White label SEO is when an agency sells SEO services under its own brand while a specialist partner does some or all of the actual work behind the scenes. The client deals only with the agency; the partner stays invisible. It lets agencies offer SEO without hiring a full in-house team, but quality control and transparency become the agency’s responsibility.
This guide explains how white label SEO works, what services are usually included, how pricing is structured, the pros and cons, and how to vet a provider before you put your brand on their work.
What Is White Label SEO?
In a white label SEO arrangement, three parties are involved:
- The client: a business that wants more organic traffic and leads.
- The agency (reseller): sells the service, manages the relationship and sets the price.
- The white label provider: performs the SEO work and delivers reports branded with the agency’s name and logo.
The agency buys the service at a wholesale rate and resells it at a markup. Reports, dashboards and emails carry the agency’s branding, so the client experiences one seamless service.
How White Label SEO Works, Step by Step
- The agency sells an SEO package to the client and gathers goals, access and business details.
- The agency passes a brief to the white label partner.
- The partner runs audits, keyword research, on-page fixes, content and link building, depending on the package.
- The partner delivers branded reports to the agency.
- The agency reviews the work, adds context and presents results to the client.
- The agency handles billing, communication and strategy questions.
The best arrangements keep the agency involved in strategy and quality review, rather than forwarding reports without reading them.
What White Label SEO Services Usually Include
| Service | What it covers | Who usually owns it |
|---|---|---|
| SEO audit | Technical issues, site speed, indexing, structure | Provider, reviewed by agency |
| Keyword research | Target terms by intent and difficulty | Provider with agency input |
| On-page SEO | Titles, headings, internal links, content updates | Provider |
| Local SEO | Google Business Profile, citations, reviews | Provider or agency |
| Content writing | Blog posts and service pages | Provider, approved by agency |
| Link building | Outreach for relevant backlinks | Provider |
| Reporting | Branded monthly reports | Provider tool, agency presents |
White Label SEO Pricing
There is no standard price for white label SEO. Providers price by package (for example, a set number of articles or links per month), by project (a one-time audit) or by monthly retainer. Your cost depends on the scope, competition in the client’s niche and the provider’s quality. Get written quotes from several providers and compare deliverables line by line, not just the monthly total.
When you set your resale price, account for your own time: sales, onboarding, strategy, reviewing work and client calls. Those hours are real even when the delivery is outsourced.
What to put in your white label agreement
- Exact monthly deliverables (for example, number of pages optimized or articles written).
- Turnaround times and how revisions are handled.
- Who owns the content, reports and accounts created.
- Confidentiality, so the provider doesn’t contact your client directly.
- How either side can end the arrangement and what gets handed over.
A clear agreement protects your client relationship as much as your margin. If a provider resists putting deliverables in writing, treat that as a warning sign.
Pros and Cons of White Label SEO
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Offer SEO without hiring a full team | Less direct control over the work |
| Scale up or down with demand | Your reputation depends on someone else’s quality |
| Access specialist skills (technical SEO, link building) | Margins can be thin if you underprice |
| Faster launch of a new service line | Communication delays between you, the provider and the client |
| Branded reports keep your agency front and center | Risk of low-quality links or content that could hurt rankings |
How to Vet a White Label SEO Provider
Google’s own guidance on hiring an SEO is the best checklist, because your client’s site is on the line. Google says advertising with Google won’t affect a site’s presence in search results, that Google never accepts money to include or rank sites, and it warns about SEOs that promise #1 rankings, claim a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submit”. It also notes that you are responsible for the actions of companies you hire.
Questions to ask any provider:
- Can you show sample reports and explain each section?
- Exactly how do you build links? Can I see examples?
- Who writes the content, and how is it reviewed?
- What access do you need, and how do you handle it securely?
- What happens to the work and accounts if we stop working together?
- How often will we communicate, and what is the turnaround on questions?
Walk away from anyone who is secretive about methods or won’t explain what they plan to do.
Doing White Label SEO Reporting Yourself With Semrush
Some agencies keep strategy and reporting in-house and outsource only parts of the work, such as writing or link outreach. That gives you more control over what the client sees. A tool like Semrush can handle the research and reporting side.
Semrush’s pricing page lists a Pro Report add-on that includes branding and white-labeling, scheduled delivery, AI-generated summaries and 20+ external integrations, and a Base Report add-on with data from 20+ Semrush tools plus Google Analytics and Search Console integrations. Semrush has also published updates on white-label options in My Reports, such as a custom sender address and reply-to email.
As of November 2026, the Semrush pricing page shows these plans when billed monthly:
| Semrush plan | Monthly price (billed monthly) | Websites / keywords tracked |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | $139/month | 5 websites / 500 keywords |
| Starter (SEO + AI Search) | $199/month | 5 websites / 500 keywords |
| Pro+ (SEO + AI Search) | $299/month | 15 websites / 1,500 keywords |
| Advanced | Custom (request demo) | 40+ websites / 5,000+ keywords |
| Free | $0 | 1 demo project, 10 reports per day |
Add-ons listed include Base Report at $10/month and Pro Report at $20/month. Annual billing shows lower monthly equivalents. Prices change; check the official pricing page.
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White Label SEO vs Hiring In-House
White label works well when SEO demand is uneven or when you’re testing SEO as a new service. Hiring in-house makes more sense once you have steady volume and want full control over quality and process. Many agencies use a hybrid: an in-house strategist who owns the client relationship and reviews everything, plus outside specialists for production.
If you’re still learning the fundamentals yourself, our Google SEO guide for 2026 is a good primer before you resell anything.
Related guides
- How Much Do Digital Marketing Agencies Charge Per Month?
- Semrush vs Ahrefs: Which SEO Tool Should a Small Business Choose?
- GHL vs HubSpot CRM: Which One Is Better for Agencies in 2026?
White Label SEO FAQ
What is a white label SEO?
It’s an SEO service performed by one company and sold by another under its own brand. The agency handles the client; the provider handles the work and delivers branded reports.
How much does white label SEO cost?
It varies by provider, scope and niche. Most providers sell monthly packages or one-time projects. Compare written quotes by deliverables, and price your resale package to cover your own management time.
Is SEO dead now with AI?
No. Search is changing, and AI features are part of it, but businesses still need to be found. Google’s guidance lists optimizing for generative AI as one of the services an SEO may offer, alongside technical work, content and local SEO.
Is white label SEO legal?
Reselling services under your own brand is a common business arrangement. Be honest in your contracts and marketing about what you deliver, and avoid claims you can’t support. This is not legal advice.
Need SEO Done Right for Your Business?
If you’d rather have SEO handled by a team that explains every step, explore ScaleMyClick’s SEO services or get a free marketing audit to see where your site stands today.
