macfarlanes.com — AI Site Grade

Analysis

Every page lacks JSON-LD structured data — a complete schema void across 165+ URLs

The site runs on Astro v4.16.19 hosted behind Cloudflare with a single User-agent: * Allow: / robots.txt that names zero AI bots. Every page fetched — homepage, /who-we-are/, /insights/, /insights/aifmd/, case studies, people directory — returned zero JSON-LD schema blocks of any type. No Organization, LegalService, WebSite, Article, FAQPage, Person, or BreadcrumbList schema exists anywhere on the domain. The AIFMD II hub page (/insights/aifmd/) contains a substantive FAQ section with 20+ questions and answers rendered as plain H2/H3 headings — a prime candidate for FAQPage markup — yet has none. The homepage uses og:type: event on every page, which is semantically incorrect for a law firm website.

Crawler Access

All 11 tested AI crawler UAs (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, anthropic-ai, Bytespider, Applebot-Extended, Perplexity-User) receive 200 OK with identical byte-size content (~299KB) as a browser — no UA-based blocking, no Cloudflare challenge, no WAF gating. The robots.txt imposes zero restrictions on any crawler. However, the /what-we-do/case-studies/ listing page and /our-people/ directory return under 70 words of visible text from a plain GET — they are JS-rendered shells that rely on client-side hydration (Astro islands) to populate content. AI crawlers that do not execute JavaScript will see essentially empty pages there.

Cold-Knowledge Gap

The LLM prior knows Macfarlanes as a "London-based law firm... boutique feel... ~100 partners... one of the few major London firms that has not merged." It mentions diversity scrutiny and private equity deals as recent signals. The actual site positions itself as a "pre-eminent law firm" with four pillars: Private Capital, Private Wealth, M&A, Disputes — plus a dedicated "Private Capital Solutions" microsite and a "Beyond Legal" unit (valuations, sector intelligence, financial modelling, accounting advisory, lawtech). None of the "Beyond Legal" services appear in the cold LLM knowledge. The site also prominently features the LIV Golf / PGA European Tour case study and an AIFMD II regulatory hub — neither surfaced in the model's prior.

Schema Posture

The complete absence of structured data is the single largest AI-visibility gap. A 165+ URL sitemap with rich practice-area pages, case studies, and insight articles has zero JSON-LD across the entire domain. The AIFMD II page alone contains a 20+ item FAQ section rendered as plain headings with no FAQPage schema. The homepage has no Organization schema (no logo, no social profiles, no address, no sameAs links). Individual lawyer profile pages (implied by /our-people/ directory) likely also lack Person schema. The og:type: event on every page is a metadata error that could confuse knowledge graph parsers.

External Signals

The cold LLM knowledge references diversity metric scrutiny and independence (no merger) as distinguishing facts — neither is addressed anywhere on the site's "Who we are" or "Responsible business" pages. The site mentions "responsible business" covering pro bono, mentoring, and sustainability but does not proactively address the diversity narrative that the LLM already associates with the brand. No /llms.txt exists (404). The sitemap at /sitemap.xml is a flat 165-URL sitemap (not an index), correctly referenced in robots.txt.

Findings

1. Complete absence of JSON-LD structured data on all pages High

   No JSON-LD schema of any type (Organization, LegalService, WebSite, Article, FAQPage, Person, BreadcrumbList) exists on any of the 165+ URLs. The homepage lacks Organization schema; the AIFMD II page has a 20+ item FAQ section without FAQPage markup.

   What to change: Add JSON-LD structured data across the site: Organization schema on the homepage, LegalService schema on practice area pages, Article schema on insights, FAQPage schema on the AIFMD II page, Person schema on lawyer profiles, and BreadcrumbList on all pages.

2. Key listing pages render as empty JS shells for AI crawlers High

   The case studies listing page and the people directory return under 70 words of visible text from a plain GET request. AI crawlers that do not execute JavaScript will see essentially empty content on these pages.

   What to change: Implement server-side rendering or static generation for listing pages so that content is available in the initial HTML response, or use dynamic rendering to serve pre-rendered content to AI crawlers.

3. Incorrect og:type 'event' used on every page Medium

   Every page on the site uses og:type: event, which is semantically incorrect for a law firm website. This could confuse knowledge graph parsers and social media platforms.

   What to change: Change the og:type to 'website' for general pages, 'article' for insights, and 'profile' for lawyer pages.

4. No /llms.txt file for LLM guidance Medium

   The site returns a 404 for /llms.txt, missing an opportunity to provide AI crawlers with a curated list of important pages and context.

   What to change: Create an /llms.txt file that lists key pages (practice areas, insights, case studies) and provides a brief description of the firm.

5. LLM prior lacks awareness of 'Beyond Legal' services and key case studies Medium

   The LLM prior does not mention Macfarlanes' 'Beyond Legal' unit (valuations, financial modelling, lawtech) or high-profile case studies like the LIV Golf / PGA European Tour appeal and the AIFMD II regulatory hub. These differentiators are not surfaced in AI-generated summaries.

   What to change: Ensure these differentiators are prominently featured with structured data and clear, crawlable content. Consider adding a dedicated page for 'Beyond Legal' with schema markup.

6. Site does not address known LLM diversity scrutiny narrative Medium

   The LLM prior associates Macfarlanes with diversity metric scrutiny, but the site's 'Who we are' and 'Responsible business' pages do not proactively address this narrative or provide diversity data.

   What to change: Add a dedicated diversity and inclusion page with transparent metrics and initiatives, and link it from the 'Who we are' section.

7. Robots.txt does not explicitly name any AI crawlers Low

   The robots.txt file has a single rule allowing all user agents, but does not explicitly name any AI crawlers (e.g., GPTBot, ClaudeBot). While not blocking them, this misses an opportunity to signal which crawlers are welcome and to manage crawl budget.

   What to change: Add explicit directives for AI crawlers (e.g., User-agent: GPTBot, Allow: /) to signal they are welcome and to prevent future accidental blocking.

8. Sitemap is a flat list, not a sitemap index Low

   The sitemap at /sitemap.xml contains 165 URLs directly, rather than using a sitemap index file. While functional, this is less scalable and may not be optimal for large sites.

   What to change: Consider splitting the sitemap into multiple files (e.g., by content type) and using a sitemap index file for better organization and crawl efficiency.

What's working

• All 11 tested AI crawlers receive 200 OK with full content — Every tested AI crawler (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, etc.) receives a 200 OK response with the same content as a browser, with no UA-based blocking or Cloudflare challenges.
• Robots.txt allows all crawlers with no restrictions — The robots.txt file has a single Allow: / rule for all user agents, imposing zero restrictions on any crawler.
• Sitemap correctly referenced in robots.txt — The sitemap at /sitemap.xml is correctly referenced in robots.txt, ensuring crawlers can discover all 165+ URLs.
• Fast server response with Cloudflare CDN — The site uses Cloudflare CDN, providing fast response times and good availability for all crawlers.
• Insight pages contain substantive, well-written content — Pages like the AIFMD II hub contain over 900 words of detailed regulatory analysis, providing valuable content for AI models to reference.
• High-profile LIV Golf case study available in full text — The case study on defending the PGA European Tour in LIV Golf disciplinary appeals is a 539-word detailed article, providing authoritative content that could be cited by AI models.
• Clear site structure with practice area pillars — The site is organized around four clear pillars (Private Capital, Private Wealth, M&A, Disputes) plus a dedicated Private Capital Solutions microsite, making it easy for crawlers to understand the firm's focus areas.
• No Cloudflare challenge or WAF gating for AI crawlers — AI crawlers are not subjected to Cloudflare challenges or WAF gating, ensuring uninterrupted access to content.