AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2026 — Local or Texas-only accounting firms held 59 of 200 top organic Google results across 20 fixed searches for accounting help in Texas, according to a new Markster study. The remaining 141 results belonged to directories, national and multi-state firms, software companies, chains, government bodies and professional organizations.
Directories and marketplaces alone held 60 positions, one more than all local or Texas-only firms combined. Yelp appeared in 16 of the 20 searches. No individual local or Texas-only accounting firm appeared in more than four.
In a separate analysis of 1,701 AI records covering 567 firms, directories, review sites and marketplaces were named 2,792 times, compared with 311 mentions of firms’ own websites. The AI analysis began after each firm was named and did not test which firm an AI service would recommend.
BrightLocal reported in July that 23% of consumers used AI during their most recent search for a local business and 31% use it for local recommendations at least monthly. Among consumers already using AI for local searches, 18% were ready to contact an AI-recommended business without checking another source.
"Texas firms do the work, but local firms appeared in only three of every ten top Google results we measured," said Ivan Ivanka, founder and CEO of Markster. "Directories and national brands occupied most of the rest. In the separate AI analysis, directories, review sites and marketplaces were named almost nine times as often as firms’ own websites. A business can do excellent work and still not make the first online impression."
What the Google review measured
Markster reviewed a dated basket of 20 accepted, unbranded searches and classified every top organic result. Local or Texas-only firms held 29.5% of the 200 positions. Everyone else held 70.5%.
The complete count was 59 positions for local or Texas-only accounting firms, 45 for national or multi-state firms, 60 for directories and marketplaces, 20 for chains and software companies, and 16 for government, professional or nonprofit sources.
The result describes this fixed query basket, not every accounting search in Texas. Yelp's appearance in 16 searches is a dated observation. It does not measure traffic, leads, customer choices or revenue.
What the AI analysis measured
The AI analysis examined each firm after it had already been named. It used Markster's structured AI representation analysis workflow rather than direct consumer chat sessions. The Google and AI datasets measured different questions and were not combined.
The workflow recorded source names, not verified citations. The stored source objects did not provide citation URL fields. Some source names contained bare domain labels, but Markster did not treat a label as a verified citation or as proof of authorship, control or accuracy. A record could include more than one source category.
The findings come from a six-week research and validation program covering 567 firms, 1,701 AI records and 200 Google positions.
The study began with 724 candidate company domains from a commercial business database. Markster froze 569 firms for the Aug. 3 AI run and reports the 567 with three complete AI analysis records. The cohort was constructed and is not a census or probability sample of every Texas accounting firm.
The study did not measure consumer decisions, lost revenue or why a particular source appeared.
The complete study, method, query boundaries and corrections process are available at https://markster.ai/blog/what-ai-knows-about-texas-accountants.
Firms included in the study may request a private report showing their three firm-specific AI analysis records, Markster's separate independent verification, Google observations, conflicts and practical verification steps. Reports are matched to the firm and are not published.
Notes to editors
For this study, "local or Texas-only" means accounting firms operating only in Texas or locally within the measured market. National and multi-state firms were counted separately, including when they operated Texas offices.
The Google review used a dated, fixed search basket. The AI analysis began with a named firm and examined the source data recorded by Markster's workflow. It did not test which firm an AI service would recommend. The two datasets were analyzed separately.
About Markster
Markster builds and operates AI-powered revenue systems for B2B service companies, helping them coordinate fragmented sales and marketing work and build more predictable sales. The Austin-based company is backed by 500 Global.
Media contact
Ivan Ivanka Founder and CEO, Markster press@markster.ai +1 (737) 352-4058 Media materials: https://markster.ai/blog/what-ai-knows-about-texas-accountants#media