Why AI Leads Are 3X More Likely to Hire Your Law Firm – and How to Attract Them

If your law firm hasn’t started paying attention to its LLM presence, there’s a new compelling reason you should – in fact, 29 million of them.

In a study of 97 B2B websites, Orbit Media found that visitors who come from AI sources (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, you name it) are more likely to become an actual lead than visitors from other sources.

Specifically, by examining the analytics for these websites – spanning one year and 29 million visits – Orbit Media discovered that visitors who come from AI are three times more likely to convert into leads than those who come from organic (non-advertisement) traffic sources.

Why?

Orbit Media presented four theories:

• The AI guided the user through a “shortlist” process. Here, we assume that before clicking on a link supplied by a tool like ChatGPT, the user had engaged in a series of qualifying questions with the LLM. For example, “Help me find a trademark law firm in Florida” led to discussions of specific cities, industry verticals, or fee structures.

• The user already knows your firm, but the LLM prompted final action. This would occur if a potential client had chatted about your firm before or simply asked the LLM for your website link. 

• Users view AI responses as advice, not ads. While a Google search brings a long list of possibilities – and we’ve all become cynical at the riffraff inherent therein – LLM output feels more like a sensible advisor. (Keep in mind that, according to one study, ChatGPT may now be the single largest provider of mental health in the U.S. Trust in these platforms is dangerously high.)
  
• AI users “skew serious.” As Orbit Media put it, people don’t open ChatGPT to kill time the way they scroll on social media. People go to it with specific questions when they have specific intent. They’re not curious about trademark law generally; they’re looking to get one registered.

Whatever the specific reason, it’s imperative for law firms to ensure their websites are well-positioned to capture this audience.

Start by determining your current “Share of Model.” What are the LLM queries that matter most to your firm, and how are you showing up now? This can be done manually or through dedicated software; if done manually, ensure you take into account inherent bias. LLM tools that you have used before will be familiar with your firm, and results will be falsely positive.

Understanding the current landscape will help you put together an action plan to increase the firm’s visibility. While every situation is different, marketing tactics we are recommending include:

• Practice pages. A Firesign review showed law firm practice pages were most-cited URLs by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overview. Revise your practice pages to be “AI-friendly” with elements like Frequently Asked Questions, statistics, definitions and lists.
  
• Awards and rankings. Firesign analysis shows Perplexity and Google AI Overview both rely on industry rankings like Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms to refer lawyers. Consider which award programs you need to add, which you need to enhance, and ensure your current listings are accurate and specific.
  
• PR. When it comes to law firm recommendations, at Firesign we see LLMs referring to trade media (Law360, regional Lawyers Weekly publications); press releases on reputable newswires, such as Globe Newswire; and Wikipedia. Executing all of these creates a credibility loop, as press releases can bring earned media, and earned media is a critical component of becoming “Wikipedia-worthy.”

As you explore this new (and ever-changing) aspect of law firm marketing, a few caveats:

• Beware “one-size-fits-all” advice. There are a lot of general recommendations for growing a company’s AI visibility that dont’ necessarily work for the legal sector. For example, many “best practices” stress earned media alone, but it’s evident that for law firms, the LLMs have been trained to incorporate specific rankings, like Chambers.

• Don’t exhaust yourself trying to be everywhere. If you have limited time and resources, focus on ChatGPT. According to Orbit Media’s study, ChatGPT drives 8 in 10 AI visits, five times more than every other AI tool combined. Pay attention to its specific favorites (Wikipedia, law firm practice pages) and run some smart experiments.

• Don’t focus solely on AI visibility. In the Orbit Media analysis of 97 B2B sites, Google Search drove 100 times more traffic. The conversion is lower, but the volume is critical. As always, a well-rounded marketing strategy that incorporates a full range of channels (website content, PR, awards, social media) is the best bet for sustainable success wherever clients are looking.