Powered by Search Reviews: Fit, Strengths, and Trade-Offs

Powered by Search is one of the few B2B SaaS agencies that publishes its pricing publicly. For a category where almost every agency hides fees behind a discovery call, that transparency alone makes them worth understanding.

Founded in Toronto in 2009 by Dev Basu, PBS has spent 17 years working exclusively with SaaS companies across paid media, SEO, RevOps, and content. Their client roster includes Clio, Loopio, PointClickCare, and Cyera, and they report $100M+ in closed-won revenue across their client base.

The question worth asking before signing: when an agency covers seven service lines, where does paid media actually sit in the priority stack? This review covers what PBS offers, who they fit, two case studies from their portfolio, and where the trade-offs appear for B2B SaaS teams where paid is the primary growth lever.

There's a comparison with Hey Digital at the end for teams choosing between a full-funnel demand gen agency and a paid media specialist.

Quick Agency Snapshot

Powered by Search is a Toronto-based demand generation agency working exclusively with B2B SaaS companies. Their model connects paid media, SEO, content, and RevOps under a single engagement, anchored to their Predictable Growth™ methodology.

• HQ: Toronto, Canada (211 Yonge Street, Suite 400)

• Founded: 2009, by Dev Basu

• Team size: 21–30 employees

• Core focus: B2B SaaS demand generation — paid ads, SEO & LLM ranking, and fractional RevOps

• Typical engagement: Monthly retainer; 1-year commitment expected; 20% discount for quarterly billing

• Certifications: Google Partner, Meta Business Partner, Bing Ads Accredited Professional

• Notable clients: Clio, Loopio, TouchBistro, PointClickCare, Varonis, Fortra, Cyera, Elastic, SentinelOne, iWave

How We'll Break This Down

• What They Offer

• Who It's Built For

• Case Study Highlights

• Why Brands Work With Them

• Engagement and Pricing Model

• Side-by-Side: Powered by Search vs Hey Digital

• Final Take

What They Offer

Powered by Search's service model is built around what they call Predictable Growth™ — a framework that connects paid media, SEO, and RevOps into a unified demand generation function. The idea is that each service informs the others: paid campaigns feed keyword data into SEO strategy, SEO content fuels retargeting audiences, and RevOps closes the attribution loop between marketing activity and closed revenue.

Paid advertising. Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Meta Ads. Campaign strategy, execution, and ongoing optimization across search, display, and social. Creative design is included at the Scale Up and Enterprise tiers. PBS frames the approach as efficiency-first: identify and cut 20–40% of underperforming ad spend quickly, then scale what converts.

SEO & LLM ranking. Technical SEO, content production, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The AEO capability is a newer addition that sets PBS apart from most paid-focused agencies still treating SEO as a traditional keyword exercise.

Fractional RevOps. HubSpot setup and cleanup, lead scoring, marketing automation, CRM data enrichment, and BI integrations with Redshift, Looker, and dbt. This is the infrastructure layer: the work that makes attribution trustworthy before you try to measure it.

Demand generation strategy. Positioning, full-funnel content architecture, offer strategy, and analytics modeling. This functions as the connective tissue across the service lines rather than a standalone deliverable.

Content marketing and digital PR. Content production, link building, and digital PR campaigns built to drive authority and qualified organic pipeline.

SaaS web design. Conversion-focused site builds and landing pages, with an emphasis on revenue outcomes over aesthetics.

The breadth covers more ground than most agencies in this category. For SaaS teams that want paid, SEO, and RevOps coordinated under one contract rather than across three separate vendors, that scope is a genuine advantage.

Who It's Built For

Powered by Search fits B2B SaaS companies that want demand generation managed across multiple functions, with a team that can connect paid performance to CRM pipeline without a separate RevOps hire.

Best fit:

• B2B SaaS companies with $10M ARR or more looking to build a predictable pipeline engine across channels

• Teams with an in-house VP or Director of Marketing already in place — PBS requires this, since they work alongside existing marketing leadership rather than as a replacement

• SaaS companies that want paid media, SEO, and RevOps coordinated rather than handled by separate vendors

• Teams with a minimum $15K/month investment capacity and a 1-year engagement horizon

• Buyers who prefer flat-fee pricing over percentage-of-spend models

Budget note: Paid media packages start at $5,000/month on quarterly billing for single-channel management. Full multi-service engagements require $15K+/month overall. Monthly billing carries a 20% premium over quarterly rates.

Case Study Highlights

Case Study 1: Enterprise Cybersecurity SaaS

Client: A B2B enterprise cybersecurity company (name not disclosed)

Problems:

• Generating only 1–2 demos per month despite running active paid campaigns

• Disjointed marketing across channels that weren't reinforcing each other

• Sales cycles of 6–9 months requiring buy-in from multiple stakeholders

• MQL disqualification rate of 84% — the vast majority of leads weren't turning into real pipeline

Solutions:

• Built out Google Ads (Search and Display) plus LinkedIn Ads, coordinated with SEO and content production

• Implemented HubSpot form filters to qualify leads before they entered the pipeline

• A/B tested landing pages across audience segments and added stage-specific content for mid-funnel buyers

• Created remarketing audiences from lead imports

Results:

• 68% increase in sign-up volume quarter-over-quarter

• MQL disqualification rate dropped from 84% to 18%

• First PPC-attributed deal closed within 2 months, compared to the typical 6–9 month sales cycle

Source: poweredbysearch.com

Case Study 2: Cyera

Client: Cyera, a data security SaaS company

Problems:

• Needed a qualified pipeline engine, not just top-of-funnel lead volume

• Complex enterprise buying process involving multiple stakeholders

• Required tight coordination between paid channels and pipeline tracking to measure revenue contribution accurately

Solutions:

• Built and executed a multi-channel paid and demand generation program

• Connected campaign performance to pipeline reporting to track revenue contribution

• Structured campaigns around the enterprise buying journey rather than single-touch conversion events

Results:

• $7.9M in qualified pipeline generated over 12 months

Source: poweredbysearch.com (headline metric; full methodology not publicly detailed)

Why Brands Work With Them

1. Long SaaS-only track record. Most agencies claiming SaaS expertise are recent converts. Powered by Search has worked exclusively with SaaS companies since 2009, building playbooks, ICP patterns, and channel data from 150+ clients over 17 years. That depth of SaaS-specific context is unusual in this market.

2. Published, transparent pricing. Almost every agency in this category requires a discovery call before sharing numbers. PBS publishes tiered packages with specific price points for paid media, SEO, and RevOps. For buyers who want to pressure-test budget fit before investing time in sales conversations, that transparency is practically useful.

3. Flat-fee model. PBS charges a fixed monthly retainer, not a percentage of ad spend. This removes the conflict of interest built into percentage-of-spend models, where the agency's revenue grows when ad spend grows regardless of whether that spend is producing results.

4. Full-funnel coordination. Paid, SEO, RevOps, and content under one contract means fewer handoffs and less context-switching across vendor relationships. For SaaS marketing teams juggling multiple agencies, consolidation has real operational value.

5. Pipeline-anchored reporting. PBS reports against pipeline and revenue, not MQLs or platform impressions. They cite 87% of clients hitting Q4 pipeline goals and $100M+ in closed-won revenue across their client base — the framing that matters when defending spend to a CFO or board.

Engagement and Pricing Model

Powered by Search publishes tiered pricing across three service lines, with monthly and quarterly billing options.

Paid media:

• Startup: $6,000/mo (monthly) or $5,000/mo (quarterly) — single channel, dedicated strategist, monthly strategy sessions

• Scale Up: $14,400/mo (monthly) or $12,000/mo (quarterly) — 2–3 channels, creative design included, bi-weekly calls

• Enterprise: $21,600/mo (monthly) or $18,000/mo (quarterly) — multi-channel plus ABM, creative studio, weekly executive sessions

SEO & LLM ranking:

• Consulting: $9,000/mo (monthly) or $7,500/mo (quarterly)

• Implementation: $14,400/mo (monthly) or $12,000/mo (quarterly)

• Promotion: $21,600/mo (monthly) or $18,000/mo (quarterly)

Fractional RevOps:

• Foundation: $7,200/mo (monthly) or $6,000/mo (quarterly)

• Scale: $11,520/mo (monthly) or $9,600/mo (quarterly)

• Dominate: $17,280/mo (monthly) or $14,400/mo (quarterly)

Standalone engagements: Power Hour ($2,500), Pipeline Audit ($14,900), Execution Sprint ($25,000).

The overall minimum for a full-service engagement is $15K+/month. A 1-year commitment is expected, with month-to-month available at a 20% premium.

One note on third-party validation: Powered by Search has a Clutch profile but no verified client reviews published at this time. Client proof comes from their own site. Buyers who rely on independent third-party reviews before signing will need to conduct reference checks directly with the agency.

Side-by-Side: Powered by Search vs Hey Digital

Choose Powered by Search if:

• You want paid media, SEO, and RevOps managed under one contract rather than across separate agencies

• You have an in-house VP or Director of Marketing and need execution capacity across multiple demand gen functions

• Transparent, flat-fee pricing and published package tiers matter before the first sales conversation

• Your ARR is $10M+ and you're ready to invest $15K+ per month consistently over a 1-year horizon

Choose Hey Digital if:

• You want an agency working exclusively in paid media for B2B SaaS — not paid as one of seven service lines — because when paid is your primary growth lever, it needs to be the singular focus

• You need CRM-connected pipeline attribution through Fibbler and Factors, with reporting tied to deal progression and revenue rather than platform-level conversions

• You want a senior B2B SaaS strategist owning your account from day one, with full attention on your paid program rather than split across paid, SEO, RevOps, and content

• You need in-house creative across the full stack — static ads, motion, video, and landing pages — built and iterated specifically for paid media performance

• You want operational insight from an agency that runs paid for its own pipeline, using the same playbooks it builds for clients

We work exclusively with B2B SaaS companies. Every campaign is built around SaaS buying journeys: multi-stakeholder ICPs, long consideration windows, and qualified pipeline as the actual measure of success. We use Fibbler and Factors to connect ad data to CRM pipeline, so reporting shows deal progression and revenue contribution, not just form fills.

We also run paid for our own pipeline, which means our team has firsthand insight into what the platforms reward right now. Notable clients include Instantly, PostHog, Toggl, Hotjar, Todoist, UserTesting, and Adjust.

Final Take

Powered by Search is a credible choice for B2B SaaS teams that want demand generation managed across paid media, SEO, and RevOps under one agency. The 17-year SaaS-only track record, published pricing, flat-fee model, and pipeline-anchored reporting are real differentiators in a category where most agencies keep all of this opaque. For SaaS marketing leaders who want to consolidate demand generation across multiple functions without managing separate vendor relationships, PBS makes a strong case.

The trade-offs appear where paid media needs to be the primary lever rather than one of seven service lines. With 21–30 employees covering paid, SEO, RevOps, content, AEO, digital PR, and web design, each service gets a portion of the team's attention. For SaaS teams where paid campaigns are the core pipeline engine — and need dedicated senior ownership, in-house creative built specifically for paid formats, and attribution that connects ad data directly to CRM pipeline — the focused specialist approach delivers more.

If you want to see what a paid-media-first B2B SaaS pipeline looks like in practice, we're glad to walk you through it. Book a call with Hey Digital.