. Users get their basic answers—like “what is a DUI in Florida?”—directly on the search page without ever clicking through to your site. While traditional click-through rates used to be 7% or 8%, many firms are now seeing 0.6%.
But here is the band-aid for your freak-out: those lost clicks were often low-intent traffic anyway. The people who do click through now are much closer to a “purchase decision.” Your phone might not be ringing ten times more, but the quality of the person on the other end of the line has significantly increased.
One of the most annoying traits of modern AI is its tendency to be a sycophant. If you tell an AI you have a great idea, it usually claps its digital hands and agrees. To get real value out of AI for your content strategy, Pete suggests a specific prompt: “Give the GPT permission to disagree with you.” By inviting a contrary view, you move past the “bowl of sugar” responses and get to the “useful paranoia” that helps you identify gaps in your marketing plan. This human-to-human (or human-to-bot) nuance is what separates a true authority from a “hot take” content factory.
Pete Everitt is a seasoned digital strategist, agency owner, and a regular collaborator on the Counsel Cast podcast. He specializes in helping law firms navigate the “muddy waters” of AI Optimization (AIO) and technical SEO. With a focus on data-driven decision-making, Pete helps firms bridge the gap between high-level authority and technical website performance.
Ready to build your law firm’s digital authority? Listen to the episode or contact Conroy Creative Counsel today. Be sure to visit Legal Broadcasting Company often for our latest podcasts.
This article was written by Legal Broadcasting Company, and is based on the episode of Counsel Cast hosted by Karin Conroy.
A: No. But the way people use it has changed. Google is adopting AI to provide instant answers, which means you need to optimize for “impressions” within those AI overviews as much as you do for direct clicks.
A: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is about providing a direct answer to a closed question. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is about appearing in the conversational threads and narratives generated by platforms like ChatGPT or Claude.
A: Not necessarily, but you need to go deeper. If a user can get the basic answer from ChatGPT, your blog needs to offer the “next level” of insight—like the tax implications of a specific estate plan—to prevent them from hitting the back button.
