Your law firm’s first impression no longer happens on your website.

It happens before anyone ever clicks.

In this episode of Counsel Cast, host Karin Conroy sits down with Jason Barnard, widely known as The Brand SERP Guy, to unpack how Google, ChatGPT, and AI-powered search engines are already deciding who gets trusted, recommended, and hired.

Jason explains why most law firm marketing breaks long before the funnel begins, and how outdated, inconsistent, or under-optimized search results quietly erode trust before a prospect ever reaches your site.

This conversation goes beyond SEO tactics.

It’s about authority, organization, credibility, and teaching machines to understand your value, not assume it.

If AI is now the gatekeeper, this episode shows you how to make it your advocate.

📌 You’ll learn:

1. Why your website is no longer your primary first impression
2. What a Brand SERP really is, and why it matters more than rankings
3. How Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, Siri, and Meta all decide who belongs in the “who’s who”
4. Why Knowledge Panels are a critical KPI, even as traditional search fades
5. How AI assistants summarize your content long before a human sees it
6. Why external validation matters more than self-promotion
7. The Claim–Frame–Proof model for building algorithmic trust
8. How AI moves prospects through the funnel before they ever click
9. Why fewer website visits can actually mean higher-quality leads
10. The biggest mistake firms make, assuming machines “just get it”
11. Why organization today prepares you for AI agents tomorrow

💡 Featuring:

1. Karin and Jason unpack how Google, ChatGPT, and emerging AI search tools decide who belongs in the digital “who’s who,” why most firms are being quietly underestimated by algorithms, and how authority is built through organization, consistency, and third-party validation. They break down why AI doesn’t reward assumptions, how credibility must be made machine-readable, and why teaching algorithms who you are is now a foundational marketing responsibility.

Karin and Jason give listeners actionable tips on:

1. 0:00 Why your real first impression is Google, not your website
2. 2:00 What a SERP is, and why it defines brand trust
3. 5:00 Knowledge Panels as the “who’s who” of search
4. 8:00 How AI decides who gets recommended
5. 10:00 Why search is disappearing, but authority isn’t
6. 13:00 Teaching machines who you are and why you matter
7. 17:00 Claim, frame, prove, and why proof must live off-site
8. 21:00 Third-party validation and algorithmic credibility
9. 25:00 Blog content, AI summaries, and why traffic lies
10. 29:00 AI-built funnels and the “perfect click”
11. 33:00 The 95/5 rule and algorithmic memory
12. 37:00 Why organization beats optimization
13. 41:00 Preparing for AI agents before they arrive
14. 45:00 Book recommendation for SEO and AI strategy
15. 48:00 What to focus on now, before everyone else catches up

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. SEO in 2026 by David Bain

Connect with Jason:

1. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonmartinbarnard
2. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmbarnard/
3. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxnrBqNI4NKzqURO2aqClxA
4. Kalicube: https://kalicube.pro/
5. https://jasonbarnard.com/

Connect with me

1. Instagram
2. Pinterest
3. Facebook
4. Twitter
5. Karin on Twitter
6. Karin on LinkedIn
7. Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook
8. https://conroycreativecounsel.com