You heard it here first. On March 23, 2026, Google began testing a new feature called “Skip digging, start guided research”.
Depending on the type of search query, the new feature guides users through directories, community recommendations, user recommendations, etc. A query about “best sneakers” will present an overview of best running shoes, retailers, general shoes, and expert recommendations.
How This Affects Personal Injury Attorneys:
We performed several searches in a wide variety of cities to see exactly what Google would do for guided research. The results are below.
Directories and Rankings.
Google is often pulling up local “best lists”. This is really dumb because most of what they are pulling up is pay to play listings, such as Super Lawyers, FindLaw, or Justia. Additionally, Google frequently cites Yelp or local listings.
Screenshot of Louisville Personal Injury Attorneys “directories and rankings” feature:
Law Firm Profiles.
We saw this in a search for Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys. This section is called “Law Firm Profiles” and Google is looking at the age of a firm and settlement amounts, something ChatGPT is known to do. Kind of silly in my opinion.
Prominent Law Firms:
This feature pulls up larger firms with Billions recovered. Screenshot from Houston:
Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer:
In this section, attorney’s guides on how to choose a lawyer display. Hah!
Screenshot from Fort Lauderdale:
Top Ranked Firms:
We surfaced this section in Miami, and the only thing showing in this feature is BestLawFirms.com:
Client Reviews for Law Firms:
Also showing in Miami is this feature which (currently) appears to consistently pull from attorney’s own websites.. Odd.
Lawyer Referral Services:
We surfaced this in a few cities. Here is an example from San Francisco. The local Bar Association is consistently referenced.
Post Accident Checklists:
When we did a search for a bike accident lawyer in San Francisco, we were presented with this feature.
Community Recommendations:
We were able to surface this a few times, and in general, it’s reddit results. I was expecting to see Facebook group messages in here, but have yet to see any. Here’s a screenshot for NYC:
Takeaways:
Google has been promising more AI features in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), and they are delivering. If you think Google will let ChatGPT or others gain more than like 2% market share, you’re going to be disappointed, as Google is growing, not shrinking.
This feature may or may not roll out. It is a test. If it does roll out, only a small portion of people will utilize it. So, the sky is not falling.
For the firm who wants to be everywhere, here are some thoughts:
- Directory Listings. These currently show prominently in nearly all AI tools. They really do not drive much traffic or cases. But occasionally they may be cost effective. If you email me I can disclose our experience.
- Yelp. Yelp continues to grow in importance. Do not game Yelp.
- Reddit. I personally dislike reddit as a whole because it is an anonymous, spam filled, biased forum full of nutjobs. My opinion aside, I know some attorneys who show up well in reddit and it’s really not driving a ton of traffic. That said, if you can get recommended on reddit, you can show up in Google more frequently, as Google really likes reddit at the moment, especially since completing their content licensing deal.
- Content. Nearly all attorneys have accident guides, and articles on how to select an attorney. It may be time to revisit those, or create them if you haven’t.
- Settlements, client testimonials: These are good to have on your site, and should be constantly updated.
