Mark Bealin
founded SearchLab and still runs it. He serves on the board of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Chicago chapter and has been an advocate for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls for years.

In 2017, our founder, Mark Bealin, quit his job and launched SearchLab out of Chicago with one client and a strong opinion. He had spent years watching local businesses pay agencies for monthly reports that made no sense, services that did not appear in revenue, and answers that mostly amounted to “just trust us.”
His thesis was the opposite: tell clients exactly what we are doing, show them the math, and teach them enough about local search that they could fire us if they wanted to.
Many years later, we are a 50+ person team headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. We have audited more than 3,000 local SEO accounts and analyzed more than 8,000 Google Business Profiles.
The thing we are most proud of is that the original principle still works: tell the truth, do the work, share what we learn, and the results compound.
We do not throw around “world-class” lightly. But if you have ever attended a search marketing conference, watched a Local SEO webinar, or Googled “why is my Google Business Profile not showing up,” there is a good chance someone from SearchLab helped you find the answer. Our team is made up of practitioners who write guides, teach courses, and speak at conferences around the world.
Here are a few of those fine folks:
We’ve been fortunate to receive recognition from some of the industry’s leading organizations. We’re grateful for the acknowledgment, but we’re even more proud of the long-term partnerships we’ve built with our clients.

2022
Microsoft Advertising Global Emerging Partner of the Year

2025
U.S. Agency Awards, Best Local SEO Campaign, 2025

2021 and 2025
U.S. Search Awards Winner, 2025 and 2021

2022 – 2026
Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies for FOUR YEARS, 2022 through 2026
2022
Named a top SEO agency in Chicago by BrightLocal, Clutch, Manifest, and Built in Chicago
We’re not interested in checking boxes or running the same playbook for every client. Here’s what working with SearchLab actually looks like.

You’re not paying us for impressions or keyword movements. You’re paying us to help you get more customers. So that’s what we measure. Calls, leads, booked appointments, and revenue are what matter most. When we send you a report, you’ll understand what happened and why, and you’ll be able to connect it to money coming in the door.

We’ve seen what happens when one person is expected to do everything. Important details get missed. That’s why we’ve built a team of specialists who focus on what they do best and are supported by the industry’s experts. Your Customer Success Manager stays aligned with your goals while Local SEO, PPC, Digital PR, and analytics experts work together to drive results.

Your customers aren’t just finding businesses through Google Search anymore. They’re discovering brands through Maps, reviews, local listings, paid ads, and AI-powered search experiences. This is where GEO and Local SEO come together to help you show up wherever your customers are looking, and not just in the blue links.

Hiring an agency shouldn’t feel like sending work into a black box.
From day one, you’ll have a dedicated team, a clear strategy, and regular communication so you always know what we’re working on, why it matters, and what comes next.
Because great marketing isn’t just about better SEO or PPC. It’s about having a partner you trust to help grow your business.
We hired SearchLab as our company’s digital marketing manager last year and the difference has been tremendous! The quality and quantity of our client leads is many times better since we changed to SeachLab. Brooklyn, our PPC Consultant, is doing a fabulous job keeping us informed on our results and looking after our interests. She’s been amazing!
We came to SearchLab looking for a strong partner to help us improve our GA4 results, and over the past two years, they’ve exceeded expectations. Their expertise has driven consistent rises in traffic, enhanced our website with high-level optimizations, and delivered a steady stream of blog content. We’re especially proud of the organized schedule and pace.
We’ve experienced exceptional results working with SearchLab Digital. At Palestine Toyota, we value clear communication and measurable outcomes, both of which they provide. Their team is reliable, delivers on their commitments, and ensures we maintain complete control over our data and analytics. We confidently endorse SearchLab Digital’s services.
Schedule a call with us, and we will answer whatever questions you have. No pitch deck. No high-pressure pricing conversation. Just an honest look at whether SearchLab is the right partner for what you are trying to do.
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We’re not a one-size-fits-all agency. Every strategy is built around your business goals, industry, and market. Our team combines deep expertise in SEO, Local SEO, PPC, and analytics with a commitment to transparency, accountability, and measurable results.
We work with businesses across a variety of industries, including automotive, legal, healthcare, home services, retail, and more multi-location brands. Our strategies are customized to the unique challenges and opportunities within each industry.
Yes. Local SEO is one of our core specialties. We help businesses improve visibility in local search results, optimize their Google Business Profiles, manage location data, and drive more calls, leads, and foot traffic from local customers.
Absolutely. We have extensive experience helping multi-location brands improve visibility across hundreds or even thousands of locations through scalable Local SEO and paid media strategies.
When you work with SearchLab, you gain a dedicated team of marketing experts who act as an extension of your business. We prioritize communication, collaboration, and transparency so you always know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how it’s impacting your results.
We focus on the metrics that matter most to your business, whether that’s leads, phone calls, sales opportunities, revenue, website traffic, or local visibility. Every strategy is tied to clear goals and measurable outcomes.
You’ll work with a team of specialists who are experts in their respective disciplines, including SEO, Local SEO, PPC, content, and analytics. You’ll have a dedicated point of contact to ensure projects stay on track and communication stays seamless.
We’re a great fit for businesses that want a strategic marketing partner focused on long-term growth. We typically work with established companies, multi-location brands, and organizations looking to improve visibility, generate more qualified leads, and achieve measurable business results.