The verdict in three sentences
An international arbitration and corporate law firm in Frankfurt is chosen by general counsel, boards and sometimes states, on partner reputation, experience with seats and institutions, languages and sector. SEO mostly supports verification: when a general counsel types a partner's name or energy arbitration Frankfurt, they must find precise pages in German and English. AEO/GEO matters at the shortlist stage, when the same general counsel asks AI assistants like ChatGPT which firms handle construction disputes under ICC rules from Germany: if your public information is thin or contradictory, a competitor is cited instead.
What each lever brings to an arbitration practice
| Criterion | SEO | AEO/GEO | What it means in Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage of the journey | Checking a name, finding a partner | Building the shortlist | Both stages occur in every counsel selection |
| Typical queries | Schiedsverfahren Anwalt Frankfurt, ICC arbitration counsel Germany | Which German firms have an investment arbitration practice? | Bilingual queries, often highly sector-specific |
| Time to effect | 4 to 9 months | 3 to 6 months for a visible change in a record | Longer if the site exists in one language only |
| 2026 ballpark | EUR 2,500 to 8,000 per month | EUR 2,000 to 7,000 per month | Combined diagnostic: EUR 3,000 to 8,000 |
| Metrics | Impressions, clicks, inbound enquiries | Share of answers citing the firm, accuracy, sources | Tracked separately by language |
| Risk | Generic expertise pages | Partners attributed to a former firm, practices misdescribed | High partner mobility between firms |
These ranges reflect typical quotes from German and London agencies specialising in business law firms. At Kolonell, this work is on quote.
How to split the budget in your situation
| Situation | SEO / AEO-GEO split | Focus for the first six months |
|---|---|---|
| Recent boutique founded by partners from a large firm | 70 / 30 | Partner and practice pages, consistent public profiles after the move |
| Established firm, well known to German general counsel | 40 / 60 | Accuracy of AI answers, third-party mentions in English |
| Investment arbitration practice (ICSID) | 50 / 50 | Factual pages on types of proceedings, with no confidential matter named |
| Sensitive content (public clients, BaFin-regulated sectors) | 60 / 40 | Internal sign-off on every piece of content, discretion on mandates |
| Budget under EUR 2,500 per month | 80 / 20 | Key bilingual pages and a quarterly AI record |
The regulatory constraint is real. German professional rules for lawyers (BRAO and BORA) limit advertising to objective information: no invented rankings, no unverifiable awards, no named matters without consent. The site must also carry an Impressum compliant with German law, now governed by the Digital Services Act (DDG), and comply with the GDPR and the BDSG; in Hesse, the supervisory authority is the state data protection commissioner. This is not legal advice.
Measuring without mixing up the two levers
SEO is measured in Search Console, with German and English versions tracked separately: impressions on practice queries, clicks to partner pages, then inbound enquiries by source. AEO/GEO is measured by a dated record: 25 to 40 general counsel questions, in German and English, asked of AI assistants every month, with the answers archived. You track the share of answers citing the firm, the accuracy of the practices and institutions mentioned (ICC, LCIA, SIAC, DIS, ICSID as relevant), and the sources the assistant puts forward.
A diagnostic covers, in broad terms, both baselines, the quality of expertise pages, the consistency of partner profiles in professional directories and on institution websites, and the technical compliance of the site. Kolonell built, for example, the website of TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a signing services company in New Jersey: professional services demand the same factual rigour. No serious provider promises a ranking or a recommendation by an AI assistant.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Mainbrücke Partners, a six-partner Frankfurt firm, advises on construction and energy arbitration. Its baseline record covers 30 questions asked twice, so 60 answers: the firm appears in 4 of them, about 7%, and two answers still link a partner to their former firm. The firm spends EUR 5,000 a month on visibility, or EUR 60,000 a year, split 50 / 50 between SEO and AEO/GEO. If a single mid-sized arbitration mandate worth EUR 150,000 in fees comes from a shortlist where the firm was cited, the annual spend is covered 2.5 times. The dated record and a How did you hear about us? question will show whether that happens.
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FAQ
Do general counsel really use AI assistants to choose counsel?
Increasingly to draw up a first list, rarely to decide. The final decision almost always goes through 2 or 3 meetings with the partners.
Do we need a site in German and English?
Yes for an arbitration firm in Frankfurt: a large share of searches and AI questions are in English. Expect 30 to 40% more content cost for the second language.
Can we cite our matters on the site?
Only with client consent and with respect for the confidentiality of the proceedings, often strict in arbitration. Describing 5 to 10 anonymised types of disputes is usually enough to show experience.
What does a diagnostic cost?
As a 2026 ballpark, EUR 3,000 to 8,000 depending on the number of practices and languages. It delivers a dated record and a list of priorities.
Do legal directories matter for AI assistants?
They are among the third-party sources assistants often draw on. Check at least once a year that your 3 or 4 main listings describe the same partners and practices as your site.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what Google and AI assistants like ChatGPT tell general counsel about your firm, in German and English. 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.
