A Sydney family law firm wanted to appear in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews for their practice areas. Within 6 months, they were the first recommendation in ChatGPT for NSW family law searches.
Client Overview
A boutique Sydney family law firm with 6 partners wanted to reduce their dependence on referrals and Lawyer directory sites (which were increasingly expensive and delivering declining lead quality). They recognised that AI search was fundamentally changing how people find legal help and wanted to be positioned as the authority before their competitors even knew the opportunity existed.
The AI Search Opportunity in Legal
Legal is one of the highest-value categories for AI search recommendations. When someone asks ChatGPT “Who are the best family lawyers in Sydney?” — a single recommendation from an AI model can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in fees. The challenge: most law firm websites are not structured for AI citation.
Our AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) Strategy
Foundation: Structured Data & Entity Establishment
- Implemented comprehensive Schema markup: LegalService, Attorney, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList
- Created a detailed llms.txt file describing the firm’s practice areas, team credentials and service areas
- Built a Knowledge Panel through consistent NAP citations across 50+ Australian legal directories
- Established Wikipedia-style factual consistency across all digital mentions
Topical Authority Content Strategy
We created 45 pieces of content in 6 months across 5 topic clusters:
- NSW Family Law Fundamentals (12 articles)
- Property Settlement Guide (8 articles)
- Child Custody in NSW (10 articles)
- Divorce Process Australia (9 articles)
- Domestic Violence Legal Help NSW (6 articles)
Each article was structured to answer specific questions that ChatGPT users ask, with clear headings, factual answers and citations to legal sources.
Digital PR for Citation Authority
- 3 pieces placed in Australian legal publications (Lawyers Weekly, Law Society Journal)
- 2 expert commentary pieces in major Australian news outlets
- Partnership with 3 Sydney women’s refuges for backlinks and community authority
Results at 6 Months
- ChatGPT: Firm cited as #1 recommendation for “family lawyers Sydney NSW” in 7/10 test queries
- Google AI Overviews: Appearing in AI Overview for 23 target queries
- Perplexity AI: Cited as primary source for NSW family law questions in 15+ queries
- Organic Traffic: +312%
- Inbound Enquiries: +180% (from 22 to 62/month)
- Client LTV: Increased 40% as AI-sourced clients have higher case complexity
See our AI marketing services: AI Marketing Sydney · SEO Sydney
Industry: Legal Services | Location: Sydney, NSW | Channels: AEO + SEO | Result: #1 ChatGPT result for NSW family law