Category: AI Marketing

Is ChatGPT Sending Visitors to Your Law Firm? Here’s How to Increase Your Chances of Being Found by AI

Key Takeaway

AI search is no longer something that’s coming in the future…it’s already sending visitors to websites today. If your law firm consistently answers client questions, publishes educational content across multiple platforms, and writes in a way that’s easy for people to understand, you’ll also be creating the type of content AI systems are increasingly recommending. The firms that embrace these fundamentals now will likely have an advantage as AI search continues to grow.

Something New Just Appeared in Google Analytics

A year ago, if you opened your Google Analytics reports, you wouldn’t have seen traffic coming from ChatGPT.

Today, you might.

Google Analytics 4 is now beginning to show traffic from AI assistants like ChatGPT, and it’s one of the clearest signs yet that online search is changing.

 For years, businesses focused almost exclusively on ranking in Google.

Now, people are increasingly asking questions inside tools like:

  • ChatGPT
  • Grok
  • Google Gemini
  • Perplexity
  • And more…

They are asking AI instead of typing those same questions into a traditional search engine.

For law firms, that’s a significant shift.

It means your next client might discover your expertise before they ever perform a Google search.

And while the amount of AI traffic is still relatively small for many firms, the trend is moving in one direction.

Up.

AI Search Isn't Replacing Google…It's Expanding Search Capabilities

Whenever a new technology appears, people tend to assume it replaces the old one.

However, that usually isn’t what happens.

When smartphones became popular, computers didn’t disappear.

When social media became mainstream, websites didn’t disappear.

The same thing is happening with AI.

People still use Google and Bing…but now they’re also asking conversational questions inside AI assistants.

For example, instead of searching:

“Estate planning attorney Pittsburgh PA”

Someone may ask:

“I’m retiring next year. What should I know about updating my estate plan?”

That feels more natural and it’s how a human thinks.

So, this means AI has to decide which sources it trusts enough to reference when answering.

The obvious question becomes:

How does your law firm become one of those trusted sources?

Fortunately, the answer isn’t nearly as complicated as many people think.

Step One: Create Content That Answers Real Questions

The first thing AI systems are looking for is useful information.

That sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many law firm websites still focus almost entirely on talking about the firm instead of helping potential clients.

People want to know “What’s in it for me?” 

They don’t care as much about what school you went to or how many years you’ve been in business.

Think about the conversations you have every week.

Clients ask questions like:

  • Do I need a will or a trust?
  • How long does probate take?
  • What should I do after a car accident?
  • What happens after I’m arrested for a DUI?
  • How is child custody determined?

Those are exactly the kinds of questions people are asking AI tools.

If your website contains thoughtful, educational answers to those questions, you’ve already taken the biggest step toward becoming more discoverable.

This doesn’t mean writing hundreds of pages overnight.

Start small.

One new question answered each week becomes more than 50 pieces of evergreen content every year.  You can answer the question via video or a blog (or both!)

screenshot of law firm website answering an FAQ
The best AI-friendly content often starts with the questions you're already answering every day.

Step Two: Publish Your Expertise in More Than One Place

One of the biggest mistakes we see is firms putting all of their expertise in one location.

Usually their website.

That’s a missed opportunity…for multiple reasons.

Today, your content should live in multiple places.

One educational blog can become:

  • a YouTube video
  • a LinkedIn article
  • several LinkedIn posts
  • Facebook content
  • Google Business Profile updates
  • an email newsletter

Not because every platform is equally important.

But because every platform reinforces your authority.  It also helps your SEO.

AI systems evaluate information from many different sources.

The more consistently your expertise appears online, the stronger those authority signals become.

This is also why we’ve spent so much time on this blog talking about repurposing content instead of constantly creating new content.

The goal isn’t to work harder.

The goal is to get more value from work you’ve already done.

Step Three: Write Like You're Talking to a Client

This is probably the simplest improvement most attorneys can make.

Write for your clients.

Not other attorneys.

Legal writing serves an important purpose inside the legal profession.

Marketing content serves a different purpose.

Your goal is to educate.

That means using language your audience actually understands. 

No Legal Jargon Allowed!

Instead of writing:

“Pursuant to Pennsylvania statute…”

Try writing:

“Here’s what usually happens if…”

Simple.

Clear.

Direct.

Interestingly, this helps both people and AI systems understand your expertise.

Tools like the free Hemingway Editor (https://hemingwayapp.com) can even estimate the reading level of your content and suggest ways to make it easier to understand.

Many of the highest-performing educational articles online are written around an eighth-grade reading level—not because the audience isn’t intelligent, but because clarity improves comprehension.

Simple writing isn't 'dumbing it down'—it's making your expertise easier to understand.

Good Marketing and AI Optimization Are Becoming the Same Thing

One of the biggest misconceptions right now is that businesses need some secret strategy to “rank in ChatGPT.”

In reality, many of the same things that have always made good marketing also make good AI content.

Helpful.

Trustworthy.

Consistent.

Educational.

If your marketing is focused on genuinely answering client questions and demonstrating expertise, you’re already moving in the right direction.  This is a good thing, you don’t have to do double work!

The difference is that those efforts are now helping you in more places than just Google.

Why This Matters for the Future

Nobody knows exactly what search will look like five years from now.

But we do know this:

Consumer behavior continues to evolve.

People are finding businesses through:

  • Google
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • AI assistants
  • referrals
  • social media

The firms that consistently publish useful educational content are building visibility across all of those channels at the same time.

That’s a much more resilient strategy than relying on one platform alone.

The Bottom Line About AI Traffic

You don’t need to panic about AI.

You don’t need to rewrite your entire website.

And you certainly don’t need to chase every new technology that appears.

What you do need is a consistent system for publishing useful, trustworthy information that helps potential clients solve real problems.

That’s what AI systems are looking for.

And more importantly…

That’s exactly what your future clients are looking for too.

Want Help Creating AI-Friendly Content That Also Helps With SEO?

At IFTS, we help law firms turn the expertise they already have into educational content that works across:

  • Websites
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Google Business Profiles
  • AI search
  • Email marketing

without requiring attorneys to spend hours every week creating new material. Start ranking higher and getting found by the AI Assistants now!

Learn more about our Law Firm Kickstarter Kit here:

https://iftsdesign.com/kickstarter-kit

Why Not Just Hire a Marketing Person? A Law Firm Owner’s Guide to DIY, AI, In-House Marketing, and Agencies

Key Takeaway

If your law firm’s marketing isn’t producing the results you want, the solution isn’t automatically hiring a marketing employee, an agency, or using AI. The right answer depends on your biggest limitation: expertise, time, or consistency. Understanding that distinction can save your firm thousands of dollars and months of frustration.

One of the most common questions we hear from attorneys is:

“Why wouldn’t I just hire a marketing person?”

It’s a fair question.

And lately, it’s often followed by another one:

“Or couldn’t I just use AI to do all of this myself?”

The reality is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.

For some law firms, hiring an in-house marketing employee makes perfect sense. For others, an agency is the better fit. And for some firms, doing it yourself is the right starting point.

The key is understanding what problem you’re actually trying to solve.

Because hiring the wrong solution for the wrong problem can become expensive very quickly.

The Biggest Marketing Mistake Law Firms Make

Many firms start with a solution before identifying the problem.

For example, an attorney may think:

“We need to hire someone.”

But when you dig deeper, the issue might actually be:

  • A lack of time
  • A lack of expertise
  • A lack of consistency
  • A lack of strategy

Those are very different challenges.

And each one requires a different approach.

Before you decide whether to:

  • hire an employee
  • hire an agency
  • use freelancers
  • or rely on AI

You first need to identify what’s actually holding your marketing back.

So, what options do you have?

Option 1: Do It Yourself

Believe it or not, there has never been a better time to do your own marketing.

Today’s law firms have access to:

  • AI writing tools
  • Video creation tools
  • Social media platforms
  • Social media schedulers
  • Email marketing systems
  • Website builders
  • Multiple CRMs

Many of these tools are inexpensive or even free.

You can:

  • publish educational content
  • create videos
  • build an email list
  • optimize your Google Business Profile
  • and improve your visibility online

 

For firms just starting out, DIY marketing can be a great way to learn the fundamentals and save a few bucks.

However, the main challenge is that most attorneys are already busy practicing law.

Marketing often becomes:

  • next week
  • next month
  • after trial
  • after this busy season

And before you know it, six months have gone by.

DIY marketing isn’t usually limited by knowledge.

It’s usually limited by time.  

Which leads to the question…Can your firm afford to miss out on those potential leads while you are not marketing consistently?

Option 2: Can AI Just Do It For Me?

This is probably the fastest-growing question we hear today.

And honestly, AI is incredible.

We use it every day.

AI can help:

  • write first drafts
  • generate content ideas
  • repurpose blogs into videos
  • create social media posts
  • summarize webinars
  • improve efficiency

But AI is a tool.

Not a marketing department.

It still requires:

  • strategy
  • oversight
  • decision-making
  • and human expertise

As we discussed in our article, How Law Firms Can Use AI Ethically for Marketing, the best use of AI isn’t replacing expertise.

It’s scaling expertise.

In our opinion, AI should help attorneys communicate what they already know – not invent information for them.

For example, we often use AI to help turn:

  • blogs into video scripts
  • FAQs into LinkedIn posts
  • webinars into email campaigns

But someone still has to decide:

  • what content matters
  • who the audience is
  • what the goal is
  • and how success will be measured

AI can accelerate execution.

It cannot replace strategy.

Option 3: Hiring an In-House Marketing Person For Your Firm

Hiring someone internally sounds appealing.

And there are real advantages.

An in-house employee learns:

  • your firm
  • your clients
  • your processes
  • your culture

That familiarity can be valuable.

But here’s where many law firms run into trouble.

Modern marketing involves multiple disciplines:

  • SEO
  • Google Ads
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • email marketing
  • website optimization
  • analytics
  • AI systems
  • automation

Finding one person who excels at all of those areas is extremely difficult.

More often, firms hire a generalist.

Someone who may be good at:

  • social media
  • content creation
  • or email marketing

But may not have deep expertise in:

  • SEO
  • paid advertising
  • video strategy
  • conversion optimization

There’s also the cost.

A marketing employee earning a $60,000 salary often becomes $80,000-$100,000+ after accounting for:

  • payroll taxes
  • benefits
  • software
  • training
  • management time

And that’s still one person.

Option 4: Hiring a Marketing Agency

A good agency gives you something very different.

Instead of hiring one person, you’re effectively hiring a team.

That team may include:

  • SEO specialists
  • content creators
  • video editors
  • paid advertising experts
  • automation specialists
  • strategists

And often, the total investment is still less than the fully loaded cost of a marketing employee.

The key difference isn’t just execution.

It’s perspective.

A good agency isn’t simply creating content.

They’re helping identify:

  • what’s working
  • what’s not working
  • where opportunities exist
  • What’s trending in the marketplace
  • and what should happen next

That’s why we often tell attorneys:

Don’t compare an agency to an employee. Compare an agency to a team.

Those are very different things.

The Best Answer Is Often a Hybrid

Frequently, the right answer is a combination of solutions.

For example:

An in-house employee might:

  • coordinate content
  • communicate with attorneys
  • manage day-to-day tasks

While an agency handles:

  • SEO
  • advertising
  • video
  • automation
  • technical strategy

That model works well for many growing firms.

The goal isn’t choosing sides.

The goal is building a system.

How To Know What's Right For Your Firm

Here’s the framework we use:

If your biggest limitation is knowledge:

Hire expertise.

If your biggest limitation is time:

Hire execution.

If your biggest limitation is consistency:

Build systems.

Once you identify the real problem, the right solution becomes much easier to see.



Here Is The Bottom Line

The question isn’t:

“Should I hire an employee or an agency?”

The question is:

“What’s preventing my marketing from producing better results today?”

Because once you identify the actual bottleneck, the right structure usually becomes obvious.

For some firms, that’s DIY.

For some, it’s an in-house employee.

For others, it’s an agency.

And for many successful law firms, it’s a combination of all three.

The firms that grow most consistently aren’t necessarily the ones spending the most money. They’re the ones who understand their limitations and build systems that overcome them.

Want Help Figuring Out the Right Marketing Structure?

At IFTS, we help law firms determine whether they need:

  • strategy
  • execution
  • systems
  • or a combination of all three

If you’d like to see how we help firms create:

  • videos
  • blogs
  • SEO content
  • LinkedIn content
  • AI-powered marketing systems

take a look at our Law Firm Kickstarter Kit – https://iftsdesign.com/kickstarter-kit

The right answer isn’t always obvious – but making the wrong choice can be expensive. The good news is that once you identify your biggest limiter, the path forward becomes much clearer.

How Law Firms Can Use AI Ethically for Marketing (Without Getting Burned)

Key Takeaway

AI is not replacing attorneys—but it is helping law firms scale the content and expertise they already have more efficiently. When used ethically, AI can help firms repurpose approved blogs, FAQs, videos, and attorney insights into marketing assets that save time and improve consistency. The key is using AI to support human expertise—not replace it.

A few years ago, attorneys made headlines after submitting court filings that cited fake cases generated by AI. The judge was not amused. The attorneys were sanctioned, fined, and the story quickly spread across the legal industry. Reuters covered the situation here.

And honestly? 

That story is one of the reasons many attorneys hear the term “AI” and immediately think:

“Yeah…absolutely not.”

Which is understandable.

Because if AI is used carelessly, it definitely can create problems.

But here’s the thing: That wasn’t really an AI problem.

It was a how-you-use-it problem.

And I think that distinction is incredibly important for law firms right now.

AI Has Become a Buzzword (Which Is Part of the Problem)

At this point, it feels like every company on earth is talking about:

  • AI
  • ChatGPT
  • Gemini
  • Grok
  • Perplexity
  • Avatars
  • AI twins
  • automation

…and because of that, the conversation has become either:

  1. wildly overhyped
    or
  2. unnecessarily scary

But at a very basic level, most AI tools are really just systems designed to help process, organize, and repurpose information faster.

That’s it.

And from a marketing standpoint, that can be extremely useful for law firms.

Can Law Firms Use AI Ethically for Marketing?

Yes—but the key word is ethically.

There is a massive difference between:

  • using AI to help organize and distribute approved content
    and
  • blindly publishing AI-generated legal information without attorney oversight

The firms that are using AI successfully right now are typically using it as:

  • a time-saving tool
  • a content repurposing tool
  • or a consistency tool

Not as a replacement for actual legal expertise.

And honestly, that’s where I think a lot of the public conversation around AI gets off track.

AI should support human expertise—not replace it.

Where AI Actually Makes Sense for Law Firms

One of the biggest misconceptions right now is that AI is supposed to replace attorneys.

That’s NOT how we think law firms should use it at all.

In our opinion, the best use of AI for law firms is helping distribute and scale expertise the attorney already has.

For example, most firms already have a huge amount of valuable content sitting around:

  • blog posts
  • FAQs
  • webinar recordings
  • newsletters
  • consultation explanations
  • speaking engagements
  • intake conversations

The problem is not usually a lack of expertise.

The problem is that attorneys don’t have enough time to consistently turn all of that information into marketing assets.

That’s where AI becomes useful.

Practical Ways Law Firms Are Using AI Right Now

When used correctly, AI can help law firms:

  • turn blogs into video scripts
  • repurpose FAQs into social media posts
  • create YouTube descriptions
  • summarize webinar transcripts
  • generate email follow-up sequences
  • organize content ideas faster

And that time savings adds up quickly.

For example, instead of spending hours manually rewriting a blog into multiple pieces of content, AI can help your team create a first draft in minutes.

That does not mean the attorney should blindly publish everything AI generates.

It simply means the firm can move faster operationally.

And honestly, for many law firms, consistency is one of the biggest marketing challenges.

The Ethical Line Matters For Law Firms

This is the part that really matters.

There’s a massive difference between:

  • using AI to scale approved attorney messaging or existing content
    and
  • using AI to invent legal advice

Those are not the same thing.

At IFTS, the way we recommend using AI is actually very controlled.

For example, when we help firms create AI avatar videos or AI twins, we only allow the AI to say things the attorney has already said.

Usually, we start with:

  • existing blogs
  • approved FAQs
  • webinar recordings
  • previously recorded attorney content

Then we use AI to help repurpose that material into:

  • YouTube videos
  • social clips
  • educational content
  • follow-up sequences

The AI is not inventing legal opinions or creating legal strategy.

It’s helping the firm scale information the attorney has already approved.

That distinction is extremely important.

AI Avatars Are Probably Less “Fake” Than People Think

A lot of attorneys hear the term “AI avatar” and immediately picture some completely fake lawyer giving legal advice online.

That’s not what we recommend at all.

The reality is that modern AI avatar platforms like HeyGen are essentially content scaling tools.

An attorney can record once, and then the firm can create multiple educational videos from that approved content without constantly filming new material every week.

And honestly, that solves a very real operational problem.

Because most attorneys:

  • do not have time to film constantly
  • do not want to spend hours editing content
  • and are not trying to become full-time influencers

They’re trying to run a law firm.

The Real Advantage of AI: Consistency

In our experience, the biggest advantage AI gives law firms is not “magic.”

It’s consistency.

Most firms already know enough to create valuable content.

The challenge is:

  • creating it consistently
  • distributing it consistently
  • and staying visible consistently

AI helps reduce the operational bottleneck behind all of that.

For example:

  • one webinar can become multiple blog posts
  • one FAQ can become a short-form video
  • one long-form video can become weeks of social content

That kind of repurposing can dramatically increase the amount of visibility a law firm gets from content it has already created.

And visibility matters.

Because the firms that consistently show up are often the firms that stay top-of-mind when someone finally needs legal help.

You can see how we approach this in:

Where Law Firms Should Be Careful

Now, with all of that said, there are absolutely places where AI should not be used carelessly.

For example:

  • blindly publishing AI-written legal content
  • relying on AI legal research without verification
  • allowing AI to create information the attorney never reviewed
  • using AI-generated content without human oversight

That’s where firms can get themselves into trouble.

AI should support human expertise—not replace it.

And honestly, I think that’s the biggest takeaway here.

The firms that are going to benefit most from AI are not the firms trying to replace humans.

They’re the firms using AI to amplify human expertise more efficiently.

The Bottom Line When It Comes To AI

AI is not some magical replacement for attorneys.

But it is becoming an incredibly powerful tool for:

  • saving time
  • improving consistency
  • scaling approved messaging
  • and helping firms distribute their expertise more efficiently

And I think the firms that approach AI thoughtfully—and ethically—are going to have a major advantage over the next few years.

Not because AI replaces expertise.

But because it helps more people see it.

Want Help Implementing This Ethically?

At IFTS, we help law firms use video, AI, and content marketing systems to generate more visibility and more consultations—without creating more work for the attorneys themselves.

If you’d like to see how we’re implementing this for firms right now, you can check out our:  Law Firm Client Kickstarter Kit

We only work with one law firm per practice area per county, so availability is limited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Many law firms are using AI ethically to help repurpose approved content, organize marketing materials, create video scripts, and improve consistency. The key is ensuring attorneys review and approve the content before publishing.

AI avatars can be used ethically when they are based on approved attorney content and are not inventing legal advice. Many firms use AI avatars to scale educational marketing content without constantly filming new videos.

Law firms should avoid blindly publishing AI-generated legal content, relying on AI without attorney review, or using AI to create legal advice that was never approved by an attorney.

Yes. AI can help law firms turn blogs, FAQs, webinars, and recorded content into video scripts, social posts, email sequences, and other marketing materials much more efficiently.

No. The most effective use of AI in legal marketing is supporting and amplifying human expertise—not replacing it.

In many cases, the biggest advantage is consistency. AI helps firms create and distribute content more efficiently so they can stay visible without dramatically increasing workload.

This article is for general marketing education only and is not legal ethics advice. Law firms should review AI usage under their applicable bar rules and internal policies.