7.5
Average Google Position
First-Page Visibility
for important local search terms
26.7%
Google Local Pack Coverage
BEFORE
Paul Haglund & Co. found themselves competing in an increasingly crowded digital environment where national chains and larger firms often dominate traditional search results.
AFTER
By helping search engines understand exactly who they serve and where they serve them, the firm turned local expertise into digital authority.
For years, small accounting firms have been told they can't compete with national brands online.
The logic seems reasonable.
Large firms have bigger budgets, more resources, more content, and, generally, more visibility.
Yet local accounting has always had one advantage national competitors struggle to replicate: Local knowledge.
Paul Haglund & Co. didn't need to become bigger. They needed to become easier to find.
Because when someone is searching for a CPA, tax preparer, or accountant, proximity still matters. Community familiarity still matters. Local expertise still matters.
The challenge was making sure search engines—and increasingly AI platforms—could recognize those strengths.
Many local firms face a frustrating reality. They have strong client relationships. Excellent service. A solid reputation within their community.
Yet online visibility doesn't always reflect that.
Paul Haglund & Co. found themselves competing in an increasingly crowded digital environment where national chains and larger firms often dominate traditional search results.
The problem wasn't expertise, but search discoverability.
Prospective clients needed to be able to find the firm when searching for services in their area.
Search engines needed to clearly understand:
That's where localization became critical.
When our team evaluated the firm's online presence, we realized the solution wasn't simply creating more content.
It was creating the right content.
Localization isn't about stuffing city names into webpages.
It's about helping search engines understand the relationship between a firm, its services, and the community it serves.
For Paul Haglund & Co., that meant implementing a strategy focused on:
Together, these elements created stronger local authority signals for both traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms.
One of the most important realizations during the project was that local expertise itself is a niche.
Many firms think specialization only comes from industries, like healthcare, construction, real estate.
Yet community expertise can be just as valuable.
Paul Haglund & Co. wasn't trying to serve everyone everywhere. The firm was focused on serving people within its market exceptionally well. That clarity became part of the strategy.
Instead of competing broadly, the website reinforced the firm's relevance within the communities it serves.
The strategy focused on helping both search engines and AI systems answer one question: "Is this firm relevant for someone searching here?"
To accomplish that, the website incorporated:
These elements help modern search systems understand not only what a firm does, but where that expertise applies.
That's increasingly important because AI-powered search tools evaluate context differently than traditional search engines.
They look for:
Localization provides all four.
The results demonstrated the impact of that approach.
According to the Rank Tracker data, Paul Haglund & Co. achieved:
Those metrics represent more than rankings. They represent visibility in the places where prospective clients are actively making decisions.
The Google Local Pack often captures users who are ready to call, schedule an appointment, or take action immediately.
For local firms, those placements can be among the most valuable opportunities online.
As search continues evolving, local authority becomes increasingly valuable.
The firm appears where nearby clients are already searching.
Local Pack results often reach prospects closer to making a decision.
Consistent local signals reinforce the firm's position within its market.
AI tools increasingly rely on geographic relevance and structured content.
Local authority compounds over time, creating long-term visibility advantages.
Many firms assume SEO is about reaching everyone.
Increasingly, it's about reaching the right people.
At CountingWorks PRO, we focus on helping firms create clear signals that search engines and AI systems can understand.
For Paul Haglund & Co., that meant embracing localization as a competitive advantage.
Not due to the fact that local marketing is new (it isn’t), but because local relevance is becoming more important than ever.
The firms that succeed aren't necessarily the firms with the largest budgets. They're often the firms that communicate their expertise and community connection most clearly.
The future of search isn't becoming less local.
In many ways, it's actually becoming more local. People still want accountants who understand their community. They still search for nearby professionals. They still trust firms that feel connected to where they live and work.
Paul Haglund & Co. didn't win by becoming bigger. They won, and continue to win, by becoming more visible.
By helping search engines understand exactly who they serve and where they serve them, the firm turned local expertise into digital authority.
Because in today's search environment, localization isn't a tactic. It's a competitive advantage.
That's the story behind the firm.
Start with your Future-Ready Firm Blueprint and see where your story is clear, where it may be holding your firm back, and where stronger visibility could help more clients find you.