How Google SEO works
Google SEO determines your position in search engine results pages. It is driven by backlinks, domain authority, keyword usage, page speed and technical signals. Google's algorithm ranks pages based on relevance and authority as measured by these factors.
When a client types "employment solicitor Leeds" into Google, the algorithm evaluates thousands of signals — the number and quality of sites linking to yours, how your page content matches that query, how quickly your pages load, whether your site is mobile-friendly — and returns a ranked list of web pages. The firms at the top have invested in building authority according to these criteria.
This is a well-understood discipline with established practices, measurable outcomes, and a mature agency market. It is also not what determines whether you appear when a client asks ChatGPT the same question.
How AI visibility works
AI visibility is determined by different signals entirely. When a client asks ChatGPT "which solicitor in Leeds handles employment disputes?", the AI does not run a search engine query. It draws on its training data and real-time retrieval to construct an answer. The firms it recommends are those that:
- Have clear, structured content explaining exactly what they do, who they serve, and where they operate — in explicit, extractable terms
- Are consistently described in the same way across multiple sources — their website, professional directories, Google Business Profile, review platforms, and press mentions
- Have content that directly answers the questions clients ask — fees, process, timelines, outcomes — in natural language
- Are associated with specific geographic areas and practice specialisms in a way the AI can extract and use to answer location-specific queries
- Carry trust signals that AI systems can evaluate — professional body registrations, regulatory status, verifiable credentials, and client reviews with specific detail
None of these factors are directly measured by Google's ranking algorithm. Some overlap — clear content helps both — but the specific requirements for AI visibility go beyond what Google SEO optimisation typically delivers.
The practical difference
A firm with strong Google SEO might have excellent backlinks, high domain authority and good technical optimisation — but if their website does not contain clear, explicit answers to the questions clients ask AI, they will not appear in AI recommendations.
Consider a mid-size commercial law firm in Birmingham. They rank on page one of Google for "commercial solicitor Birmingham" — the result of years of SEO investment. Their website uses broad language: "comprehensive legal services for businesses", "expert advice across a range of commercial matters". This language is typical of professional services websites and does not harm their Google ranking.
But when a client asks ChatGPT "which solicitor in Birmingham handles shareholder disputes?", the AI cannot confidently extract this firm's expertise in shareholder disputes from their website. Another firm — smaller, lower Google ranking, but with a page titled "Shareholder dispute resolution in Birmingham: what to expect and what it costs" — appears in the AI's response.
Conversely, a smaller firm with a modest Google ranking but well-structured, question-rich content may appear consistently in AI results for the specific queries their target clients ask.
Where they overlap
Some optimisations help both Google SEO and AI visibility. These are worth pursuing regardless of which outcome you prioritise:
- Clear, well-structured page content with explicit headings
- Mobile-friendly, fast-loading pages
- Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all directories
- Google Business Profile completeness and review management
- Schema markup for your organisation, services, and local presence
The additional work for AI visibility — question-and-answer content, fee transparency, explicit service and geography descriptions, cross-platform entity consistency — does not harm Google SEO and often improves it.
What this means for your firm
Optimising for Google SEO and optimising for AI visibility require some overlapping actions — good content, clear structure, mobile performance — but also some distinct ones. AI visibility specifically requires question-and-answer coverage, explicit service descriptions, and structured data that AI systems can parse.
The firms that will be recommended by AI in 2026 and beyond are not necessarily the firms with the highest Google rankings. They are the firms that have made it easiest for AI systems to extract, verify and confidently cite their expertise, location and trustworthiness.
The first step is to measure where you currently stand. TrustLayer Reveal evaluates your firm across the five major AI platforms and identifies the specific gaps reducing your visibility — so you know exactly what to address rather than guessing.