Search online for tax advice today and you will find no shortage of confident answers.

Short videos. Threads. Carousels. People explaining complex tax decisions in seconds.

Yet when individuals or businesses actually need help, many still struggle to find a Chartered Accountant they trust. Most reach out only when deadlines force action.

This gap exists not because good Chartered Accountants are rare.
It exists because the way the internet surfaces professionals does not align with how the CA profession is regulated.

That mismatch is about to matter more than ever.

How the internet and ICAI regulations work very differently

Most online platforms are designed to reward persuasion.

They favour:

• Strong claims

• Clear calls to action

• Frequent posting

• Competitive positioning

Chartered Accountants operate under a professional framework governed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

ICAI ethical standards restrict:

• Advertising

• Solicitation

• Comparisons

• Inducements

• Promises of outcomes or guarantees

These rules exist to protect trust.
They are meant to ensure that high impact financial decisions are not driven by marketing.

The internet does not slow down for regulation. This is where the problem begins.

What is changing from April next year

ICAI has been actively updating and clarifying how its ethical standards apply in a digital first environment.

The revised Code of Ethics provisions related to online presence and marketing are expected to come into effect from April next year.

These changes do not relax restrictions. They clarify and tighten them.

The key direction is consistent across drafts and guidance.

Online presence is unavoidable.
Online promotion is not acceptable.

More responsibility is being placed on members to ensure that:

• Their websites remain informational, not promotional

• Their listings on platforms do not amount to indirect advertising

• Their digital presence does not rely on urgency, ranking, or inducement

In simple terms, discovery is allowed. Persuasion is not.

Why this makes discovery harder for good Chartered Accountants

Most capable CAs are careful by design.

They avoid:

• Outcome based claims

• Aggressive calls to action

• Visibility tactics that resemble advertising

As a result, they often appear less visible online than unregulated or loosely regulated actors.

This creates an unintended outcome.

Louder voices dominate search and social platforms.
Quieter and more compliant professionals remain harder to find.
Clients delay reaching out because they cannot easily distinguish trust from noise.

By the time contact happens, it is usually urgent.

Why directories are often misunderstood

Directories themselves are not the problem.

The problem is how most directories are structured.

Many rely on:

• Rankings or featured placements

• Paid visibility

• Comparative labels

• Lead selling mechanics

When discovery starts behaving like marketing, ethical boundaries blur.

This is why ICAI’s own CA Connect directory follows a very specific structure.

It is:

• Non commercial

• Non competitive

• Credential focused

• Neutral in tone and presentation

The intent is not to block discovery.
The intent is to model how professional discovery should work.

Why the months before April matter

As regulatory scrutiny increases, many Chartered Accountants will need to reassess their digital footprint.

Common questions are already emerging:

• Is my website compliant in tone and structure

• Are my online listings promotional without me realising it

• Am I visible in a way that builds trust or creates regulatory risk

Many existing websites and listings were built with growth in mind, not compliance.

Correcting this before enforcement tightens is easier than reacting later.

The narrow path forward for compliant discovery

There is a clear middle ground that is often missed.

Being discoverable without advertising.
Being visible without persuasion.
Being reachable without inducement.

This requires intentional design. Most platforms are not built for this.

Some Chartered Accountants are already preparing by:

• Establishing neutral discovery profiles

• Cleaning up non compliant listings

• Aligning their websites with ICAI expectations

• Using platforms that prioritise verification and restraint over promotion

The goal is not more marketing.
The goal is lower risk and better alignment.

A quiet shift is underway

The future of professional discovery for Chartered Accountants will not look like influencer marketing or lead marketplaces.

It will be slower.
More credential led.
More intentional.

Platforms and services that ignore this shift will struggle to remain relevant or compliant.

Those that respect it will quietly become infrastructure.