Online Presence & AI Searchability Report
Tom Dunn, CPA
Dunn CPA Firm · St. Louis, MO · tomdunncpa.com
01
Executive Summary
Tom Dunn's firm has a well-structured website, strong local SEO signals, BBB A+ accreditation, and 8 consecutive Best in Business awards — all genuinely valuable credentials. However, AI systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) are trained and grounded on a different set of signals than classic SEO. The firm is under-optimized for AI recall: Tom's personal name is not distinctly associated with specific expertise in crawlable text, there is limited third-party content mentioning him by name, and the site lacks FAQ/structured content that AI models extract for question-answering. With targeted improvements, this score could realistically reach 80+ within 90 days.
AI Searchability
62
Moderate — improvable
Web Presence
74
Solid foundation
Content Depth
55
Thin for AI training
Social Signals
48
Underutilized
02
How AI Systems Currently See Tom Dunn
AI models and AI-powered search tools answer questions by recalling named entities with clear, repeated, crawlable associations. Here's how Tom shows up for the queries prospective clients are most likely to ask:
Strong
Tom Dunn accountant
Branded search returns the site and BBB profile immediately. Direct name lookups will find him. This is the strongest signal currently in place.
Strong
Enterprise Rent-A-Car VP Controller background
Resume page is detailed and crawlable. Fortune 250 background is a rare differentiator — a strong credibility anchor for AI recall that most local CPAs cannot match.
Partial
Who is a good CPA in St. Louis?
Site ranks well in search, but AI tools are unlikely to name Tom specifically — they list category pages and aggregator results, not individual practitioners, without structured Person signals.
Partial
Affordable small business CPA near me / St. Louis
Good keyword density on-site, but AI Overviews favor businesses with structured Q&A, review snippets, and schema markup — all currently absent.
Missing
What does Tom Dunn CPA specialize in?
No single authoritative paragraph on-site or off-site answers this directly. AI needs a clear "Tom Dunn is known for X" statement to build its knowledge association.
Missing
Best outsourced CFO in St. Louis
The firm offers this service but the page doesn't associate Tom's name directly with thought-leadership content on the topic — a major missed opportunity given his Fortune 250 CFO background.
03
What's Working Well
Exceptional credentials & awards
8 consecutive Best in Business awards from St. Louis Small Business Monthly. BBB A+ accreditation since 2014. These are strong, verifiable trust signals that AI training data picks up from the BBB's own indexed pages.
Remarkable professional background
VP Controller at Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Fortune 250, $6B revenue, 4,500 branches). Began career at Touche Ross (Big Eight). Passed CPA exam first sitting with average score of 90. This backstory is rare and exceptionally powerful as a differentiator.
Well-structured, crawlable website
Clear navigation, dedicated service pages, and a standalone resume page. Google indexes multiple pages for branded queries — the technical SEO foundation is solid.
Two physical locations
Craig Rd (Creve Coeur) and Crestwood — supports Google Business Profile signals across multiple St. Louis zip codes, broadening local AI search coverage.
Broad service and client coverage
Small businesses, midsized companies, nonprofits, startups, trusts, and individuals — creates extensive natural long-tail keyword surface area that AI can draw on.
Social profiles established
Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn (company page), and YouTube all exist. The infrastructure is in place — it just needs active content to generate indexable signals.
04
Gaps & Vulnerabilities
No structured data / schema markup
LocalBusiness, Person, and FAQ schema are absent from the site. Google's AI Overview generation and Knowledge Panel creation rely heavily on structured data to identify entities and facts.
No FAQ page or Q&A content
AI models extract Q&A pairs directly for featured snippets and conversational answers. Without FAQ content, Tom's site cannot feed ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews for the questions prospects are actually asking.
Thin third-party mentions of Tom personally
AI systems build "entity knowledge" from multiple independent sources. Beyond BBB and the firm's own website, Tom's name does not appear frequently in news outlets, professional directories, or editorial content.
No personal LinkedIn profile surfaced
LinkedIn profiles consistently rank #1–3 for professional name searches and are a primary AI training data source. A personal profile (vs. just the company page) is a significant gap for someone with Tom's credentials.
Blog / News section infrequently updated
Fresh content signals crawl priority to Google. AI training data favors sites that produce substantive, dated articles under a named author. The News & Tips section exists but needs consistent output.
Google review volume appears limited
Google Business Profile review count and recency directly influence AI-powered local search results. More verified Google reviews = significantly more AI visibility for local "near me" queries.
YouTube channel inactive
YouTube is Google-owned; videos surface in AI Overviews for "how to" and "what is" queries. The existing channel and video library provide a foundation — they just need active content expansion.
05
Prioritized Action Plan
| Priority | Action | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| High |
Add FAQ schema + dedicated FAQ page answering 10–15 questions prospective clients ask
Directly feeds Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity. Sample questions: "What's the difference between a CPA and an accountant?", "How much does a St. Louis CPA cost?", "When should I hire an outsourced CFO?"
|
Week 1–2 |
| High |
Implement LocalBusiness + Person + Review schema across the website
Schema markup is the #1 lever for Google Knowledge Panels and AI-cited facts. Person schema should explicitly name Tom Dunn, link his resume, credentials, and awards.
|
Week 1–3 |
| High |
Create and optimize Tom Dunn's personal LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn profiles rank in top results for professional name searches and are a primary AI training data source. Should prominently feature the Enterprise background, Touche Ross tenure, and CPA exam credentials.
|
Week 1 |
| High |
Launch a Google Review campaign — target 50+ reviews
Google Business Profile reviews directly influence AI-generated local recommendations. Proactively ask satisfied clients. Even 20–30 strong reviews measurably shifts AI output for local queries.
|
Month 1 |
| Medium |
Publish 1–2 thought-leadership blog posts per month under Tom's byline
AI models learn "Tom Dunn is an expert on X" from crawlable author bylines. Topics: small business tax planning, outsourced CFO value, IRS audit defense, nonprofit accounting tips.
|
Ongoing |
| Medium |
Reactivate YouTube channel — 1–2 short videos per month
Short explainer videos (2–5 min) indexed by Google massively boost AI Overview appearances. The existing infrastructure just needs consistent content.
|
Month 2 |
| Medium |
List on Clutch, Expertise.com, Thumbtack, and CPA directory sites
Third-party directories that independently mention "Tom Dunn" and link back create the multi-source entity signals AI systems use to confirm credibility.
|
Month 1–2 |
| Medium |
Pitch Tom as a source to St. Louis Business Journal and local media
Editorial mentions in credible publications are among the highest-value AI training signals. Even one or two quotes in a news article generates lasting AI recall and authority.
|
Month 2–3 |
| Low |
Weave "Tom Dunn" as a named expert throughout all service page copy
Most service pages currently omit Tom's name. Phrases like "Tom Dunn personally reviews every tax strategy" build named-entity associations in AI models.
|
Month 1 |
| Low |
Create a Crunchbase profile or Wikidata entry
These sources are heavily weighted in AI training data. A factual, well-sourced entry significantly increases the chance of being cited in AI-generated answers to professional queries.
|
Month 2 |
62
Current score
→
78–82
After high-priority actions
→
85+
After all actions complete