At first glance the title of this post might sound like a playful trick-or-treat question, the kind you might hear your children rehearsing for next month, but this subject is actually becoming increasingly important for law firms to be able to generate enquiries effectively online.
As noted in our recent blog posts “In the next 5 years people won’t visit your website” and “Why your law firm needs a GEO audit”, clients are starting to use AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity to find, compare and even instruct firms.
That shift raises an important question we hear often (and, indeed, there is a great amount of debate on LinkedIn about the terminology here) : is GEO really different from SEO?
GEO vs SEO: the key distinction
- SEO helps your firm rank in search results on Google and Bing
- GEO helps your firm get selected and cited inside AI-generated answers
Traditional SEO focuses on rankings, keywords, backlinks, technical health and user experience. GEO builds on those foundations but adds new layers designed for AI: citation readiness, direct answers, schema, EEAT signals, knowledge graph clarity and competitive differentiation.
Why GEO is an evolution, not a replacement
GEO is not here to replace SEO. It is a specialist sub-set skill that has emerged because AI search engines work differently. In practice, the two disciplines work together:
- You still need fast, well-structured pages, authoritative content and a strong reputation
- GEO makes that content AI-readable and cite-ready so assistants can understand, trust and reference it
Why this matters now
Clients might still land on your website today, but AI is already mediating discovery. Firms that align content and structure to the six GEO dimensions, as discussed in our recent blog post [LINK], are seeing more visibility in AI Overviews and more qualified enquiries.
Bottom line: keep your website, strengthen your SEO, and add GEO so that AI systems can find, understand and cite your expertise.
Take action now
89% of websites are not yet prepared for AI search. Those who adapt early will lead. At MLT Digital, we are helping firms bridge the gap with our AI-First GEO audit, measuring your site against the six key dimensions and providing a clear action plan.
Book your free GEO readiness audit today and see how your firm appears to AI systems – and how to secure your future visibility.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
FAQs: GEO vs SEO for law firms
No. GEO builds on SEO. It is a specialised layer that prepares your content for AI assistants.
It prioritises citation-ready statements, direct answers, entity clarity, schema and authority signals that AI can verify and reference.
No. A modern, well-structured site (ideally WordPress) with clean HTML, legal-specific schema, FAQs and authoritative content is sufficient.
By tracking inclusion in AI Overviews, assistant citations, AI referral enquiries and improvements across the six GEO dimensions.
Marketing and BD teams, with support from fee earners for expertise and technical support for schema and site health.
Gavin Ward
Gavin Ward is Projects Director at MLT Digital, combining legal expertise and digital strategy to help law firms grow through innovation and AI-driven marketing.
