What SearchLab does

SearchLab Digital Inc. is a U.S. digital marketing agency founded in 2017 by Mark Bealin and headquartered in Glenview, Illinois (Chicago area) with a regional office in Dallas, Texas. The firm specializes in Local SEO and paid media (PPC) for businesses whose customers are geographically proximate — converting search visibility into calls, store visits, and qualified leads. Its core product set is organized around two pillars: Local SEO Services (with dedicated sub-products for Automotive Dealers, Multi-Location Brands, Home Services, Cannabis Dispensaries, and Personal Injury Law, plus Local SEO Consulting) and PPC Advertising (with Automotive PPC, Franchise PPC, and PPC Consulting). The firm reports a 50+ person team, Microsoft Advertising Global Emerging Partner of the Year recognition (2022), Google Premier Partner status (top 3% of U.S. Google Partner agencies), and five consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 (2022–2026).

The agency's commercial model is subscription/recurring management retainers for Local SEO and PPC, supplemented by project-based and hourly consulting engagements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Customer acquisition is sales-led: free SEO and PPC audits feed into a 30-minute discovery call, supported by an unusually deep content-marketing engine that publishes original research (3 industry-record Google Business Profile studies covering 2,260 auto dealers, 3,200 personal injury law firms, and 3,475 cannabis dispensaries), a YouTube series (Local Search Tuesdays), two podcasts (More Than You Can Chew, PPC Real Talk), a monthly webinar program, and an email newsletter. The team is led by Founder/CEO Mark Bealin, CSO Greg Gifford (a Google Business Profile Product Expert and Semrush Academy instructor), and COO Noah Weiner, with a broader executive bench covering business development, marketing, customer success, and business systems.

The firm's technical approach is differentiated by a custom (rather than template) methodology, daily human account monitoring, AI optimization integrated into Local SEO for AI-powered search experiences (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Gemini), and a market-exclusivity policy that prevents the agency from serving competing businesses in the same service area. Stated outcomes from named clients include 155% lead growth, 205% organic traffic growth, 68% organic lead growth, and a 26% reduction in cost per lead, with average client retention reported at 2.5 years. The company is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed outside equity investment.

Name

SearchLab

Legal name

SearchLab Digital Inc.

Website

https://searchlabdigital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SearchLab Digital is a U.S. Local SEO and PPC agency, founded in 2017 and headquartered near Chicago, that helps automotive dealers, multi-location brands, home services, cannabis dispensaries, and personal injury law firms convert search visibility into calls, store visits, and leads. Its recurring management model, proprietary GBP research, and AI-search optimization are sold through a sales-led discovery-call motion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local SEO & PPC Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) (BPAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise SEO (Large Sites, Governance, Workflow) (BPAFAJAF), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) Management (MPAAACAB)

Keywords

• Local SEO services
• PPC advertising management
• Google Business Profile optimization
• Multi-location SEO
• AI search optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Local SEO Management Services: Monthly management fees for customized Local SEO strategies including Google Business Profile optimization, website optimization, content creation, local link building, and reputation management. Pricing varies based on market, competition, and number of locations.
2. PPC Management Services: Monthly management fees for Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Meta advertising campaigns. Includes campaign strategy, keyword research, ad creation, landing page optimization, and ongoing human oversight. Clients own their ad accounts and data from day one.
3. Local SEO Consulting: Consulting engagements including one-time audits, ongoing retainers, team training, and agency support. Project-based or hourly pricing for teams that want to learn and improve their own Local SEO execution.
4. PPC Consulting: Expert guidance, strategic direction, and hands-on training for teams that want to improve PPC performance without handing management to an outside agency. Includes one-time audits, ongoing retainers, and team training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SearchLab is a Local SEO and PPC marketing agency that delivers monthly managed services for businesses to appear in local Google searches, the map pack, and AI-powered results. Its offerings are organized around two core service lines — Local SEO Services and PPC Advertising — with verticalized sub-products for automotive dealers, multi-location brands, home services contractors, and cannabis dispensaries, plus consulting and proprietary industry research studies.

Product overview

SearchLab is a Local SEO and PPC marketing agency offering a portfolio of specialized services organized around two core offerings: Local SEO Services and PPC Advertising. The Local SEO Services umbrella includes dedicated sub-products for automotive dealers, multi-location brands, home services contractors, and cannabis dispensaries, plus Local SEO Consulting for teams wanting to manage their own campaigns. The PPC Advertising suite includes Automotive PPC, Franchise PPC, and PPC Consulting alongside general local PPC management. Beyond client services, SearchLab produces proprietary industry research reports (GBP Studies for Automotive, Personal Injury, and Cannabis sectors) and maintains an Education Hub featuring webinars, the Local Search Tuesdays video series, and the More Than You Can Chew podcast. All offerings are delivered by specialist teams with AI optimization built into Local SEO strategy to help clients appear in both traditional search and AI-powered results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local SEO Services Comprehensive monthly Local SEO management service targeting Google's local algorithm to help businesses appear in local searches, map pack, and AI-powered results. Includes Google Business Profile optimization, website optimization, content creation, reviews management, local link building, and citations.
• Automotive SEO Specialized Local SEO for car dealerships including local search optimization, Fixed Ops SEO for service departments, customer-focused content creation, Google Business Profile management, and reputation management. Built around SearchLab's automotive GBP study data covering 2,260+ dealership profiles.
• Multi Location SEO SEO services for franchises, dealer groups, and multi-location brands requiring coordinated strategies across multiple markets. Includes site architecture planning, location page development, brand authority building, and Google Business Profile management for entire location networks.
• Home Services SEO SEO for plumbers, HVAC companies, electricians, contractors, roofers, landscapers, and restoration businesses. Addresses emergency search patterns, seasonal demand cycles, and hyperlocal service area targeting.
• Dispensary SEO Cannabis dispensary SEO navigating cannabis regulations and platform restrictions. Includes compliance-first strategy, local dominance focus, education-based content, and technical optimization for dispensary websites.
• Local SEO Consulting Consulting services for in-house teams that want to manage their own Local SEO. Includes one-time audits, ongoing retainers, team training, and agency support options.
• PPC Advertising Local PPC management across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Meta (Facebook/Instagram). Includes campaign strategy, keyword research, ad creation, landing page optimization, ongoing human oversight, and conversion tracking. Clients own their ad accounts and data from day one.
• Automotive PPC PPC services for car dealerships including Search Campaigns, Performance Max, Dynamic Inventory Ads, remarketing, and service campaigns. Features ongoing hands-on management and integration with dealer inventory and CRM systems.
• Franchise PPC Franchise PPC management coordinating campaigns across multiple markets while preventing locations from competing against each other. Includes territory management, brand compliance, multi-level reporting, and scalable campaign templates.
• PPC Consulting PPC consulting for teams wanting to run their own campaigns. Includes one-time audits, ongoing retainers, team training, and agency support with white-label options.

Quantifiable outcome

• 155% increase in new leads for Stivers Ford Montgomery
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Microsoft AdvertisingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022SearchLab was named Microsoft Advertising Global Emerging Partner of the Year in 2022, recognizing excellence in managing Microsoft Advertising campaigns across search, display, and other Microsoft properties.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sterling Sky: Sterling Sky is a Local SEO agency specializing in Google Business Profile optimization and multi-location local search, very comparable to SearchLab's core Local SEO offering and vertical studies approach.
• Local SEO Guide: Local SEO Guide is a dedicated local SEO agency publishing original research and serving multi-location brands, directly comparable in go-to-market, content-led lead generation, and service mix to SearchLab.
• RicketyRoo: RicketyRoo is a Local SEO agency focused on multi-location brands and franchise SEO, closely comparable to SearchLab's multi-location/franchise SEO practice and consulting offerings.
• HigherVisibility: HigherVisibility is a full-service SEO and PPC agency serving SMBs and mid-market clients, directly comparable to SearchLab in service mix (Local SEO + paid search) and consultative sales motion.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Thrive is a full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, and local marketing to SMB and mid-market clients, directly comparable to SearchLab in service breadth and target buyer.
• Ignite Visibility: Ignite Visibility is an award-winning SEO and paid media agency with comparable service offerings (Local SEO, PPC, content) and a similar mid-market to enterprise client base to SearchLab.
• Straight North: Straight North is an SEO and PPC agency serving mid-market B2B and local businesses, comparable in service mix and consultative, audit-led sales motion to SearchLab.
• Go Fish Digital: Go Fish Digital is an SEO and digital marketing agency with deep expertise in local search and reputation management, directly comparable to SearchLab's GBP and local SEO focus areas.

Broad incumbents

• WebFX: WebFX is a large, established digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, and local marketing at greater scale than SearchLab; broad incumbent in the same agency category with overlapping capabilities.
• Power Digital Marketing: Power Digital Marketing is a larger, PE-backed full-service digital marketing agency spanning SEO, paid media, and content — a broad incumbent with overlapping local search and PPC capabilities to SearchLab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SearchLabDigital
• Xx.com/SearchLabAgency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/searchlabdigital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SearchLab