How an OHADA law firm can be cited by ChatGPT and Gemini

An executive asks ChatGPT: "What are the steps to set up an SARL in Cameroon?" or "Which firm for a CCJA arbitration in Douala?". The assistant composes an answer and sometimes cites its sources. Being among those sources means being recommended at the exact moment the need arises. That is what GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, is about.

What AI tools look for

Assistants rely on pages they judge reliable, precise and consistent with the rest of the web. They more readily quote a page that clearly answers a question than a generic homepage. They give weight to identifiable authors and verifiable references.

Step 1: publish answers, not brochures

List the questions clients ask in a first meeting. Each becomes a publication: "How long does it take to form an SARL?", "What to do about a tax reassessment?", "How does CCJA arbitration work?". Start with a two- or three-sentence answer, then expand with the applicable texts (OHADA Uniform Acts, General Tax Code) and examples free of confidential data.

Step 2: sign and date

Each publication carries a partner’s name, a link to their profile, and the publication and update dates. Law changes: a dated, updated analysis inspires more trust than a timeless text.

Step 3: mark up the firm and the partners

In the code, LegalService structured data describes the firm, Attorney or Person describes each partner, Article describes each publication with its author, and FAQPage structures frequent questions. These tags remove any ambiguity about who is speaking and about what.

Step 4: a consistent identity everywhere

Firm name, address, phone, partners’ names: identical on the website, the Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, bar directories and professional listings. AI tools cross-check these sources before citing.

Step 5: open access to AI crawlers

Check that your robots.txt doesn’t block GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot or Google-Extended. Add an llms.txt file at the root of the site: a plain-text summary of your practice areas, partners, key publications and contact details. Our GEO service sets all of this up.

Step 6: measure

Each month, ask the main assistants a set of questions related to your practice areas and city. Note whether the firm is cited, which page is used and what’s missing. Adjust the content accordingly.

What not to do

• Publish mass-generated texts that no lawyer has reviewed
• Copy other firms’ articles
• Promise results or compare the firm with others
• Hide the author or the date

For the Google side of the method, also read Law firm website: what builds trust (and what drives clients away). For a GEO audit of your firm, contact us via our contact page.