Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics Surviving the Zero-Click Era: What Lawyers Must Know About SEO and AI, with Cyrus Shepard
Episode 591 of the Lawyerist Podcast explores one of the most urgent questions facing law firms today: how do you stay findable when Google and AI are rewriting the rules of search? SEO expert Cyrus Shepard explains how zero-click search, AI-generated answers, and new “experience” signals are transforming the way law firms must think about content, visibility, and online authority.
Cyrus and Stephanie discuss why informational blog posts no longer drive the traffic they once did, how to structure content so LLMs can “read” and reference it, and why brand signals now carry more weight than keywords. They also cover how to evaluate SEO vendors, what metrics matter in an AI-first world, and simple steps lawyers can take to establish trust and expertise online.
Links from the episode:
Listen to our previous episodes about Practical AI for Law.
- #562 – Beyond ChatGPT: The AI Revolution Happening Inside Your Firm, with Charreau Bell — Apple | Spotify | LTN
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Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & Scorecard
03:53 – Meet Cyrus Shepard
05:12 – How AI Is Changing Search
06:00 – Zero-Click & AI Overviews
07:26 – Why Old Content Tactics Fail
08:57 – Shifting Toward Brand Authority
10:09 – Writing Content LLMs Can Read
11:33 – Showing Experience with E-E-A-T
14:23 – Reddit, YouTube & Source Signals
15:51 – Where New Firms Should Start
17:18 – Brand Building as SEO Strategy
18:27 – Vetting SEO Agencies Today
20:40 – Metrics That Actually Matter
22:03 – Real-World Visibility Wins
22:21 – Wrap-Up & Where to Find Cyrus
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