AI Overviews Are Changing Google Search: What Every Law Firm Needs to Know Now
- Julie Fisher
- May 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 25
Why Law Firms Are Losing Clicks and What You Can Do About It Now
If your law firm has recently seen a dip in website traffic or organic clicks, it may not be your content. It may be Google.
In 2024, Google quietly began rolling out a new feature called AI Overview, which now appears at the top of many search results. These AI-generated summaries pull data from various sources across the web, often before showing organic listings or paid ads. That means your website may not be the first thing potential clients see anymore.
This shift is reshaping how legal services are discovered online, and law firms must adapt.
What Is Google’s AI Overview?
Google’s AI Overview is a machine-generated answer box that appears at the top of the search results page. Instead of displaying the usual list of websites, it gives users a direct answer, often referencing LinkedIn profiles, directory listings, news articles, or blog content. This is especially common in service-based queries, like:
“Best personal injury lawyer near me”
“Law firm offering ERISA help in California”
“Fractional CMO law firm California”
The algorithm decides which sources to surface based on authority, consistency, and relevancy— not just website SEO.
Why AI Overviews Matter to Law Firms
Most law firm websites are optimized for traditional organic search. But AI Overview favors trusted sources and well-structured public profiles across platforms, including social media.
If your website is no longer getting the same traffic, this may be why.
Here is what this change means for your law firm:
LinkedIn and other social media profiles are no longer just for networking or showing people your community efforts. It is now a vital part of your online authority.
AI Overviews are influencing how prospective clients discover legal services.
Content across platforms matter, not just on your website.
Visibility is fragmented, so your brand must be present and aligned across directories, blogs, and social platforms.
SEO strategy must include social media optimization and off-site authority building.
A Real-World Example
This week, I searched “fractional CMO law firm California,” and was preparing to find out how my business’ new website SEO (search engine optimization) and SERP (search engine results page) was doing and would I show up any higher today. Instead, my LinkedIn profile appeared in the AI Overview AND it was above the website I’m actively optimizing.
This moment was eye-opening.
It proved that my presence on LinkedIn had been indexed and prioritized by Google over my new website. A social media page was relevant to Google’s AI program and showed up amongst other websites and articles on that keyword phrase.
Takeaway? For attorneys or law firms who have well-established sites but outdated or underused LinkedIn social media profiles, this could mean missed visibility, fewer clicks, and lost leads.
What Can Law Firms Do to Stay Visible?
Law firms cannot afford to rely on websites alone for search visibility in 2025. AI Overview is here, and it is affecting how potential clients find legal help.
Here are a few practical strategies to respond:
Update Your Social Media Profiles, Especially Your LinkedIn Profile
Make sure your headline, about section, services, and keywords align with what potential clients are searching for. Use terms like "California estate planning attorney" or "insurance litigation lawyer" in your profile summary. This applies to all social media platforms as well. LinkedIn just offers more fields and options for you to optimize your profile - both personal and business.
Align Your Brand Messaging Across Platforms
Your website, social media, Google Business Profile, and directory listings should all say the same thing. Consistency builds authority.
Invest in Attorney SEO Beyond Your Website
Use blogs, podcasts, guest articles, and partnerships to build backlinks and authority from trusted sites. This helps your entire digital presence perform better. Keep writing on topics that people are asking questions on. Talk to your intake team - what are people asking about when they call in? Take note in your consultations - what questions are potential clients asking you?
Don't keyword stuff your blogs or website pages! Topical authority is what Google's AI Overview cares about.
Get Professional Help
If you or your law firm’s internal marketing team is not tracking this shift or does not have the bandwidth to manage cross-platform SEO, consider partnering with a marketing professional who understands legal workflows and visibility trends - like me. At Fisher Marketing Services LLC, I include fractional CMO support, LinkedIn (and other social media) profile optimization for your firm and attorneys, SEO planning, and brand alignment across platforms. I can help you get organized and set up with a winning, actionable strategy.
Conclusion: The AI Shift Is Not Coming, It’s Already Here. Are You Addressing It?
If your law firm is not seeing the same click volume or quality leads from your website, Google’s AI Overview may be part of the reason. Visibility now comes from having a consistent, optimized presence across multiple platforms, not just from a strong website home age.
The rules of search are evolving, and traditional SEO is no longer enough on its own. Today, prospective clients are encountering your firm through LinkedIn, directory listings, knowledge panels, and AI-generated summaries before they ever visit your website. This shift requires a more holistic digital strategy—one that considers how every online touchpoint contributes to your authority and credibility.
Law firms that remain passive will find themselves increasingly invisible. Those that respond proactively by aligning their messaging, strengthening platform profiles, and investing in strategic SEO leadership will continue to grow, even as the search landscape changes.
I shared my real world example. My LinkedIn profile appeared in Google’s AI Overview for the search term "fractional CMO law firm California." Why? Because it is optimized, consistently updated, and aligned with what my target audience is searching for. I stay on top of platform changes and regularly post, share, and engage and that keeps my content active and relevant. I am building Topical Authority, are you?
Social media profiles are not things of the past. They are now critical to the present and future of your law firm’s visibility, revenue, and demand generation success.
Let’s talk! Book a call today and let me help you get your social media strategy focused and producing for your law firm!
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Julie Fisher lives in Beaumont and is the founder of Fisher Marketing Services LLC, a leading fractional CMO and marketing agency. Julie's agency focuses on law firm marketing leadership and related counseling, with a strong focus on marketing strategy and planning. She serves solo, small to mid-sized boutique law firms nationwide. Julie has over 30 years of B2B and B2C account management, business development, and marketing experience that includes over 7 years of in-house law firm marketing leadership. You can reach her at juliefisher@fisher-marketing.com or follow her on LinkedIn: Julie Fisher - Fractional law firm CMO.
