Part of our practice-area guides. Business owners often ask AI before they ask a lawyer, and they ask in operational terms: forms, fees, deadlines, and who signs what.
The questions business law clients ask
- Should I form an LLC or a corporation?
- Where do I file to start an LLC in my state?
- Do I need an operating agreement if I am the only owner?
- How do I add or buy out a partner?
- What should a contract with a new vendor include?
- What do I need to do to sell my business?
Most of these are comparison and process questions, and a good answer depends on the state. We cover how firms earn those citations in how business law firms get cited by AI.
Why state detail decides citations
"File with the secretary of state" is the national answer, and it is not always right. In North Carolina, an LLC is formed by delivering executed articles of organization to the Secretary of State for filing under G.S. 57D-2-20(a). In Florida, articles of organization go to "the department" under section 605.0201(1), Florida Statutes, which section 605.0102 defines as the Department of State. In Virginia, the State Corporation Commission reviews LLC articles of organization and issues the certificate of organization under Va. Code 13.1-1011(D); section 13.1-1002 defines the Commission as the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.
A Virginia owner who reads a generic page will look for the wrong office. A page that names the correct one, and cites the statute, is the safer source for an assistant to quote. The Virginia guide and the North Carolina guide cover the advertising rules in each state.
Pages we build for business law firms
- Formation pages for your state that name the filing office and the governing statute
- Entity comparisons that explain the factors an owner weighs, without one-size answers
- Agreement explainers: operating agreements, shareholder agreements, buy-sell terms
- Transaction pages for the deals you handle, such as purchases and sales of small businesses
- Glossary entries for the terms owners look up before a first meeting
Business clients often compare several firms before calling, which makes GEO for law firms relevant: how assistants choose which sources to name in a single answer.
Advertising care points
Business pages tend to make comparison claims: faster formation, lower fees, better contracts. North Carolina Rule 7.1 treats a comparison with other lawyers' services as misleading unless it can be factually substantiated. Check your own state's version of the rule, and keep fee and timing statements to your own terms, stated accurately.
Tax and securities content needs the same care. If a page touches tax treatment, say what it covers and where a reader needs individual advice, because an AI answer may quote the general point without the caveat. Firms that also handle workplace matters should keep those questions on their employment law pages, where the rules are different.
Common questions
Should a business law firm publish state filing fees?
Only if you keep them current. Fees change, and a stale figure quoted by an assistant reflects on your firm. Linking to the filing office's own fee page is usually the better choice.
What should a business law firm publish first?
A formation page for your state that names the filing office and statute, and an entity comparison that explains the choice. Those two pages answer the questions most owners ask before calling.
Keep reading
Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-2-20, Formation
- Florida Statutes 605.0201, Formation of limited liability company; articles of organization (2026)
- Florida Statutes 605.0102, Definitions (2026)
- Code of Virginia 13.1-1011, Articles of organization
- Code of Virginia 13.1-1002, Definitions
- North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.1