The verdict in three sentences
In London, a growing share of founders, families and finance directors preparing a move, a restructuring or the administration of a trust put their first questions to AI assistants like ChatGPT, before they ever look at a list of firms. An international tax and fiduciary firm gets named when its public information is consistent, factual and echoed by third parties, and goes missing when its website offers little beyond general lines about excellence and discretion. The work should be judged as a measurable investment: a dated record of the answers to the same questions, before and after, on a still young market budget of roughly £3,000 to £9,000 for a diagnostic in 2026.
What your future clients already ask AI assistants
The questions are precise, asked in English and in French, and they blend tax, timing and the choice of an adviser. Here are realistic examples for London in 2026.
| Question put to an AI assistant like ChatGPT | Likely profile | What the answer needs to find about you |
|---|---|---|
| How does the new residence-based regime work for someone moving to London in 2026? | Relocating executive | A dated page on arriving in the UK, with no promised outcome |
| Which London firms handle trust administration for Franco-British families? | International family | Services, jurisdictions covered, named partners |
| Who can help with transfer pricing documentation for a UK subsidiary? | Group finance director | A dedicated page, team, sectors |
| What CRS or FATCA obligations apply to a structure held from France and London? | Family office | A dated insight piece, secure contact |
| What is the difference between a fiduciary firm and a tax law firm in London? | Founder choosing an adviser | Clear positioning, real professional memberships |
| What does annual trust administration cost in London? | Family, first contact | A range or an explanation of the cost drivers |
| Which firms support a move from the UK to Dubai or Switzerland? | Departing executive | Jurisdictions covered, local partners |
These read like ordinary searches, but the answer comes back as a short list of names. Missing from that list means the call never comes.
Why some firms appear and others do not
AI assistants like ChatGPT build their answers from what is publicly available and consistent. A few factors recur among the firms that get named:
- The same facts everywhere: name, address, partners, services and jurisdictions match across the website, professional directories and public profiles.
- Third-party mentions: commentary in the specialist press, recognised directories, conference appearances, publications of professional bodies you genuinely belong to.
- Factual pages per issue: one page per topic (relocation, substance, transfer pricing, trust administration, CRS and FATCA reporting) rather than a catch-all services page.
- Clean structured data describing the firm, its offices and its people.
- Freshness: UK tax changes often, and an undated piece on tax residence loses credibility quickly.
One point specific to your field: never publish content that presents planning as avoidance, and never promise an outcome. This is not legal advice. In the UK, marketing communications fall under the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the PECR rules on cookies and marketing email, overseen by the ICO, and any promotion of a financial product may fall within the FCA's remit. Trust and company service providers are also subject to anti-money laundering supervision: your site should present your authorisations and memberships exactly as held.
What the work covers and what it costs on the market
In broad terms, an AI visibility engagement covers a diagnostic of current answers, bringing your public information into line, rewriting or creating factual pages per issue, third-party mention work and periodic tracking. The market is still emerging: the ranges below are 2026 ballpark figures drawn from typical agency and consultant quotes, to be read with caution.
| Service | 2026 range in London (GBP, ballpark) | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic of AI answers on 30 to 50 questions | £3,000 to £9,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Bringing public information into line | £2,000 to £6,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Factual pages per issue (batch of 6 to 10) | £6,000 to £18,000 | 2 to 4 months |
| Monthly support (content, mentions, tracking) | £2,500 to £8,000 per month | 6 to 12 months |
| Quarterly record only | £1,000 to £3,000 per quarter | Ongoing |
At Kolonell this work is on quote, after a diagnostic. No honest provider can promise that an AI assistant will recommend you.
How to measure without fooling yourself
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The only reliable measure is a dated record: the same questions, asked the same way, at regular intervals, with the answers archived. It gives you three indicators: the share of answers that mention the firm, the accuracy of what is said (services, jurisdictions, partners) and the competitors named in your place. Add the inbound enquiries that say they found the firm through an AI assistant, captured in your contact form.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Thameside Fiduciary Partners, a fictional 18-person London firm focused on Franco-British families. The initial record on 40 questions shows a mention in 3 answers, and two of them place the firm in a Geneva office it has closed. Budget under review: a £6,000 diagnostic then 9 months of support at £4,000, so £6,000 + £36,000 = £42,000. If a new family mandate brings in £25,000 of annual fees on average (assumption), two mandates cover the spend (42,000 / 25,000 = 1.68). The first decision is to correct the wrong information, which costs little and protects the firm's reputation.
FAQ
Do fiduciary clients really use AI assistants to choose a firm?
Increasingly for the scouting phase: understanding a regime, getting a first list of 3 to 5 names, preparing a meeting. The final choice stays human, but it is often made among the firms already named.
What does an AI visibility diagnostic cost in London?
Roughly £3,000 to £9,000 in 2026 for 30 to 50 questions, depending on the number of services and languages (ballpark). At Kolonell it is on quote.
Can we be sure an AI assistant will recommend us?
No, no agency controls those answers. You can improve the consistency and clarity of what is public, then measure the change over 6 to 12 months.
Does this replace classic SEO?
No, the two overlap heavily: clear, dated, well-structured pages serve Google and AI assistants alike. Many firms put 20 to 40% of their visibility budget into this strand in 2026.
What if an AI assistant says something wrong about the firm?
Fix the public source first (website, directories, profiles), then check at the next record, often 1 to 3 months later. Archive every answer with its date.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what AI assistants like ChatGPT say about your firm today on your clients' questions, and what would need correcting. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
