11 Best Directive Alternatives

Last updated: October 25, 2026

An AI traffic report published in August 2026 by a large software company's analytics team used July 2026 data to score how readable different types of B2B tech web pages are to AI systems that cite sources. Solutions pages and buying guides came out on top at 85%. The spread inside each page type was the bigger story: across discovery pages on B2B sites, the best and worst pages of the same type were 71 percentage points apart on average.

The report's own reading is that AI favors pages that explain business problems, product capabilities and buying decisions over promotional or navigational pages. In our view that's content and SEO work, and it's often the part of a full-service retainer that gets the least attention.

So if you're weighing a move away from a large, multi-channel B2B agency, the first question is which piece of the work you actually need. This list covers both directions: specialists in SEO, GEO and content, and smaller shops that still run paid media.

TL;DR

• Miraa - Best for SaaS and AI companies that want their decision-stage searches covered in Google and AI answers for a fixed fee

• Stratabeat - Best for B2B tech firms that want SEO, GEO and conversion work tied to the website itself

• Discovered Labs - Best for Series A+ SaaS that wants SEO and AEO run as one service on month-to-month terms

• Minuttia - Best for SaaS content programs that need high volume across Google, AI search and Reddit

• NoGood - Best for well-funded brands that still want paid, organic and AI search under one growth team

• Fractl - Best for teams that need authority and coverage from data-led digital PR

• Rampiq - Best for B2B tech firms that want an AI search audit and SEO with paid ads on a modest hourly rate

• Bay Leaf Digital - Best for B2B SaaS companies that want an outsourced marketing department at a fixed price

• Upgrow - Best for software companies that want paid media and SEO with rates on the website

• Hey Digital - Best for B2B SaaS teams that only need paid ads replaced

• Seer Interactive - Best for enterprise brands that want a research-heavy search and paid media partner

Our quick verdict: if you're leaving Directive mainly for search and AI visibility, start with Miraa, Discovered Labs or Stratabeat. If you want to keep one partner for paid and organic, NoGood is the closest match, with an average retainer above $20,000 a month, while Bay Leaf Digital and Upgrow cost less but are smaller teams. Hey Digital only makes sense if paid ads are your one gap.

Comparison table

Clutch figures were read directly from each profile on 20 Oct 2026.

How we chose

We started with agencies that sell search, AI visibility or B2B demand generation, then cut the list with four rules:

1. Every agency except Miraa had to have at least one Clutch review dated after 1 Nov 2025. We only quote reviews from that window.

2. Services, prices and client names had to be visible on the agency's own site or its Clutch profile. Where an agency's pages disagree on a number, we describe it in words.

3. We skipped every agency featured in our two most recent alternatives guides, so the lists don't overlap.

4. We didn't use any agency's own studies or rankings as evidence, including Directive's.

The opening figures come from Adobe Digital Insights' AI Traffic Trends Report, published in August 2026 with page scores based on July 2026 data. The report doesn't say how many tech and software sites it scored, so treat the 85% and 71-point figures as a benchmark rather than a target.

We also searched X for posts from the past year about each agency. We didn't find any from named practitioners that added something new, so none are quoted.

1. Miraa

Miraa is a search agency for B2B SaaS and AI companies. It puts the pages a buyer reads in the last stretch before purchase first: comparisons, alternatives, integrations and use cases. Human strategists and editors lead every account. Custom AI agents handle the repeat work, such as research, briefs, page refreshes, internal links and rank and citation tracking.

Services

• Content-led SEO

• Technical SEO

• SEO Site Migration

• AEO/GEO

• SEO Website Recovery

• Agentic SEO/GEO

• Content Writing

• Product-led SEO

• On-Page SEO

• Link Building

Pricing

All three plans are listed on the Miraa pricing page. Each is a flat monthly fee with no retainer minimum:

• Basic Growth, $2,500: agentic SEO strategy run with custom agents, bottom-of-funnel content, GEO and AI visibility work, a keyword map ranked by revenue potential and a monthly pipeline report

• Growth+, $3,500: everything above, plus a programmatic SEO build, lead magnets inside human-led content, refresh and optimization agents, and calls every second week

• Hyper-Growth, $5,000: custom agents built around your workflow, agents for internal linking and monitoring, revenue attribution and its own Slack channel

Its FAQ is upfront that nobody can promise a mention in a particular AI answer.

Reviews

Miraa has no reviews on Clutch or any other third-party review site. If outside reviews are a requirement for you, that's a real gap, and a reference call with a current client is the nearest substitute.

Clients

Miraa's published case study covers five sales tech brands that share a parent: Salesforge, Mailforge, Warmforge, Primeforge and Infraforge. Leadsforge is also a client. The case study describes the core move as: "Split the keyword map by product, so each domain owns a distinct intent territory: sequencing, mailboxes, domains, warm-up and infrastructure."

For AI search, the study credits Salesforge with 2,100 Google AI Mode citations, plus 618 in Gemini and 388 in Perplexity (Ahrefs, Aug 2026).

Two anonymized outcomes are listed as well: a LinkedIn automation tool that gained 200+ qualified leads in 90 days, and an AI ad platform that hit $25K MRR within its first quarter of operation. For that platform, Miraa says organic content discovery produced 45% of leads.

Summary

Miraa suits a SaaS company that wants Google and AI answers covered for its highest-intent searches, at a fixed fee. It won't replace a full-service agency: there's no paid media, creative or PR practice. Most named proof also comes from one family of related products, so ask how it would apply to your market.

2. Stratabeat

Stratabeat is a Boston-area agency focused on B2B SaaS and technology companies. It combines SEO, GEO, content and conversion work with website design, which suits teams whose site is part of the problem.

Services

• SEO and GEO

• Content marketing strategy

• Digital PR and authority building

• Conversion rate optimization

• UX and UI design and web development

• Analytics and data intelligence

Pricing

No retainers are listed on its website. Its Clutch profile lists SEO packages from $8,000 a month, hourly rates of $200 to $300, and projects from $5,000.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 5.0 from 13 reviews. Newest review: Jul 9, 2026.

Five reviews fall after 1 Nov 2025. The Head of Marketing at a wealth management software company wrote in July 2026: "I found Stratabeat, Inc. to be collaborative and smart." In January 2026, the Head of Marketing at WellSaid, a text-to-speech company, said: "I appreciate having their partnership." That review reports 30% more organic traffic and 45% more conversions.

A senior content marketing manager at a marketing software platform gave useful criticism in December 2025: "Sell to us a little less." They added that pitches for work outside the plan scope were the one thing they didn't enjoy.

Clients

Recent Clutch reviewers include WellSaid, LBMC and Company Sage. The LBMC reviewer credits the work with a 500% year-over-year rise in Q4 website opportunity revenue.

Summary

Stratabeat is a good match if you want a specialist that treats SEO, AI search and conversion as one project, including site changes. It's pricier per hour than most on this list, and it doesn't run paid media. Expect some upselling, based on one recent reviewer.

3. Discovered Labs

Discovered Labs is a small London agency, founded in 2024, that runs SEO and AEO together for B2B SaaS. It describes its team as marketers and engineers and uses its own tracking tools for AI visibility.

Services

• Answer engine optimization for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini

• Technical and content SEO

• Reddit engagement aimed at AI citations

• Backlinks and brand mentions

• Content creation and refreshes, plus landing page work

• AI visibility and SEO reporting against competitors

Pricing

Its retainers are tiered by monthly content units, with the entry tier covering up to 20 units and a four-person pod. Terms are month to month, with a lower rate for three- or six-month commitments. There's also a paid search visibility diagnostic, and its full fee comes off month one when you sign a retainer within 14 days. Clutch lists a $5,000+ minimum. In October 2026, the pricing page put Establish at €6,995 a month and Compete at €10,995 a month on a six-month commitment, with month-to-month billed higher. The diagnostic costs €4,370, and the top Outlier tier starts at €15,995 a month.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 4.9 from 4 reviews. Newest review: Aug 24, 2026.

All four reviews fall in our window. The Head of Marketing at AdvisoryAI wrote in August 2026: "Discovered Labs' project management is superb." In March 2026, the Head of Marketing at Passion described the team as "a small group of smart, hungry marketers who knew how SEO and AEO worked." That engagement gave a lower 4.5 rating overall.

Clients

Clutch reviewers include GetVocal, AdvisoryAI and Passion. Testimonials on its site name Instantly, Gladia and Sova Assessment.

Summary

Discovered Labs fits a funded SaaS company that wants a hands-on team for Google and AI answers without a long contract. It's very young and very small, with two to nine staff on Clutch, so check capacity and who'll actually work on your account. Skip it if you need paid media or a large, multi-office team.

4. Minuttia

Minuttia is a search and content agency whose published case studies are mostly SaaS companies. It frames its offer as winning both Google and AI search, with human writing at the center and AI-assisted content where it scales.

Services

• Google and AI search strategy

• Human content creation

• AI content creation and programmatic SEO

• Digital PR for brand mentions

• Reddit marketing

• Agent analytics and reporting

Pricing

No plans are published. On Clutch, projects start at $5,000, the hourly band is $100 to $149, and most reviewed projects landed between $10,000 and $49,999.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 4.9 from 16 reviews. Newest review: Nov 24, 2025.

One review falls after 1 Nov 2025. The SEO Lead at ServiceTitan, whose engagement runs from January 2022, described Minuttia as "a full-scale SEO content and strategy extension of our in-house team" across ServiceTitan, Aspire and FieldRoutes. The same reviewer said there was room to go deeper into CRO and product-led content.

Clients

ServiceTitan is the named client in its newest Clutch review, covering ServiceTitan, Aspire and FieldRoutes. Toggl appears in a case study on its homepage.

Summary

Minuttia is a steady choice for a content-heavy SaaS SEO program with an AI search layer. Its last Clutch review is almost a year old, and the reviewer flagged conversion work as a weaker area. It's not the pick if you want CRO or paid media from the same team.

5. NoGood

NoGood is a New York growth agency founded in 2016. It's the closest thing on this list to a like-for-like Directive swap, since it runs paid, organic, creative and AI search through one team.

Services

• Answer engine optimization and SEO

• Performance marketing across Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn

• Organic social, creator partnerships and community

• Performance creative

• Earned media and digital PR

• Analytics, attribution and conversion optimization

Pricing

NoGood says it works on monthly retainers, with an average above $20,000 a month and no standard packages.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 5.0 from 3 reviews. Newest review: Sep 9, 2026.

Two reviews fall in our window. In September 2026, the Director of Revenue Operations at Goodie AI wrote: "The level of depth they go into, and their care for the quality of work, is impressive." The founder of Cameo, reviewing paid ads and creative work the same month, said: "NoGood's performance is impressive."

Clients

NoGood names AWS, MongoDB, Oura, L'Oréal, Nike, TikTok, Johnson & Johnson and SteelSeries on its site. Its recent Clutch reviewers are Goodie AI and Cameo.

Summary

Pick NoGood if you want to keep the full-service model and have a budget to match. Three Clutch reviews is a thin base for a firm of its profile, so ask for references in your vertical. Below roughly $20,000 a month, look elsewhere.

6. Fractl

Fractl is a Florida content and digital PR agency founded in 2012. It earns links and press coverage through data journalism, which can strengthen the authority signals search engines and AI models use.

Services

• Strategic consulting and managed SEO

• Content libraries built to rank and convert

• Data journalism and digital PR campaigns

• Reactive PR tied to the news cycle

• Expert quote placement

• Interactive tools such as calculators and maps

Pricing

No rates are published on its site. Its Clutch page puts the floor at $5,000 per project and hourly work at $100 to $149, and the typical reviewed project ran $50,000 to $199,999.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 4.8 from 37 reviews. Newest review: Aug 26, 2026.

Seven reviews fall after 1 Nov 2025, one of them not marked as verified. A senior content marketing director at a digital media company wrote in August 2026: "Fractl's relationships with journalists and other media outlets make it really easy to land these placements." A digital marketing manager at a surety bond agency said in January 2026: "We're impressed with Fractl's ability to create content that generates links from authoritative websites."

Clients

Recent Clutch reviewers include HeliosX, American College of Education and Terakeet, which hired Fractl for one of its own clients. Its site also names Payless Power.

Summary

Fractl is the pick when weak authority is what's holding you back. It isn't a full SEO department, and many recent reviews are about PR rather than rankings, so pair it with technical and on-page help if you need that.

7. Rampiq

Rampiq is a B2B agency based in Vienna, Virginia, founded in 2018. It mixes AI search, SEO and paid ads for tech and SaaS companies, with programs for AI visibility and pipeline generation.

Services

• AI search visibility audits and optimization

• SEO and content marketing

• LinkedIn and other paid ads

• Pipeline generation programs

• Training for in-house marketing teams

Pricing

Pricing isn't published. Clutch lists $50 to $99 an hour and a $5,000+ minimum, with most projects under $10,000.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 4.9 from 17 reviews. Newest review: Jul 28, 2026.

One review falls in our window. The Marketing Director at CTE Global, an energy company, wrote about an AI audit in July 2026: "They helped guide my organization with the changing landscape of AI." The reviewer rated the project 4.5 overall, with 4.0 for cost.

Clients

CTE Global is its most recent Clutch reviewer. Its homepage carries a testimonial from the VP of Marketing at Case IQ.

Summary

Rampiq has the lowest Clutch hourly band of the agencies here that list one, and covers both search and paid ads. Only one review is recent, and it was a short audit, so ask for examples of longer engagements. If you need a big content program, it's probably not the right size.

8. Bay Leaf Digital

Bay Leaf Digital is a Texas agency founded in 2013 that works as a full-funnel marketing team for B2B SaaS. It covers strategy, acquisition and lifecycle work under one framework.

Services

• Marketing and go-to-market strategy

• GEO, SEO and content marketing

• PPC, retargeting, paid and organic social

• Website conversion optimization

• Marketing automation, HubSpot management and analytics

• Customer success and expansion marketing

Pricing

Bay Leaf publishes two monthly packages: an AI search package at $3,999 a month on a six-month engagement, and a full marketing package starting at $5,000 a month. Clutch shows $100 to $149 an hour.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 5.0 from 4 reviews. Newest review: Apr 2, 2026.

One review falls in our window. An executive at Tratta, a financial services company, wrote: "They were a great culture fit, and their company values aligned with ours." The reviewer credits the work with more traffic, leads and brand exposure.

Clients

Tratta is the named client in its recent Clutch review.

Summary

Bay Leaf is a good fit if you want an outsourced marketing team at a known price, rather than a single channel. Four Clutch reviews is a small sample, so ask to speak to a current SaaS client. If you already have a marketing team and only need one channel covered, a specialist is a better buy.

9. Upgrow

Upgrow is a performance agency founded in 2018 that Clutch lists in San Francisco. It runs paid media and SEO and AEO for software, AI and cybersecurity companies, with strategy, creative and landing pages included.

Services

• Google, Bing, Meta and LinkedIn ads

• SEO and AEO

• Landing pages and conversion design

• Copywriting and creative

• Attribution and reporting

Pricing

Upgrow publishes setup and monthly fees, but the figures on its homepage and on its rates section differ, so check the current numbers directly. It says pricing reflects a 12-month agreement, that you can cancel for any reason within the first 90 days, and that paid media clients usually spend at least $5,000 to $10,000 a month on ads. Clutch lists a $10,000+ minimum.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 5.0 from 14 reviews. Newest review: Apr 6, 2026.

Two reviews fall after 1 Nov 2025. In April 2026, the Director of Demand Generation at EventMobi wrote: "Upgrow is data-driven in the strategies they recommend." The review reports an 80% increase in total revenue and a 56% rise in ROAS from Google and Bing campaigns. The other, from the nonprofit Impact Fund in February 2026, covers digital strategy work and isn't marked as verified.

Clients

EventMobi is the named client in its recent Clutch review.

Summary

Upgrow suits a software company that wants paid search and SEO from one smaller team, with costs on the table early. The 12-month term is longer than some here, although the 90-day exit softens it. Skip it if your ad budget is under $5,000 a month.

10. Hey Digital

Hey Digital is an Estonia-based agency founded in 2019 that only runs paid ads for B2B SaaS. It covers strategy, creative, experiments and reporting.

Services

• Paid strategy, budget allocation and forecasting

• LinkedIn ads, including ABM campaigns

• Google Ads

• Ad creative and landing page design

• Reporting tied to pipeline

Pricing

It doesn't publish prices. Clutch lists a $5,000+ minimum.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 4.6 from 6 reviews. Newest review: Sep 22, 2026.

Three reviews fall in our window. In January 2026, a Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Checkly wrote: "The team always made a successful effort to truly understand our product and market." The Growth Manager at Playroll, an HR software company, said in August 2026: "They've been proactive in bringing strategic recommendations." The same reviewer described a slow start and asked for more senior input when targets are missed.

Clients

Recent Clutch reviewers include Checkly and Playroll. Its site says 200+ B2B SaaS teams have worked with it.

Summary

Hey Digital is for the case where your organic work is fine and paid is the problem. It doesn't do SEO or GEO, so you'd need a separate search partner.

11. Seer Interactive

Seer Interactive is a Philadelphia agency founded in 2002 that works mostly with enterprise brands. It runs organic search, GEO, paid media, analytics and creative.

Services

• Organic search and GEO

• Paid media

• Analytics and measurement

• Creative and content

Pricing

No public rates. Clutch shows a $10,000+ minimum and $200 to $300 an hour.

Reviews

Clutch rating: 3.8 from 4 reviews. Newest review: Dec 10, 2025.

One review falls after 1 Nov 2025. The marketing and communications director at Drexel University's School of Education wrote: "Seer Interactive has a vast amount of knowledge of web search." Its overall rating is the lowest on this list, and it rests on just four reviews, most of them older than our window.

Clients

Drexel University's School of Education is its most recent Clutch reviewer. Its site says it has 130+ enterprise clients and a 92% retention rate.

Summary

Seer suits a large organization that wants an established search and paid media partner with a deep analytics bench. It's expensive per hour, its Clutch sample is small and mixed, and it isn't focused on SaaS.

Match the alternative to your situation

• You want one partner for paid, organic and AI search, and you have a big budget: NoGood.

• You want the same breadth for less, from a SaaS-only team: Bay Leaf Digital or Upgrow.

• You need SEO and AI answers covered, and paid is handled in-house: Miraa, Discovered Labs, Stratabeat or Minuttia.

• Your site design and conversion rates are holding search back: Stratabeat.

• You publish plenty, but nobody links to you or quotes you: Fractl.

• You want to test AI search before committing: a diagnostic from Discovered Labs or an audit from Rampiq.

• Paid ads are the only gap: Hey Digital.

• You're an enterprise brand with an analytics team: Seer Interactive.

If you're still deciding whether to leave, our Directive review sets out what that agency does well and where it falls short. For a wider view of the market, see the guides to B2B SaaS SEO agencies, AEO agencies for B2B SaaS and generative engine optimization agencies.

Splitting the work between two agencies

If you leave a full-service firm, you may end up with two partners: one for search and one for paid. That can work if you set it up with care.

• Give one person in-house ownership of the overall plan and budget.

• Agree on one source of truth for pipeline, usually your CRM, and share it with both.

• Make sure the search agency sees which terms paid is bidding on, and the reverse.

• Hold a joint review once a quarter.

Without that, you'll swap one big invoice for two small ones and lose the joined-up planning you were paying for.

FAQ

Which Directive alternative is closest to it?

NoGood. It also runs paid, organic, creative, PR and AI search through one team. Bay Leaf Digital and Upgrow cover several channels too, at smaller scale and lower published prices.

Which of these agencies publish prices?

Miraa, Bay Leaf Digital and Upgrow publish monthly figures, and NoGood states its average retainer. Discovered Labs publishes its tiers and terms. The rest only show rate bands on Clutch.

Do all of these agencies offer GEO or AEO?

All except Hey Digital, which only does paid ads. Fractl's angle is the authority side of AI visibility rather than on-page work. To learn how this work is judged, read our guide to how to measure AI search visibility.

How recent are the reviews quoted here?

Every quoted review is dated after 1 Nov 2025. We checked each Clutch profile on 20 Oct 2026, and the newest date for each agency is in the comparison table.

Can I keep Directive for paid and move only SEO?

Yes. Ask Directive to price channels separately, then use the steps in the section on splitting work to keep both teams aligned.