Recognition is different from discovery

“What does [firm name] do?” tests a system’s description of a named business. “Which employment lawyer can help me review severance in Toronto?” tests discovery without supplying the answer. Keep these panels separate and do not count branded answers as evidence of new-client reach.

Record the search experience you actually tested

Save the exact question, date, product mode, location context and full response. Note whether web search and citations were observed. A response with no browsing evidence is not a website crawl report. Do not assume every chat uses live retrieval.

Inspect the answer and its sources

Record a firm mention separately from a citation to the firm’s domain. Check whether a linked page supports the statement about that firm. A directory citation can support a mention without a link to the firm website. Neither observation reveals the complete selection process.

Build a useful destination

A practice page should identify the clients served, matter types, jurisdiction, responsible lawyers and next consultation step. Connect it to genuine biographies and relevant publications. Correct stale information before adding more pages. Use a reviewer for substantive legal content.

Make access testable

Inspect public response codes, robots rules and rendering. OpenAI documents crawler controls for search separately from model training; check the current documentation before changing access settings. Allowing a crawler is an access decision, not a recommendation guarantee.

Retest without steering the result

Freeze an unbranded panel and its paraphrases, repeat runs on multiple dates, and preserve misses. Start independent conversations under recorded conditions. Do not add “include our firm” or hidden instructions. Treat any movement as an observation until stronger evidence supports an explanation.

Sources and scope

Platform documentation supports the technical context. Our page plans and measurement protocol are proposed methods. They do not demonstrate customer results or reveal private ranking systems.

Google: AI features and your website OpenAI: crawler controls