Over the past year, it’s become clear that we’re in the middle of a fundamental shift in how people interact with searching for services online. For marketers and firms, this moment feels uncertain (and maybe a little stressful). 

At a practical level, the changes are less complicated than they might seem. It comes down to how different types of searches are being handled, what that means for your visibility, and where things like SEO and Google Ads still fit into the picture.

How AI Is Changing Search Behaviour

One of the most useful ways to think about AI search right now is to break it into two types of queries: discovery searches and high-intent searches.

For discovery searches like “can I sue for an injury”, “how much does a lawyer for a wrongful dismissal case cost”, or “what does an insurance denial lawyer do”, AI tends to create a no-click experience. It answers the question directly, often using (and discreetly linking to) content like yours without really sending people to your site.

CTRs (click through rates) are dramatically lower than what we’re used to seeing in traditional Google search, simply because users are getting what they need without having to leave their search results page. In the case of ChatGPT, Google sends significantly more traffic to websites than the LLM, with AI tools generating only a fraction of the clicks. Estimated click-through rates are roughly 96% lower, which reinforces the idea that these platforms are often answering questions without sending users anywhere.

At the same time, for high-intent searches like “where can I find a personal injury lawyer”, “is there a lawyer near me”, or “what are some law firms in Burnaby”, the behaviour looks very different. People still want to find and contact someone. In those cases, AI behaves much more like a search engine and points users toward actual firms.

Because of that, AI search isn’t something firms should ignore, but it also isn’t a completely different challenge. It carries the same level of importance that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has always had. It matters, and it requires attention, but in many ways the core approach remains the same.

What Still Works (for Both Google and AI)

Truly, the general rule is simple: if you’re doing a good job in Google’s eyes, you’re usually in a good spot with AI too.

Both are looking for trustworthy, helpful content. Things like solid service pages and straightforward explanations of what you do tend to carry over. That’s what gets picked up, whether it’s for rankings or for inclusion in AI-generated answers.

We do want discovery content to be pulled into AI systems so there’s at least a chance to capture some of those clicks that do come through when your content is being quoted. Even if the volume is lower, there’s still value in showing up.

At the same time, there’s a balance to strike. At a technical level, AI bots can be controlled through your website infrastructure, things like robots.txt rules, server settings, and firewall configurations can either block or allow different crawlers from accessing your content.

In most cases, fully blocking AI bots isn’t recommended, since it limits your chances of being included in AI-generated answers. But that doesn’t mean you should open the floodgates either. Allowing unrestricted access can lead to content being scraped or reused in ways that don’t benefit you, and increased bot activity can skew your analytics, making reporting less reliable.

The best approach is to be deliberate. Work with your marketing and website management team to understand what level of access makes sense based on your target markets and overall strategy.

Google’s Strategy 

It’s hard not to look at the current direction of Google and think about the so-called “enshitification” of the platform. As it evolves, there’s a growing sense that user experience is being traded for money… a tale as old as time.

As an aside – it’s also hard not to think that the gradual devaluation of Google will start to alienate its users. We’ve seen this pattern play out across plenty of tech platforms. The difference here is that strong brand loyalty will soften the impact. Still, it feels like a strategy that may deliver short-term gains at the expense of long-term trust, which rarely ends well.

In a number of webinars I’ve attended, a consistent point has come up: this shift toward AI-generated results could actually make advertising more effective again. And if there’s one thing Google has always done well, it’s finding ways to make money.

We’re already seeing that play out. Ads are starting to appear in ways that feel more natural and more “helpful”, often sitting alongside AI-generated answers. As that continues, the distinction between organic content and paid placement becomes less obvious.

That creates opportunity, especially for firms that are already investing in Google Ads.

What This Means for Law Firms

For service-based businesses, especially law firms, the impact is uneven.

High-intent searches are still likely to drive users directly to your website or at least to your contact information. That’s where most of the real business value comes from, and that behaviour hasn’t changed much.

The bigger shift is happening at the top of the funnel, where discovery searches are less likely to generate clicks. That doesn’t mean those searches no longer matter. They still matter because showing up in that space positions your firm as an authority on the subject. However, it does change how much traffic you can expect from them.

This is where a strong Google Ads strategy can help maintain visibility, particularly for those early-stage queries where organic clicks are becoming less reliable.

Monitoring Visibility in an AI-Driven World

Going forward, it’s less about chasing rankings and more about understanding where and how you’re actually showing up.

That means keeping an eye on things like:

• whether your content is being pulled into AI-generated answers
• how your high-intent keywords are performing in Google
• where paid placement is helping fill in the gaps

The fundamentals still apply. Create helpful content. Show up for the searches that matter. Use paid strategies where it makes sense.

If you’re trying to make sense of how this all applies to your firm, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to talk your ear off about this kind of thing.