This page covers legal pricing only. For the wider market, see what AEO costs in 2026.
How much does AEO cost by type of law firm?
| Firm type | Published monthly range | What usually drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Solo and small civil practices | $2,500–$5,000 | One office, one or two practice areas, a small directory footprint |
| Mid-size personal injury and mass tort | $6,000–$9,000 | Heavy competition, several case types, content production every month |
| Multi-state firms | $10,000–$12,000+ | Many offices and attorneys, each with its own profiles and market |
The ranges are GTM 80/20's. It adds that an entry retainer of $2,500 to $4,000 typically covers monitoring and a directory audit, and that retainers above $5,000 generally add content production and active work on citations. So the jump from the first row to the second is mostly a jump from watching to doing.
What do legal marketing agencies publish?
Few legal agencies publish AEO prices. EWR Digital's comparison of SEO and AEO companies for law firms is the most useful list we found, because it gives a starting price for each agency it covers:
- Starting retainers on that list run from about $1,500 a month to $10,000 a month.
- EWR Digital lists its own retainers from $4,000 a month, with a four-month minimum: one month of setup and at least three of execution.
- One agency on the list is described as starting at $5,000 a month, with some clients paying more than $50,000.
Read that list for what it is. It is published by one of the agencies on it, and most of the prices are for SEO programs that include AEO work, not for AEO alone.
How does law firm AEO pricing compare with law firm SEO?
AEO is quoted higher at the bottom and about the same at the top.
| Law firm SEO | Law firm AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry point | $1,557 a month on average at local-market providers | $2,500 a month |
| Published plans | $2,500, $3,500 and $5,000 a month at one legal agency | $5,000–$9,000 flat retainers most common |
| Large firms | $5,000–$15,000 or more at agencies serving large firms | $10,000–$12,000 or more |
The SEO column uses Ahrefs' poll of 439 SEO providers, in which providers serving only local markets averaged $1,557 a month, Grow Law's published plans and EWR Digital's agency list. We go through those numbers in what law firm SEO costs in 2026. If you already pay for SEO, ask whether an AEO quote replaces that work or sits on top of it. AEO vs SEO cost covers how the two overlap.
What does AEO cost per signed case?
A monthly retainer means little until you turn it into cost per signed case. The arithmetic is simple, and you should run it with your own numbers.
Take a $6,000 retainer. If it produces three signed cases a month, each case cost $2,000. If it produces one, that case cost $6,000. Whether either number is good depends on your average fee.
Paid search gives a useful comparison. LocaliQ's 2026 search advertising benchmarks put legal search ads at $9.87 a click and $131.63 a lead, among the most expensive categories it tracks. If one lead in ten signs, that is about $1,300 per signed case before any management fee.
| Monthly retainer | 1 signed case | 2 signed cases | 4 signed cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | $3,000 each | $1,500 each | $750 each |
| $6,000 | $6,000 each | $3,000 each | $1,500 each |
| $9,000 | $9,000 each | $4,500 each | $2,250 each |
This table is arithmetic, not a forecast. Nobody can tell you in advance how many cases AI answers will send you. What you can do is measure it: ask every new client how they found you, and watch for website visits that arrive from ChatGPT and Perplexity. The AEO ROI calculator runs the same math with your case value and close rate.
Why does AEO cost more for law firms than for other local businesses?
- Every practice area is its own project. "Best car accident lawyer" and "estate planning attorney near me" get different answers from different sources. Each needs its own questions, pages and tracking.
- The sources are per attorney. AI leans on Avvo, Justia, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell and state bar listings. Each attorney has a profile on each one, and they all have to agree.
- Everything needs an ethics review. Content published in a firm's name falls under ABA Model Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and your state's version. Review takes time, and time is what a retainer pays for.
- Competition is heavy. Legal is among the most expensive categories in paid search. The same firms compete for the same two or three slots in an AI answer.
Which contract terms should a law firm check?
- Minimum term. Published terms range from month to month to a four-month minimum. Ninety days is a fair period to judge results. Twelve months is a term to question.
- Deliverable caps. The common flat retainer comes with a defined list. Get the numbers in writing: questions tracked, pages a month, profiles worked.
- Who owns the work. Pages, schema and directory logins should stay with the firm if you leave.
- Exclusivity. Ask whether the agency works for a competing firm in your market on the same questions.
- Approval. Nothing should be published in the firm's name without a lawyer's sign-off.
More on the work itself on our page for law firms, and on how the engines choose in how law firms get recommended by ChatGPT.
Law firm AEO pricing FAQ
Can an AEO agency guarantee a law firm will be recommended by ChatGPT?
Is AEO billed per practice area?
Should a law firm pay for AEO or Local Services Ads first?
What does ElytraCo charge law firms for AEO?
More on AEO pricing
- AEO pricing: What AEO costs across the market, from 15 published prices.
- Medical AEO pricing: Costs for practices, compliance review and budget reality.
- AEO vs SEO cost: The two services priced side by side.
- AEO ROI calculator: Break-even and return on your own numbers.
Sources
Every figure above was read from these pages on 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check the source before you rely on a number.
- GTM 80/20: AEO retainers for law firms by firm type. Page dated Nov 2026.
- EWR Digital: starting prices for legal SEO and AEO agencies. Page updated Sep 2026.
- Ahrefs: SEO pricing poll of 439 providers.
- Grow Law: published law firm SEO plans.
- LocaliQ: search advertising benchmarks by industry. Page updated Jun 2026.