Start with eligibility
Before writing anything new, check that your estate planning pages are indexed and that none carry a nosnippet directive or a tight max-snippet limit. Google lists those controls as ways to limit what it shows from a page in Search, and AI features are part of Search. Google also says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files, or special schema.org markup to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
Google describes AI Overviews and AI Mode as able to use query fan-out, running several related searches across subtopics to find supporting pages. A will page that also answers the next questions a reader would have, such as who signs and who serves as witness, gives those related searches more to match. We cover the general mechanics in how AI Overviews pick law firm pages.
Write the state's answer, not the national one
Estate questions have state-specific answers, and a national page often gets them wrong. In North Carolina, an attested written will must be attested by at least two competent witnesses under G.S. 31-3.3(a), and the clerk of superior court in each county serves as ex officio judge of probate under G.S. 28A-2-1. A page that says "go to probate court" or skips the witness rule hands an AI answer the wrong process. The North Carolina guide shows how that state's rules shape every page.
Google also says its systems give more weight to content with strong signals of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust on topics that affect a person's finances. Estate planning sits squarely there, so a page written or reviewed by the attorney, with sources named, is the version worth building.
How many witnesses does a will need in [state]?
[The number and who qualifies, in one or two sentences, with the statute cited.]
[What a self-proving affidavit adds, if your state uses one.] [When to call.]
Go deeper
The estate planning guide lists the pages these firms tend to need. For the questions that should drive those pages, see what estate planning clients bring to AI tools.