1. Treat Beardstown and Cass County as separate geographic decisions
Beardstown is a municipality in Cass County, Illinois. Your firm may serve Beardstown, other parts of Cass County, or a broader area, but those are different geographic choices. A profile that covers a city is not automatically a sensible fit for every household or individual in the county. The Census population estimate is useful as location context only. It cannot tell you how many people search for a lawyer, which practice areas they need, whether other firms advertise, or how many inquiries an LSA program could produce. Local Services Ads should therefore begin with an explicit service-area review rather than a population-based forecast.
Recommended approach
List the communities your firm actually accepts matters from, identify any travel or eligibility limits, and decide whether Beardstown is the primary location or one part of a larger Cass County coverage plan. Review each proposed area against staffing, consultation availability, and the case types you want to evaluate.
