White label SEO is pretty straightforward - it's when SEO is delivered to a client by a third party.
For example, imagine you were running your own marketing agency and had a client who could benefit from SEO or who has asked you about this service. If you didn't have the time to do this work yourself, you could get somebody else to do the work and present it to the client as your own under a white label agreement.
In this guide we'll break down the white label SEO process, including how it works, what benefits it has, and how to choose a white label SEO provider.
Let's jump right into it.
How Does The White Label SEO Relationship Work?
White label SEO services can be fulfilled by freelancers, agencies, and other third-party providers.
It is most often done by agencies on a larger scale, or freelancers who are hired by agencies (or other freelancers) on a smaller scale.
There are two main ways in which the work can be delivered.
1. Set Deliverables
If the client already knows what SEO deliverable they want - content, for example - then the process is super straightforward.
The white label provider will simply provide a quote for the exact work required, and if both parties are happy the agency/freelancer will sell this on to their client and include their margin.
2. Custom SEO Deliverables
In other cases, the white label SEO provider will need to provide a custom strategy (with pricing) for the client.
The next step is for the agency/freelancer to sell this to their client, at which point the white label SEO provider can begin their work.
In both cases, you have a client who wants SEO, and a white label SEO provider who does the work under the name of the agency/freelancer who signed the client.
How Do You Decide The Margin?
The margin added to white label SEO services depends on the client's budget and what the deliverables are.
At GrubSEO, for example, we offer SEO deliverables at a competitive rate so you can easily add your margin on top. Our clients typically see a 50% increase in value across most deliverables, meaning they add a 50% fee on top of our charge.
This ultimately comes down to your services and how much you usually charge them for. If you're more of a premium agency, you can add a larger margin and vice versa.
What Services Can A White Label SEO Provider Offer?
In terms of services, white label SEO providers can handle pretty much every SEO deliverable, although some agencies will focus on certain parts like link building.
You can usually boil these down to: content, link building, full SEO management, technical SEO, keyword research, and audits.
Content (Blog Posts, Service Pages, etc.)
Content is a big part of white label SEO, which should be no surprise as it is one of the fundamentals of SEO.
This can include things like:
- Informational Blog Posts
- Service Pages
- Location Pages
- Product Reviews
- Listicles
- Article Briefs
It can be tricky to find a reliable partner for white-labeling content, as some clients can be very picky about the content they want on their site.
Typically, you'll be charged a fixed price per word or article, and then add your own margin on top of that.
Link Building (Guest Posts, Link Insertions, Citations, Digital PR, etc.)
The next big part of white label SEO is off page SEO, or link building.
This may include:
- Guest Posts
- Link Insertions
- Citations
- Forum/Comment Links
- Digital PR
Off page SEO is a crucial part of SEO, as backlinks are a key ranking factor to any successful SEO campaign.
With links, it's quite common to be charged per link, again adding your own margin on top before selling to your client.
Full SEO Management
Full SEO management usually entails link building, content production, plus other SEO considerations like on page and technical optimization and more.
Typically a white label SEO provider will give a quote for a given client, which includes everything needed to increase the traffic of their client's website.
SEO Audits
SEO audits are usually one of the first deliverables with any white label SEO campaign, and for good reason.
An SEO audit will usually include things like:
- Technical SEO Issues
- Keyword Research
- Competitor Analysis
- SEO Strategy & Content Strategy
Audits are a great starting point for a campaign because they outline all the errors with a particular website, as well as a strategy for improving the organic traffic.
When clients see the low-hanging fruit and all the areas they can improve, they're usually more interested in exploring more SEO services.
Keyword Research & Content Plans
Keyword research and content plans are also very common white label SEO deliverables, as these tend to be quite affordable and can give a client great insight into what content they could potentially build and rank for.
Content plans incorporate keyword research and give a content roadmap for any website, so these can also be a good starting point for an SEO campaign.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is also quite common for white label SEO, particularly if a client website has lots of technical issues such as 404, broken links, missing titles & stages, and so forth.
This is usually delivered as a one-off service to fix all of the issue, which can often have a very positive impact on organic traffic.
What Are The Benefits Of White Label SEO?
Now that we have a better idea of what white label SEO actually is, you might be wondering why anyone would opt for this over building their own in-house teams.
There are a few reasons for this - you can read all of these in our guide to the benefits of white label SEO.
Revenue & Scale
The first and most obvious benefit of white label SEO is the revenue and scale it unlocks.
If you've already gone to the effort of signing a new client, adding on an additional service that makes a profit (for both the client and yourself) makes sense.
SEO also complements lots of other types of digital marketing, such as social media, paid ads, and so forth.
Don't forget that training an in-house SEO team takes a LOT of time, expertise, and also money.
Time-Saving
On the topic of time-saving, white label SEO is a great option for saving time while you generate extra revenue from your clients.
This is because all you need to do is hire a white label SEO provider and give them the scope of the project (or let them guide you). From there, they are responsible for everything from the deliverables to client satisfaction.
As already mentioned, training a team to deliver SEO takes a lot of time and has a lot of pitfalls if you haven't done it before.
Client Satisfaction & Long-Lasting Relationships
The last notable benefit of white label SEO is client satisfaction, specifically leading to longer client relationships.
SEO is a long-term marketing strategy that can take months to have any real impact, especially on new websites. As results start to come in, clients become more inclined to stick to the strategy long-term.
This means longer-lasting contracts and more revenue from clients.
Real Examples Of White Label SEO From Our Agency
To really push this point home, let's take a look at some real-life examples of white label SEO that we have worked on recently.
Full SEO Management for Ecommerce Brand (£10k Extra Monthly Revenue)
One of our recent case studies covered full SEO management for an ecommerce brand in the UK.
For this project, we delivered monthly content, backlinks, and content optimization, which resulted in a £10k+ increase in monthly revenue within 3 months.
This was a very strong return on investment for the client.
White Label SEO Audit For a Marketing Agency In London
Another project we recently delivered was a white label SEO audit for a marketing agent based in London.
In this case, they were tasked by their client to audit their ecommerce presence and hired us to fulfill the order.
We found lots of issues that were very easy to resolve and outlined a step-by-step plan for them to build their traffic and online presence.
Our White Label SEO Services
We offer a full suite of white label SEO services for multiple agencies around the world.
If you have a client who wants SEO or could benefit from it but don't have the time or resources to fulfill them, partnering with us is a great option.
