2025 Am Law 200 Digital Visibility Report

Digital visibility is now a competitive differentiator, and top firms are underperforming where it counts.

This isn’t about SEO tactics or website aesthetics. It’s about revenue protection and competitive positioning. The research reveals that digital performance now functions like cybersecurity: invisible when it works, catastrophic when it fails. The complete analysis includes:

✓ Firm-by-firm performance benchmarks across all AmLaw 200

✓ Year-over-year trend analysis revealing which firms are pulling ahead

✓ ROI frameworks for building business cases around digital infrastructure

✓ KPIs designed for boardroom reporting

✓ Strategic roadmap for emerging trends (AI search, mobile-first indexing)

 

Mockup of a book titled The 2025 AmLaw 200 Digital Visibility Index exposes a widening digital performance gap that’s quietly reshaping competitive dynamics across the legal industry. The findings should concern any firm leadership focused on sustainable growth:

  • 72.4% of AmLaw firms lost backlinks year over year
  • 97% remain largely invisible to prospects searching by practice area rather than firm name
  • 30% of top-tier firms fail mobile performance standards while clients increasingly validate referrals on mobile devices
  • 35 firms regressed on Core Web Vitals precisely when Google raised performance standards

With online presence now directly impacting a law firm’s ability to attract, convert, and retain clients, digital visibility has become more than simply a marketing tool. As client behaviors shift toward mobile-first research and AI-assisted search, they’re putting greater trust in what they find (or don’t find) on a firm’s website than in its reputation alone.

Recognizing the shift, we developed the 9Sail Digital Visibility Score™ to assess how well law firms are positioned to meet modern expectations of speed, clarity, and search visibility.

This year’s study of Am Law 200 digital visibility performance examines each firm’s website through the lenses of technical health, SEO growth, and online authority to provide a clearer picture of digital competitiveness. Our findings offer law firm leaders actual benchmarks for success in online performance, and highlight what it will take to improve.

Helpful resources

Webinar Recap – 2025 State of the Industry

   In 2025, the legal industry found itself at…

Read More
What Is a Conversion in PPC? A Law Firm Guide to Tracking What Really Matters

Every law firm judges the success of their PPC campaign…

Read More
AI Search Optimization for IP Law Firms: Why Traditional SEO Won’t Be Enough in 2026

If your intellectual property firm isn’t optimized for modern AI…

Read More
5 SEO Tips for More Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to the people who find and visit…

Read More
Is Your Slow Website Costing You AI-Generated Client Referrals?

Picture this: It’s Tuesday afternoon, and somewhere in your city,…

Read More
Top Five Key Website Optimization Strategies for Your Law Firm

With hundreds of thousands of law firms in the United…

Read More
How to Plan and Create SEO-Optimized Content

Producing content for your law firm’s website is helpful in…

Read More
Multi-Practice Law Firm Digital Strategy: Avoiding the ‘Jack of All Trades’ Trap

Multi-practice firms are hemorrhaging high-value opportunities to specialty boutiques every…

Read More
Conversion Tracking and Optimization Checklist for Law Firms

Most firms invest in marketing without knowing what’s actually working. This checklist shows you how to track every lead, call, and consultation back to its source—so you can see which campaigns drive clients and which just drain budget.

Read More
Webinar Recap – Conversion Tracking for Optimized Spend

 Setting the Stage: Why Conversion Tracking Matters The core…

Read More

Discover the power of effective digital marketing.

Sign up to receive 9Sail’s exclusive content and tactical tips, focused on helping law firms grow.

9Sail takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to deliver communications you have requested of us. You can change your preferences at any time.