We are ONWARD. Straightforward, savvy, search advisors.
Meet the founders
ONWARD was founded in 2016 by Chris Corak and Rebekah Baggs to help organizations navigate a changing search landscape with clarity.
We work at the intersection of search, content, and systems—grounded in the belief that visibility only matters if it leads to understanding and action. Our approach is human-centered, practical, and designed to scale, helping teams make confident decisions as AI reshapes how content is created, interpreted, and trusted.
Our firm is intentionally small and senior. And we work closely with teams, and their vendors, as collaborators, designing work that’s durable, maintainable, and built to adapt as technology changes.
The values that guide how we design systems, make decisions, and help teams navigate change
01. Human understanding is the foundation of good work
We start with people—their needs, motivations, constraints, and search intent—before tools, tactics, or trends. Real business wins come from making complex systems understandable and putting people first.
02. Relationships over everything else
The best work comes from strong relationships—built on trust, transparency, and mutual respect. At the end of the day, it’s the work we do with people for the people they serve that matters.
03. No bullshit
We believe the most meaningful growth comes from doing things the right way—no shortcuts—these gains compound over time and can’t be gamed.
04. Stewardship of content, systems, and trust
Content and systems don’t just perform—they influence and get reused in ways we can’t always predict. We design for accuracy, durability, and trust, stewarding what’s been entrusted to us with care for scalability, maintainability, and the people on both sides of search.
05. Adaptability as a core competency
Search will keep changing. So will technology. We value work—and ways of thinking—that are designed to evolve without breaking.