Being able to scale your digital marketing agency means it’s thriving. But not every company has the resources needed to employ a full in-house SEO team to help them grow.
Hire help in the form of a white label SEO service provider so you can get a bigger slice of the pie. It’s an efficient and cost-effective option that’ll ensure you stay ahead of the game, which is crucial in today’s competitive digital landscape.
After all, the global SEO market is expected to increase by almost 10%, reaching $122.11 billion by 2028.
You can deliver top-notch SEO services to your clients when you use a white label SEO agency. For example, the company can create content under your name, which you then deliver to one of your clients.
In this blog post, learn all about what white label SEO is, its benefits, and how to choose the best company for your needs.
What you will learn
- What is white label SEO and the benefit of using such a company
- The services this type of SEO reseller offers and what to look for when choosing a white label SEO service provider
- Who are the top white label SEO providers
- How white label SEO pricing works
What is white label SEO?
White label SEO are services from an outsourced SEO agency that your digital marketing company use - under your brand name - when you sell SEO services to your clients.
You can compare white label SEO services to ghostwriting because the white label company is an outside contractor or agency that undertakes SEO services under your brand.
SEO consultants and marketing agencies will commonly offer an SEO reseller program to larger agencies. All you have to do is ask.
White label partners can even be a tool like Surfer.
That means your clients will see your branding and company but have access to the expertise of large SaaS tools like Surfer's.
White labelling is quite different when compared to classic or traditional SEO services.
With white label SEO, which is a type of SEO reseller service, the agency or freelancer you hire is responsible for the SEO results while you manage your client relationship.
In traditional SEO, you are fully involved in the whole SEO process with your client, from defining goals and completing an audit to keyword research, link building, and reporting.
When you hire a white label agency or one that offers white label services, it becomes a partnership because you are relying on them to do a good job.
With every client you have, you are responsible for managing their account, including communication and relationship building.
And the white label SEO services partner takes care of the service delivery and optimizations as set out in the service level agreement.
White label companies offer various SEO services, such as SEO strategy and account management, that can be outsourced. You’ll choose the services you need depending on your client’s goals.
Examples of white labeling SEO in the real world:
Example 1: One of your clients needs wide SEO services to increase their online presence. Unfortunately your agency focusses only on paid advertising but you can partner with a service agency to offer SEO services.
First, you share information about your client, and the company then completes an SEO audit and topic and keyword research.
They develop an SEO strategy that you share with your client, and once they’ve okayed it, the white label company gets to work.
Example 2: Alternatively, you run a digital marketing agency and your clients each need several blog posts per month.
You outsource SEO content to a white label partner so you can deliver search engine optimized articles to your multiple clients each month.
You take the credit for the content that ranks well and increases organic traffic to their sites.
And your white label partner benefits from additional revenue without client acquisition and management costs.
Benefits of using white label SEO services
There are various benefits for your digital marketing firm to use white label SEO services, whether you have in-house expertise or not.
Here are the other benefits of partnering with a white label SEO provider:
Scalability
Even if you have SEO professionals on your team, it doesn’t mean they are experts on everything.
Your team might be great at the technical side of SEO, but can they write and edit content?
To meet the demands of your clients, you may need to outsource certain aspects of a client’s SEO strategy.
This gives you flexibility without needing to hire an expert on a full-time or part-time basis.
With a white label SEO partner, your agency can potentially expand the services you offer without the overheads that an in-house team demands or the cost of expensive tools.
White label solutions enable you to scale your company.
You can take on more clients, deliver excellent SEO services under your own brand, and eat a bigger piece of the revenue pie.
Cost-effective
Hiring an in-house team is expensive. There’s salaries, bonuses, benefits, and other overheads like hardware and software to pay, which are all costly.
You may also need to pay for training to ensure your team stays updated with current trends and changes in the industry.
There are also recruitment costs when you need to hire a new team member.
You have none of these costs when you partner with a white label SEO company. The SEO experts take care of the work, while you resell the finished products with the right markup.
Access to expertise
A white label SEO partner gives you the advantage of tapping into seasoned SEO professionals who are up to speed on the latest strategies and techniques.
This ensures you consistently deliver successful results to your clients, which is what you promised them.
Professional search engine optimization from an outsourced company helps boost your agency’s reputation, helping you get more clients.
Undiluted focus
When you outsource SEO projects to a white label company, you have more time to focus on your clients.
When you nurture client relationships, you invest in the longevity of your company.
After all, it’s costly (and time-consuming) to get new clients, and it’s better to maintain your current ones.
Partnering with an white label agency is a win-win for you.
You can focus on optimizing your current services, add new ones to your portfolio, win more clients, and increase your profitability while the white label company does the work.
Branding opportunities
When you use a white label company, they do the SEO audits, keyword research, content creation, and whatever else you need.
But when you present the work in terms of SEO reports and results to your client, you do so under your brand.
Consistent branding fosters brand trust and loyalty, ensuring your clients remain your clients.
What does a white label SEO provider do?
White label SEO agencies provide the SEO expertise you need, when you need it. These agencies offer all types of SEO services. Some are specialized freelancers or contractors who offer one or two types of services, such as content creation or link building.
Other companies offer comprehensive SEO services. They will recommend products, services, and packages that best match your and your client’s needs.
A great SEO white label agency should provide these essential services:
Comprehensive SEO services
A white label SEO agency that provides comprehensive search engine optimization services is a one-stop solution.
One agency can meet all your SEO needs, so you don’t need to outsource work to various companies.
It’s also much easier to manage just one agency than it is to have many eggs in your white label basket.
The comprehensive services a white label SEO company can offer may include pitching, developing an SEO strategy, website auditing, local SEO, lead tracking, website design, and more.
Keyword research
Your white label partner should offer keyword research as one of their essential services.
The keywords will be used to tailor your client’s specific SEO strategy.
The agency will find and analyze keywords to boost organic traffic, attract the right audience, and convert website visitors and leads into customers.
On-page SEO
A white label SEO firm should do on-page SEO.
The SEO professional will optimize on-page elements of your client’s site, such as meta descriptions, URLs, title tags, headings, links, and page speed.
This will ensure the website is primed to rank well on the search engine results pages.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO is just as essential because optimizing these aspects indirectly boosts search ranking and your client’s online visibility.
Your white label partner should offer link building services to get high quality backlinks and improve domain authority.
They should also be experts in PR, guest posting, influencer outreach, local SEO, and social media marketing.
Content writing
SEO resellers can offer SEO writing services.
Their team creates different content assets, such as blog posts, landing pages, videos, lead magnets and gated content like ebooks, graphics, videos, and social media content.
Optimized content helps drive traffic and engage users, which foster brand trust, authority, and loyalty.
SEO reports
White label SEO reporting is also crucial.
Your partner should provide easy-to-read reports with actionable insights and growth tips to show the impact of the SEO strategy on your client’s business.
Your agency builds loyalty when you share transparent, branded reports with your clients because they can clearly see the value they get versus the investment spent.
Compared to other services, white label SEO reports are not offered as widely as separate services. You can expect them to be bundled in with other typical SEO tasks such as optimization and content.
How to choose a good white label SEO provider
It’s essential to hire the best and right white label agency because you are putting your reputation and the welfare of your client’s company in their hands.
When you are looking for the best white label SEO provider, start by defining what you need.
Use these 7 steps to select an SEO white label partner for your business.
1. Reviews and testimonials
It’s essential to use a credible company when you outsource your SEO projects.
You definitely don’t want to sign with an agency that doesn’t actually know what they are doing or won’t get results for your clients. This can damage your reputation beyond repair.
To check a white label SEO provider’s credibility, look at their reviews and testimonials. These are genuine feedback about the company and the level of their service quality.
Positive reviews and testimonials from happy clients indicate that the company is reputable.
Using a third-party review site is a good idea for getting unbiased opinions on their services.
You can find testimonials on the agency’s website.
If they aren’t there, it might be cause for concern.
After all, what company doesn’t want to brag about how great they are and how excellent their clients and customers think they are?
Look for reviews about the company on third-party platforms, such as:
- Better Business Bureau
- Trustpilot
- G2
- Capterra
- TrustRadius
- Glassdoor
- Yelp
- Clutch
- Google Business Profiles
- Facebook page reviews
If you are working with a freelancer through a platform, see what reviews their clients have left on their Upwork, Fiverr, Writer Access, and LinkedIn profiles.
Reviews on third-party sites are invaluable because white-label companies have no control over who reviews them or what kind of review it is.
Of course, you can also ask friends and colleagues about white label SEO agencies.
2. Review case studies
Case studies are real-world success stories showcasing white label SEO companies’ approaches and how they get results for their clients.
This helps build trust, and it helps you pick the right agency for you and your clients.
Detailed case studies that explain the challenges, solutions, and outcomes give you plenty of information to decide whether the white label provider is a good fit.
The information tells you how the agency handled challenges, what methods they used to overcome them, and how they came out on top.
Look for similar challenges that your client is facing since this gives you insight into what the white label company can do.
Surfer has published various research articles and case studies.
Sometimes an agency can’t share case studies because of non-disclosure agreements or other arrangements.
Reach out and ask the company to share samples of their work.
Since a white label SEO company is results-oriented, they should be more than happy to share samples and results.
3. A ranking website
White label SEO services should have a well-ranking and optimized website.
This is one way in which they can showcase their mad SEO skills.
How well their website performs indicates their level of expertise.
Look through their whole website, taking note of user-friendliness, navigability, site speed, content, links, and other SEO ranking factors.
Let’s say your client needs help optimizing their site in terms of site speed and optimized content.
A potential service provider’s website will reveal whether they are up to the task.
Any white label SEO provider that appears at the top of the results on search engines is a good starting point.
4. Transparent SEO practices
Black hat SEO practices can result in short term results for your clients, but climbing this ladder to success is never worth it.
Unethical SEO methods include the use of:
- Keyword stuffing
- Hidden text
- Cloaking
- Duplicate content
- Negative SEO
- Misleading redirects
- Manipulative or paid links
- Misused structured data
- Gateway or doorway pages
Black hat SEO doesn't drive long-term results.
It can also lead to penalizations or a ban by Google.
Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are clear on how you can improve your site to rank better on Google.
And all of these tactics are on the ethical side of the line.
Thus, ethical or white hat SEO practices are a must.
Beware of any red flags when you engage with potential white label SEO solutions providers.
The agencies you shortlist must be transparents about their methods and processes so you can be sure they are white hat before you decide on a hire.
5. Understand pricing models
Not all white label agencies charge the same since they use various pricing models depending on what services they offer, where they are based, and who the provider is.
Digital marketing agencies need to choose the best pricing model that fits in their budget, ensuring they can still turn a profit.
In short, here are the most common SEO agency pricing models and what each means:
Monthly packages: Also called retainer-based pricing model, where you pay a recurring fee for ongoing services, typically the same service, number of hours, or type of work each month.
Hourly rates: The fee you pay is based on the number of hours the agency spends on a specific project. SEO freelancers and contractors typically charge a per-hour rate.
Project-based pricing: The agency charges a fixed amount per project based on the scope.
It’s best for once-off projects with a clear timeline and set deliverables and is not charged for ongoing work.
Custom pricing: The provider bills you mixed rates depending on the projects you hire them for, or they quote a custom price for unique projects.
It can also be a monthly, quarterly, or yearly quote that’s tailored to your company and clients’ needs.
Before signing a contract with a white label SEO provider, understand what’s included in the price and if there are any potential additional costs and when these will be invoked.
It’s essential to evaluate the value of the services with the cost so you understand exactly what you are getting.
6. Assess communication and support
The white label SEO solution you choose should communicate effectively and timeously.
Bad communication habits and poor customer service have lasting effects on how well you can communicate and deliver work to your client.
There are various communication channels you and the agency can use to stay in touch.
Consider email and phone during working hours.
Live chat, Slack exchanges, a help center or knowledge base, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) can all help.
Ideally, you should have a contact point in the form of a dedicated project manager so you know who to communicate with when you have questions, need answers or information, and more.
7. Ethics and transparency
A harmonious working relationship is so much easier than one that isn’t.
You can only know whether a white label agency is a good fit by reaching out to them and setting up a few initial meetings to ensure you are on the same page and to gauge compatibility.
A meeting will indicate if there are any potential red flags that you need to be aware of.
It will also reveal how ethical and transparent the company is, how they work, and whether you can build a fruitful long-term relationship with them.
To create a shortlist of potential white label SEO candidates, ask these questions.
- How many years of experience does your company or team have?
- What types of services do you offer? And what SEO areas do you specialize in?
- Do you work in specific niches or industries? How do you adapt your SEO strategy across brands, niches, and industries?
- What SEO tools do you use? (for example, BuzzSumo, Surfer, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, etc.)
- What SEO packages do you offer? What’s included in each?
- What’s your process for improving a website’s ranking?
- Do you have specific techniques or procedures that yield consistent successes?
- How do you manage your projects?
- What’s your preferred method of communication?
- How regularly do you communicate with your clients?
- Can you share examples of case studies showing how you’ve helped your clients or other agencies?
You can find more questions to ask in this SEO client questionnaire blog post.
The best white label SEO firm for you is one that honestly answers your questions.
They should also be transparent with their services, practices, contracts, and agreements.
The transparency should extend to all the project fulfillment aspects, from backlinks, link-building activities, web design, code recommendations, content, and more.
12 SEO white label providers
Consider one of these best SEO white label providers for your client’s next SEO campaign:
Surfer
Surfer provides comprehensive SEO tools with a white labeling option. You can use a shared workspace with access to our Content Editor and Keyword Research tool, or use our API services.
Create white label reports with the Content Editor and Audit tools.
Semrush
The SEO SaaS platform gives you access to more than 55 tools and reports, including white label writing services, customized white label reports, a client portal, and CRM platform.
Choose between three SEO packages and add on Agency Growth Kit, Social, Trends, and Local services.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an SEO tool that gives you access to several popular tools like the Keyword Explorer, Site Audit, Rank Tracker and Content Explorer
There are also white label reporting features. Ahrefs offers 4 packages and there are a few plan additions on a pay-as-you-go basis.
BrightLocal
BrightLocal is a one-stop-shop for local SEO. More specifically, the company’s services include Local Rank Tracker, Audit Local SEO, Reputation Management, and Listing Management.
It also offers white label reporting that’s tailored for agencies that serve local businesses.
Try out one of the three all-in-one BrightLocal plans or its Simply Listings options with a 14-day free trial
SEOReseller
SEOReseller is a professional SEO reseller platform for digital marketing agencies. The SEO reseller services company is a certified Google Partner and Semrush Agency Partner, offering white label SEO services and white label SEO packages.
Some of the services SEOReseller provides include technical SEO, on-page content optimization, guest post outreach, local optimization, and link building and cleanup.
You need to request a free quote or sign up for pricing.
AgencyAnalytics
AgencyAnalytics helps scale your marketing agency with its full suite of SEO tools to track keyword rankings, monitor backlinks, and do a site audit.
The company offers 75+ integrations, automated reports, custom dashboards, agency management, and white label marketing reports.
Search Logistics
Search Logistics is a specialized SEO agency. You can refer your clients to Search Logistics and enjoy a 10% referral bonus or opt for the White Label SEO services.
The company takes care of sales, client communication, SEO strategies, SEO campaigns, reporting, and project management - all under your brand.
Reach out via the web form for pricing.
Boostability
Boostability is one of the largest global white label SEO service providers. With more than 30,000 active clients all over the world, they are well known for their full-service offerings and transparency.
The white label agency offers full-service SEO and reporting, content marketing, link building, local SEO, and website design and site build services.
Or opt to join their white label SEO partner program or choose one of the SEO reseller plans.
Speak to one of their SEO experts for pricing.
Vendasta
Vendasta is a platform that offers complete agency management services to connect marketing agencies with white label SEO companies.
There are five packages if you want to use the Vendasta platform or three packages for the Vendasta marketplace.
The HOTH
The HOTH is another all-in-one white label SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) platform. It offers link building, SEO analytics and management, content creation, local SEO, paid traffic, and other services.
Instead of comprehensive packages, the HOTH has specific services at set prices so you can create an on-demand package that meets your needs.
HigherVisibility
HigherVisibility is a US-based digital marketing agency that focuses on conversion rate optimization. The agency offers SEO, local SEO, ecommerce SEO, website design, link building, and ad management services.
DashClicks
DashClicks is a white label software and fulfillment platform. The all-in-one agency offers backlinks, social posts, content, SEO, and ads services. You can use their dashboard and create reports.
White label SEO pricing
When you choose a white label SEO partner, it’s crucial to understand how their pricing models work and what you get with each package or service.
In general, white label SEO prices differ based on the range and depth of services the company provides.
The costs will also depend on your partner's location, expertise and industry you both serve.
For example, basic on-page optimization costs less than a comprehensive package that includes content creation, technical SEO, and building high quality links.
Understand as much as possible about the full cost breakdown. And get in touch with the agency with any questions you have about their fees and services.
Be aware of potential hidden fees or additional charges that may arise from using white label SEO services. This will impact your bottom line and what you charge your clients.
Partnering with a transparent SEO reseller or white label company will help you know what you are getting yourself into, what quality of service you can expect, and what you will pay on a per-project, hourly, or monthly basis.
Key takeaways
- White label SEO companies provide SEO services to digital marketing agencies under the agency's branding, which they then use to meet each client's unique needs.
- The benefits of using a white label SEO agency partner includes opportunities for business growth, being more cost-effective, and having access to an expert SEO team so you can focus on your clients.
- A white label SEO agency can sell comprehensive SEO services or they can specialize in a few SEO tasks, such as keyword research, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, content management, and white label SEO reporting.
- It's essential to choose the best white label services for your agency and clients, so look at the company's reviews, testimonials, case studies, website, ethical SEO practices, pricing model, communication style and frequency, and transparency.
Conclusion
It's not easy to run an SEO agency. You have to focus on the business and your clients and do all the work. Hiring a full in-house team can be costly. Instead, partner with a white label SEO provider who sells SEO services under your company.
The right white label SEO agency will help you deliver on your duties while you can focus on growing the business.
