Getting found and chosen as a notary's office: what is allowed and what works

How people choose a notary

Anyone who needs a notary is, in Austria and Germany alike, generally free to choose. There is no territorial protection, and fees are set by law, so there is no price comparison. The decision is therefore made on other criteria: proximity, accessibility, trust, recommendation and the impression of being in good hands.

• Recommendation by parties to the deal: When property is bought, the estate agent, developer or financing bank often suggests a notary. In Germany, under § 448 Abs. 2 BGB the buyer bears the notarisation costs unless agreed otherwise, and therefore often has a say.
• Recommendation by advisers: Lawyers and tax advisers recommend notaries with whom cooperation works well, for example for company formations or property transfers.
• Personal recommendation: family, neighbours, colleagues. People who have had a good experience talk about it.
• Own search: Anyone who doesn't ask around searches the official directory or Google, usually for “Notar” and the town.

Official directories: the first port of call

The chambers' official directories are neutral, complete and particularly trusted sources for search engines and AI assistants. In Austria, this is the Notariatsfinder of the Österreichische Notariatskammer, in Germany the Notarsuche of the Bundesnotarkammer on notar.de. Your entry is created with your appointment, but check whether contact details, website and other information are correct.

Be careful with private directories. In Germany, notaries may only appear in directories that are equally open to all notaries, and not in rankings. In Austria, the ban on comparative references and promotional self-praise applies (point 66 STR 2000). A business directory entry with name, address and phone number is unproblematic; a paid “premium spot” with a seal is not. More on this in the article Online directories for firms.

The Google profile: objective and complete

Anyone searching for “Notar” and the town first sees the map view with Google Business Profiles. A profile with purely objective information is allowed for notaries; in Germany, the Bundesnotarkammer has expressly confirmed this. Objective means: name, address, office hours, phone, website, the category “Notary”, photos of the entrance and rooms, accessibility information.

Reviews are the delicate part. You have to accept what third parties write of their own accord. In Germany, however, you may not encourage anyone to leave positive reviews, because that amounts to evaluative self-promotion. Review cards, QR codes at reception or follow-up emails are therefore ruled out. In Austria, actively soliciting reviews is hardly compatible with the ban on promotional self-praise; if in doubt, ask your chamber what is considered permissible there. If you reply to a review, maintain confidentiality under § 37 NO or § 18 BNotO: don't even confirm that the person was with you. How to set up the profile is shown in the article Google Business Profile for firms.

Referrals from banks, estate agents and law firms

Being recommended is allowed and, for many notaries, the most important route to new clients. The line is crossed where a recommendation turns into something given in return or into a dependency.

In practice: cultivate cooperation through quality, not agreements. A bank recommends a notary because land register matters are handled reliably, an estate agent because appointments come about quickly. If you discover praise of your office on a developer's website, ask in writing for objective wording and document it. How referrals work in other professions and where the differences lie is described in the article Referrals for firms.

Service quality as a legitimate lever

Since prices and advertising are ruled out as distinguishing features, what remains is what clients experience. That is not a disadvantage: it is exactly what people tell others about, and exactly what an informative website may show, as long as it describes facts instead of making value judgements.

Inform, don't advertise: talks, information evenings, articles

Public relations is expressly allowed for notaries as long as it informs. In Austria, point 64 STR 2000 mentions information through the media, talks and publications; in Germany, the guidelines allow information events in person and online. A talk on lasting powers of attorney at a senior centre, an information evening on buying a flat at the adult education centre or a webinar on founding a GmbH at a start-up initiative are classic examples.

• Tone: specialist information, not a sales event. At the end, no “book an appointment right away”, but contact details for questions.
• Articles: pieces in the municipal newsletter, regional media or on your own website have a lasting effect and are found; see Writing expert articles.
• Mailings: In Germany, you may only send brochures unsolicited to previous clients and with an objective reason. In Austria, email newsletters generally require prior consent under the Telecommunications Act.
• Social media: Specialist information on LinkedIn is possible in both countries. The Bundesnotarkammer considers Instagram typically unsuitable.

What is off limits

Many tools that are a matter of course for law firms or tax advisers are not, or only partly, available to notaries. The comparison sums up the most important ones.

How to build the website itself is described in the guide Website for notaries; how to be found on Google with objective content, in the article SEO for notaries. The details of the advertising rules are in the country editions for Austria and Germany.