Your potential clients aren’t just Googling anymore. They’re asking ChatGPT. They’re consulting Perplexity. They’re getting instant answers from AI overviews right at the top of search results.
And if your firm isn’t showing up in those AI-generated responses, you’re missing out on a massive chunk of visibility.
This is where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes in. But here’s the thing: you can’t just abandon traditional SEO and jump ship to GEO. The two work hand-in-hand, and professional services firms that master both are the ones capturing attention across every channel where potential clients are searching.
The New Reality: Search Engines AND AI Platforms
Traditional SEO has been the bread and butter of digital marketing for decades. You optimize your content, earn quality backlinks, improve your site speed, and watch your rankings climb. But now, AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Perplexity are changing how people find information about legal services, tax planning, and financial advice.
Research shows that nearly 90% of ChatGPT citations match Bing’s top 20 search results. Translation? Strong traditional SEO is still the foundation. But ranking well on Google doesn’t automatically mean AI platforms will cite your firm. There’s only about a 62% overlap between Google rankings and ChatGPT visibility.
That gap is exactly where GEO strategies make all the difference.
How We Optimize Content for Both Worlds
Here’s our approach to making sure your firm shows up whether someone’s using Google or asking an AI assistant:
Structured Content That Everyone Can Read
We write content with clear, descriptive headings that guide both human readers and AI systems through your expertise. Every section answers a specific question. Every paragraph is concise and scannable. This isn’t just good writing practice—it’s essential for helping AI platforms parse and cite your content accurately.
When we write about estate planning strategies or business tax deductions, we organize information so it can be easily extracted and referenced. That means breaking down complex legal or financial concepts into digestible sections that make sense whether someone’s reading your blog or getting an AI summary.
Schema Markup: The Behind-the-Scenes MVP
This is where the magic really happens. Schema markup is code we add to your website that helps search engines and AI platforms understand exactly what your content is about. It’s like adding labels to everything on your site: “This is a law firm,” “This person is an attorney specializing in intellectual property,” “This article answers questions about LLC formation.”
For professional services, we implement schemas for:
- Your organization’s credentials and specializations
- Individual attorney or accountant profiles
- Service pages with detailed offerings
- Articles and blog posts with clear topic classifications
- FAQ sections (more on this in a second)
Search engines have been using schema for years to create rich results. Now, AI platforms are using this structured data to determine which sources are authoritative and relevant when generating responses.
The Power of Strategic FAQ Sections
FAQ sections are absolute gold for both SEO and GEO. Here’s why we include them on virtually every service page we create:
They provide direct, factual answers that AI systems love to cite. When someone asks ChatGPT “What’s the difference between an S-corp and a C-corp?” and your accounting firm has a clear, well-structured FAQ answering exactly that, you’ve just increased your chances of being referenced.
We use FAQ schema markup to explicitly tell search engines and AI platforms: “This is a question, and here’s the authoritative answer.” This structured format makes your expertise incredibly easy for AI to find, understand, and recommend.
The best part? FAQs also improve user experience on your site. Potential clients get quick answers to common questions, which builds trust and moves them closer to contacting your firm.
Building Authority Across Platforms
GEO isn’t just about on-site optimization. It’s about building consistent authority wherever AI platforms look for information. That means ensuring your firm is mentioned in reputable industry publications, that your attorneys or CPAs are contributing expert commentary, and that your brand appears in contexts that signal expertise and trustworthiness.
We combine traditional link-building with broader brand visibility strategies. Press mentions, speaking engagements, published articles, industry awards—these all contribute to AI platforms recognizing your firm as an authoritative source.
The Bottom Line
The future of search isn’t either/or. It’s both/and. Your law firm or accounting practice needs robust traditional SEO to maintain visibility in search results. But you also need GEO strategies—structured content, comprehensive schema markup, strategic FAQ sections, and broad authority signals—to ensure AI platforms recognize and cite your expertise.
When we build content strategies for professional services clients, we’re thinking about every touchpoint. Whether your potential client finds you through a Google search or asks an AI assistant for recommendations, your firm will be there, positioned as the trusted expert ready to help.
Because in 2025, being invisible to AI isn’t an option.