How a law firm gets mentioned in the answers ChatGPT gives in Hebrew

When a potential client asks ChatGPT "למי לפנות בעניין דיני עבודה בחיפה?" ("who should I turn to about employment law in Haifa?"), the answer mentions a few firms. The firms mentioned in answers like these are often firms that appear in the sources the engines cite, and that have content on their site, in Hebrew, that answers that exact question. For a law firm that means three things: appear in the sources the engines cite, write content phrased as a client's question rather than as a legal article, and make sure the firm's specialisation is spelled out explicitly: "דיני עבודה בחיפה" ("employment law in Haifa") and not "ליטיגציה אזרחית ומסחרית" ("civil and commercial litigation").

What clients actually ask

Not a general question about "a law firm". The questions are far more specific. These are example phrasings of discovery questions in the legal industry:

• "למי לפנות בעניין {התמחות} ב{עיר}?" ("who should I turn to about {practice area} in {city}?")
• "עו״ד ל{התמחות} ב{עיר}: למי כדאי לפנות?" ("{practice area} lawyer in {city}: who is worth turning to?")
• "מחפש עורך דין ל{התמחות} ב{עיר}. למי לפנות?" ("looking for a {practice area} lawyer in {city}. Who should I turn to?")
• "אילו משרדים מטפלים ב{התמחות} ב{עיר}?" ("which firms handle {practice area} in {city}?")

Notice what recurs in all of them: a practice area and a city. Not "a good lawyer" but a lawyer for something, in a particular place. A firm whose site does not say those two things in explicit words makes it harder for the model to connect it to the question. Not because the firm is any less good, but because there is no text that makes the connection.

Four kinds of question, four kinds of page

The "who should I turn to" question is only one of several. The bank of questions we run in the legal industry covers several kinds, and a different page suits each one:

• What the client asks: Who should I turn to about {practice area} in {city}
• The page that answers it: A practice-area page with the city in its name and in its heading
• What the client asks: How do you choose a {practice area} lawyer
• The page that answers it: A choosing guide: what to ask at the first meeting
• What the client asks: How long does {procedure} take
• The page that answers it: A page that explains the stages of the procedure
• What the client asks: What is the difference between {route A} and {route B}
• The page that answers it: A factual comparison page

The second and third kinds are an opportunity many firms skip. A question like "כמה זמן לוקח הליך גירושין?" ("how long does a divorce take?") gets asked, and firms often do not answer it in writing. A page that answers it honestly, explaining the stages and what affects how long it takes, can help connect the firm to that question.

And yes, it is a question with no single answer, because every case is different. That may be one of the reasons fewer firms answer it.

Why big firms do not necessarily win here

This is a point that surprises many people, and it is good news for a mid-sized firm.

Reputation in the market and visibility in the answers are two different things. The model does not know who is well regarded; it knows which text connects a name to a need. A firm with a hundred lawyers whose site writes about every area of law is spread across twenty subjects. A boutique firm whose content is all about employment law is connected more strongly to a question about employment law, not because of size but because of focus.

In practice that means the opportunity is often a defined niche in a defined city, not "lawyers in Israel".

Three things that can help

1. Sources the engines cite. If the engines cite a source you do not appear in, it is often worth checking whether you can appear in that source, instead of trying to replace it.

2. Content on your site that answers a question. A page headed "פוטרתם בלי שימוע? מה החוק מחייב את המעסיק" ("Dismissed without a hearing? What the law requires of the employer") contains the words the question contains. A page headed "תחומי עיסוק" ("Practice areas") contains none of them.

3. A consistent name. "משרד פלוני ושות׳" (the Ploni & Co. firm), "פלוני ושות׳ עורכי דין" (Ploni & Co. Advocates), "Ploni & Co" and "משרד עו״ד פלוני" (the Ploni law office) can be four separate entities as far as a machine is concerned. Choosing one version and using it everywhere you control (your site, your Google Business Profile, email signatures, your profiles on external sites) is a relatively cheap action.

Sources the engines cite

The engines often lean on external sources, such as articles, guides and rankings in the industry. The general advice: appear in the sources the engines cite in your industry. Nikar's report shows which sources were cited in the answers, when the engines cite sources.

Anything a firm publishes, including paid or participation-based listings, is subject to the Israel Bar Association (Advertising) Rules (Hebrew).

One thing worth knowing: Nikar's report shows which sources were cited in the answers, when the engines cite sources, separately from the firms that are mentioned. That way a ranking or a guide does not look like a competing firm in the report, and you can see the useful part: which sources the engines cite.

How to write a page an answer engine can quote

The difference, in two lines:

Does not answer: "המשרד מתמחה בליטיגציה אזרחית ומסחרית ומעניק ייצוג משפטי מקיף ללקוחות פרטיים ועסקיים." ("The firm specialises in civil and commercial litigation and provides comprehensive legal representation to private and business clients.")

Answers: "פוטרתם בלי שימוע? החוק מחייב את המעסיק לקיים שימוע לפני פיטורים, ולתת לכם הזדמנות אמיתית להשמיע את עמדתכם. הנה מה שכדאי לעשות ומתי כדאי לפנות לעורך דין." ("Dismissed without a hearing? The law requires the employer to hold a hearing before dismissal, and to give you a real opportunity to state your position. Here is what to do, and when it is worth turning to a lawyer.")

The second one contains the words the question contains, it answers before it sells, and a single sentence can be quoted from it that stands on its own. Those three are what turns a paragraph into something quotable.

How to know whether it worked

Measure before, measure after, and ask exactly the same questions.

Write five to ten questions a client would ask, without the firm's name, and note down who is mentioned (the full guide). Once you have appeared in a new source or published a page, ask those same questions again. Wording that changes between checks makes the comparison worthless.

Want to see who is mentioned in your industry today? The check is free: it runs up to 20 real questions in the legal industry, on one engine, and shows who else is mentioned in your field.

The check measures; it does not guarantee that you will appear in the answers, and it does not guarantee enquiries or clients.