State the situations your firm does not take on, the reason in plain terms (scope, specialization, minimums, location, or capacity), and where a reader in that situation might look instead. Use only criteria the firm actually applies, and keep the wording consistent with any disclosures it files, such as an adviser's Form ADV. A clear fit statement helps the right prospects recognize themselves and saves everyone else a call.
Most firm websites describe ideal clients in warm, wide terms and leave the exclusions for the first conversation. That feels safer, but it means the firm spends discovery calls saying no to people who could have learned the same thing from a paragraph, and it leaves good-fit prospects unsure whether they qualify.
This is a content-planning question for owners and marketing leads at financial, accounting and tax firms. It is not legal or compliance advice; the rules that apply depend on how your firm is registered or licensed, and some vary by state.
Why a clear "not a fit" section helps both sides
A prospect reading your site is trying to answer one question before anything else: is this firm for someone like me? A page that only describes the clients you enjoy working with answers half of it. A fit statement is not a rejection. It is information the prospect would otherwise have to get from a phone call, and many would rather not make that call just to find out.
It also sharpens the rest of the page. Once a firm writes down that it does not prepare multistate partnership returns, or that it only works with businesses that can share bank access, its description of who it does serve gets more specific almost on its own. The firm's niche pages can then carry the detail for each kind of client it serves well.
Which criteria belong on the page
Use criteria that describe the work and the firm's capacity, and that the firm applies consistently. The fictional examples below show the level of specificity; your own criteria have to come from the people who accept or decline engagements. Leave out any criterion the firm does not apply consistently, because a boundary enforced only when the calendar is full reads as policy on the page and becomes an awkward conversation when a prospect points to it.
| Criterion | Fictional example of a stated boundary | Who confirms it | Check it against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimums | Planning relationships start at a stated minimum annual fee | Owner | For advisers, the Form ADV brochure |
| Scope | No audit or review engagements; tax and bookkeeping only | Managing partner | Engagement letters and service pages |
| Client types | Individuals and owner-operated businesses, not nonprofits | Partners | For advisers, the types of clients in Form ADV |
| Complexity | No returns involving foreign entities | Tax lead | The firm's actual experience |
| Location | Clients only in states the adviser has reviewed with compliance | Compliance | State registrations |
| Timing | No new individual returns accepted after a stated date each season | Operations lead | The firm's capacity plan |
For investment advisers, Form ADV Part 2A already asks for some of this. Item 7 tells the adviser to "Describe the types of clients to whom you generally provide investment advice," and adds: "If you have any requirements for opening or maintaining an account, such as a minimum account size, disclose the requirements." A website fit statement that contradicts those disclosures creates a problem compliance has to untangle. Location matters too: the SEC's guide says an adviser in its small adviser category should "Register with each state where the adviser meets that state's threshold for number of clients in that state," so describe your geographic reach only after compliance has confirmed it.
Write the boundary without sounding dismissive
Tone carries as much weight as content here. "We are not the right firm if you need help with an IRS collection case; an enrolled agent, CPA, or attorney who handles representation would be a better fit" is useful. "We only work with serious clients" is not, because it tells the reader nothing about the work and sounds like a judgment about them.
Keep every criterion about the services, the complexity, the minimums, and the firm's capacity. Where you can, point the reader somewhere useful. A tax firm that does not take a certain kind of case might mention the IRS's directory, which the IRS says "can help you find preparers in your area who currently hold professional credentials recognized by the IRS, or who hold an annual filing season program record of completion."
The raw material is already in the firm's inbox. Before writing, ask the person who handles new inquiries, "Which prospects did we turn away last quarter, and what was the reason in one sentence?" The answers usually show whether the firm's real criteria match the ones it thinks it uses.
Placement matters as much as wording. Put the section where a prospect will see it before booking, such as near the end of the main service page, on the contact page, or both. A fit statement on a separate page nobody visits does not save anyone a call.
Keep the page consistent with the rest of the firm's record
A fit statement has to agree with everything else the firm publishes. For an SEC-registered adviser, the marketing rule bars advertisements that include information "that would reasonably be likely to cause an untrue or misleading implication or inference to be drawn concerning a material fact relating to the investment adviser." A homepage that says "we work with everyone" beside a brochure stating a minimum is a mismatch worth fixing before a reviewer finds it.
Attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents who practice before the IRS are subject to the bar in Circular 230 (31 CFR Part 10) on "a misleading or deceptive statement or claim" in any IRS matter. CPA firms answer to their state board, and the AICPA's licensure guide notes that "Each U.S. state and territory has its own board of accountancy." The practical check is the same everywhere: read the fit section beside the bios, service pages, fee page, and any filed disclosure, and fix whichever one is out of date. Check the shorter versions as well, since a directory profile or an ad that says "all clients welcome" can contradict a careful fit section. Bookkeeping firms can apply the same approach to their packages, as in explaining monthly bookkeeping service levels.
Fictional example: a planning firm in Minnesota
A fictional state-registered planning firm in Minnesota had a "Who we serve" page listing "families, professionals, and business owners." In practice, its two planners decline most prospects who need help with only a single retirement account, do not handle business succession planning, and take few clients outside the state.
The revision added a short "We may not be the right fit if" section with three plain statements, each matching what the planners actually do and what the firm's brochure says. The writer should not have to invent those boundaries, and in this case the planners drafted each line themselves in a ten-minute meeting. The section ends by explaining how to ask whether an unusual situation fits, so a borderline prospect still has a way in. The firm also moved its minimum fee statement from the fee page into the fit section, matching the wording in its brochure.
Hudson South's four steps fit this work in order. The Authority Asset gathers approved knowledge and evidence, such as engagement criteria and disclosure documents. Hudson Twenty-One records how the firm communicates across 21 dimensions, so even a "not a fit" line sounds like the firm. Market Intelligence researches what prospects ask, and AEO Creation turns those inputs into answer-first content. For the wider picture, see how to get your business found in AI search.
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- Form ADV Part 2: Uniform Requirements for the Investment Adviser Brochure and Brochure Supplements. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Read 2026-10-15.
- Investment Advisers. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Read 2026-10-15.
- 17 CFR 275.206(4)-1, Investment adviser marketing. eCFR, National Archives. Read 2026-10-15.
- 31 CFR 10.30, Solicitation. eCFR, National Archives. Read 2026-10-15.
- 31 CFR Part 10, Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service. eCFR, National Archives. Read 2026-10-15.
- CPA licensure requirements by state. This Way to CPA, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Read 2026-10-15.
- Choosing a tax professional. Internal Revenue Service. Read 2026-10-15.