White label vs reseller vs outsourcing: which SEO model fits your agency
The three ways US agencies buy SEO delivery from India, what each costs, how each is contracted, and how to pick one for your client count and margins.
White-label SEO is delivered under your brand with no client contact; a reseller program sells a fixed product at a wholesale price per client site; outsourcing is a dedicated team working your processes. Agencies with fewer than ten SEO clients usually start with a reseller plan and move to white label or a dedicated team as the client count grows.
The guide
The three models, defined
US agencies use three words for buying SEO delivery from a partner, and vendors use them loosely. Precise definitions make the choice easier.
- White-label SEO is SEO work delivered under your agency's brand. The partner produces the work and unbranded reports; your clients never hear the partner's name and the partner never contacts them.
- An SEO reseller program is a fixed product, such as "local SEO package, 10 hours a month", sold to you at a wholesale price, usually per client site per month. You mark it up and sell it under your brand. Most reseller programs are white label by default; the difference is that you buy a package, not a team.
- SEO outsourcing is a dedicated person or team working on your processes, your tools and your hours, billed monthly or hourly. The work is whatever you assign.
All three exist on the India lists on this site: white label SEO companies, SEO reseller companies and dedicated SEO experts. The ranked list of SEO reseller programs compares programs from any country by wholesale price, dashboard and turnaround.
Side by side
| Reseller program | White label | Outsourcing (dedicated team) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A fixed package per client site | Custom work under your brand | People on your processes |
| Typical pricing | Wholesale price per site per month; often from about USD 450 (typical starting point, estimate) | Retainer per client, priced to scope; USD 800–2,500 a month is a typical range | Monthly rate per person, or USD 25–45 an hour (typical range) |
| Your margin | Set by your markup; simple to model | Depends on scope control | Depends on utilization |
| Who manages the work | The partner, to its process | Shared; you own the client relationship | You |
| Client contact | None | None | Sometimes, on your calls |
| Best at | 1–10 similar local-business clients | 10+ clients with varied needs | Agencies with an SEO lead who can direct a team |
| Main risk | Thin packages that look busy | Scope creep and quality drift | Idle hours, management load |
Prices are typical ranges from what agencies submit to Rankyfy, labelled as estimates; the price report has sample sizes and dates.
When a reseller program fits
A reseller program suits an agency with a handful of similar clients, typically local businesses that need Business Profile work, citations, a few pages and monthly reporting. The economics are simple: a fixed wholesale cost per site, a fixed retail price, a margin you can see. The partner's dashboard usually lets you add a site, pick a package and download a white-labelled report.
Check three things before buying. First, what the package actually contains per month, in units you can count: pages, posts, links, hours. Second, whether the dashboard shows Search Console data or only rank-tracker positions. Third, the minimum term and what happens to the client's site and accounts if you cancel. The reseller programs list shows each of these for every program.
When white label fits
White label suits an agency that sells SEO as part of a broader relationship and needs work shaped to each client: an ecommerce store with 4,000 products, a law firm with strict advertising rules, a franchise with 40 locations. You keep the client relationship and the strategy; the partner does the production under your name.
The white-label specifics that Rankyfy records on every profile are the ones to ask about: unbranded reports, a sample report you can see before signing, a written no-contact promise for your end clients, turnaround times per deliverable, and the reseller price. Ask for the sample report first. Then confirm the non-solicit clause covers your clients for at least 12 months after the contract ends; without it, the partner's sales team can call your client next year.
When outsourcing a dedicated team fits
A dedicated team fits an agency that already has someone who can direct SEO work: an in-house lead who writes the strategy and needs hands to execute it. You get named people on your Slack, your project tool and your hours, and you pay for their time whether or not you fill it. The management load is real; agencies that hire a dedicated resource without a lead to direct it usually end up with idle hours and vague reports.
Ask for the person's name, experience and working hours, not just the company's. Ask what happens when that person leaves: how much notice you get and how a replacement is trained. Profiles on the dedicated SEO experts list state the monthly rate, the overlap hours and the notice period.
How to choose: a short decision list
- Fewer than ten SEO clients, mostly local businesses: start with a reseller program. Move on when packages stop fitting.
- Ten or more clients, varied scopes, you own the strategy: white label, with a partner that has verified reviews from US agencies.
- You have an SEO lead and steady volume: a dedicated team, starting with one person and a paid pilot month.
- Not sure: run a paid pilot with one client site under each of two models. Two months of real work beats any comparison table, including this one.
The contract terms that matter for each model
- All three: NDA covering your client list; every account created in the client's name; IP assignment on payment; invoicing in US dollars; 30-day notice.
- Reseller and white label: a non-solicit clause of 12 to 24 months covering your clients and staff; a written promise of no end-client contact; the right to take the reports and content with you.
- Dedicated team: a named resource clause with replacement terms; a cap on how many other clients the person works for; overlap hours in writing.
The contract checklist goes through all ten clauses. When you are ready to compare partners, the compare tool puts two or three side by side on price, reviews, US-client counts, hours and terms.
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Questions readers ask
Is a reseller program the same as white-label SEO?
Not quite. A reseller program is a fixed package at a wholesale price, usually per client site; most are delivered white label. White-label SEO can also mean custom work under your brand, priced to scope. Ask which one a vendor means.
What margin do agencies make on reseller SEO?
That depends on your retail price. The wholesale price per site is shown on each program on the reseller list; a common approach is to price the retail package at two to three times wholesale, but check what the package contains before you assume the margin.
Can my clients find out that I use a white-label partner?
Only if the partner contacts them or brands its work. Ask for unbranded reports, a written no-contact promise and a non-solicit clause. Profiles on this site show whether an agency offers each of these.
Should I tell my clients the work is done in India?
That is a business and legal decision for you and your lawyer. Many agencies disclose that they use partners without naming them. What you must not do is misrepresent who does the work if a client asks directly.