Stop Paying for AI Visibility Tracking. Here’s What Actually Matters.

Attorneys are wasting money on AI rank tracking visibility reports. Here’s why.

Rand Fishkin just published research that should make every attorney question their SEO vendor’s “AI optimization” pitch.

His team at SparkToro ran 2,961 identical prompts through ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI. The result? There’s less than a 1 in 100 chance you’ll get the same list of brand recommendations twice.

Let me be direct: if your SEO, GEO, AI SEO, ChatGPT Legal Wizard company is selling you “AI ranking reports” or promising to get you to “position #1 in ChatGPT,” they may be selling your snake oil.

Casey Meraz

Founder, Juris Digital

It’s the 2026 version of guaranteeing the #1 Google ranking. The early data shows it’s statistically impossible.

The numbers are brutal

Fishkin’s research found that even brands appearing in 97% of responses got ranked in wildly different positions. As he explains in his SparkToro analysis:

“There’s a <1 in 100 chance that ChatGPT or Google’s AI…will give you the same list of brands in any two responses.”Rand Fishkin, SparkToro

One cancer hospital showed up 69 out of 71 times, but was listed first only 25 times. The randomization is that severe.

For personal injury lawyers testing prompts like “best car accident attorney in Chicago,” you might see your firm in position 2 one minute and not appear at all the next. That’s not because your content got worse.

It’s because AI responses from models like ChatGPT and Claude are fundamentally inconsistent.

What attorneys are doing wrong

I’m seeing three expensive mistakes:

Mistake 1: Paying for position tracking

Law firms are spending thousands monthly on tools claiming to track their “AI rankings.” These reports are meaningless. You can’t optimize for a metric that changes every time someone runs the same prompt.

Mistake 2: Testing prompts like Google searches

Attorneys are running the same legal queries over and over, checking where they appear. You’re chasing a ghost.

Mistake 3: Believing vendors promising AI visibility guarantees

Any agency guaranteeing AI placement results is either lying or doesn’t understand the technology. The research proves consistency doesn’t exist.

Fishkin’s advice is clear on this point:

“Avoid any tool claiming ‘ranking position’ metrics. These are statistically meaningless.”Rand Fishkin, SparkToro

What you can’t control

Here’s what Rand’s research means for law firms: you cannot control whether you show up in AI responses. Even with perfect content, even with high visibility rates, the randomization means you won’t appear every time someone asks about your practice area.

A potential client in San Francisco asking “I was rear-ended and have back pain, do I need a lawyer?” might get your firm’s content cited. Or they might not. You can be the most authoritative personal injury resource in California and still get skipped because of how these systems work.

That’s the reality. Accept it now.

What actually matters

If AI matters to your practice (and for most attorneys, it will), here’s where to focus your energy:

1. Create content that answers real questions

Stop writing for algorithms. Write content that answers what potential clients actually ask. Use AI tools to understand the questions people are asking about your practice areas.

Even though you can’t guarantee you will show up in the same spot every time. You can still show up for searches if you create the right content.

At Juris Digital, We built an AI Search Tool specifically for this, because traditional keyword research misses the conversational queries people now use. PS: It will tell you which content you need to write/ refine on your site from your actual customers.

2. Accept you’ll get cited sometimes, not always

If ChatGPT or Claude references your content, that client might read your site, trust your expertise, and call your firm.

But you may not show up every time in the same spot. Your goal is to be cite-worthy when you do appear, not to chase consistent placement.

3. Consider ChatGPT ads when they launch

OpenAI is rolling out advertising soon. My prediction: this will be more controllable than organic AI visibility. When someone asks “Do I need a divorce lawyer in Austin?” and you’re running ads, you’ll show up.

That’s guaranteed placement, unlike hoping for organic citations. Read our article on ChatGPT Ads for Lawyers here.

4. Stop tracking AI / ChatGPT positions, period

Rand’s recommendation is clear: any tool claiming to track “ranking position” in AI is selling you bad data. If you must track something, visibility percentage across 60-100+ prompt runs might be valid, but only with transparent methodology. Most vendors won’t show you that.

The uncomfortable truth

You’re going to have to let go of control. The randomization is built into how these systems work.

Your content still matters. Your expertise still matters. Being the best answer to a legal question still matters. But obsessing over whether you’re position 1 or position 5 in ChatGPT?

That’s a waste of time and money.

What to do now

1. Audit your vendors – If anyone is charging you for AI ranking reports, ask them how they account for the inconsistency problem. If they can’t explain it, stop paying.
   
2. Shift your content strategy – Focus on answering the actual questions potential clients ask, not gaming AI placement.
   
3. Watch for ChatGPT ads – When OpenAI launches their ad platform, test it. Paid placement will matter more than organic visibility.
   
4. Use AI tools to research questions – Understand what people are actually asking about your practice areas. Traditional keyword research won’t capture conversational AI queries.

My prediction: within 6 months, half the “AI visibility optimization” vendors will quietly drop that service or rebrand it. The firms that win will be the ones who stopped chasing phantom rankings and started creating content worth citing.

The research is clear. The data doesn’t lie. It’s time to stop obsessing over metrics you can’t control and focus on what actually drives clients to your firm.

Read the full research: AI’s Are Highly Inconsistent When Recommending Brands or Products by Rand Fishkin at SparkToro

Casey Meraz Casey Meraz is an entrepreneur, SEO expert, investor, creator, husband, father, friend, and CEO of Juris Digital. Casey is a frequent speaker at industry events and the author of two books on digital marketing, including "Local Marketing for Personal Injury Lawyers" and “How to Perform the Ultimate Local SEO Audit”