Businesses are starting to see the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). And as demands rise for SEO-related services, agencies and freelancers are scrambling to find ways to fill in the gap. Unfortunately, SEO is just not for everybody. Dipping their toes in an industry that’s continuously evolving is an enormous task to take up willy-nilly.
That’s why more and more White label SEO program resellers have begun popping up left and right. And while there are disadvantages to partnering up with SEO resellers, the upsides make a pretty compelling argument why people should give it a go.
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What is a White Label SEO reseller program?
To put it simply, SEO reseller programs are made by companies (or, in some cases, individuals) who offer services related to search engine optimization, some might offer PPC (pay per click) or social media marketing as well. They bundle together said services, so clients get more bang for their buck. People who refer clients to these companies are called SEO resellers, or private label services.
It’s crucial for SEO resellers to position themselves as a low-cost solution for startups. Their appeal goes beyond that for they also attract bigger companies with a conservative budget for online marketing. They consider themselves an alternative to building an in-house team or hiring freelancers.
Who are these reseller programs for?
They are primarily for digital marketing agencies that are ill-equipped to handle SEO tasks. If your clients are asking for link building strategies or keyword research and you’ve no clue what they’re talking about, consider being a reseller.
As an SEO reseller, you must find the right experts that would help your client meet his goals for his business. It’s a tremendous task considering much of your client’s success rests on your shoulders. It’s only right that you take this job seriously.
Why should you resell marketing services?
For starters, any job that involves SEO can be lucrative. SEO is an umbrella term that covers some tasks. Link building, content creation, and even social media fall under SEO. And these are not one-time deals. Once a project starts, it goes on for months if not years. Turning down SEO jobs from clients would be such a waste given how you could find SEO companies to do them for you.
But if SEO is so lucrative, why should you not hire an in-house team? Wouldn’t profits be better if you have your people doing the work?
Well, that would be correct. The payday would be better if you have your experts under your roof. But as we briefly touched on earlier, SEO is not something you learn overnight. And hiring a legitimate SEO badass would cost you a lot. Then you’ll have to hire a team which would increase your overhead cost. And we still haven’t mentioned the price you’ll have to pay to gain access to all the SEO tools (like SEMRush) you’ll need to operate.
Also, nobody trusts an SEO company without anything to show for with good reason. A team of amateurs can only deliver lackluster results. That’s why businesses will only work with individuals with years of SEO under their belt.
And with all the misinformation online about SEO tactics, you might even end up harming your client’s website. You would have to identify which practices are frowned upon and which ones would produce the desired impact.
That’s easier said than done. Google and other search engines always make updates to their algorithms. Any update made changes the game for all SEO marketers. Even SEO veterans have a hard time keeping up. The headache is simply not worth the trouble.
It would be better to leave these types of tasks to the experts. As a reseller, you still pocket some of the profit anyway.
Core services of White Label SEO reseller programs
Earlier I’ve mentioned some of the services that come bundled in SEO reseller programs. But there are even more services we still haven’t touched on. Here are just a few that will complete a great seo program.
On-page audit
The first thing anyone should do when building an SEO plan is to determine what problems need to be addressed. By performing an on-page audit, experts will see what steps to take to make a website rank better in Google. From there, they will create a menu of action items you could present to your client.
Some SEO companies offer this service free of charge as a means of getting their foot in the door.
Keyword research
Another staple in the SEO industry. Keyword research is the backbone of which SEO is built upon. There are many ways to do keyword research and to be fair; it can be an easy task. But great SEO companies know how to find high-value keywords — the ones that matter.
Link building
It’s almost certain that you’ll find link building in any SEO reseller bundle. The importance of having inbound links pointing to your client’s site cannot be understated. There are many ways of doing this with some being more effective than others. This is where experience comes in. SEO companies know which strategies will give your client a better return on investment. Content marketing is going to be the center of most campaigns and is one of the most effective ways to get high-quality links built.
White Label Localized SEO
Let’s face it: most trying to build a profitable marketing agency are dealing probably small-scale businesses operating locally generally in the United States, Canada, or UK. Any bigger and they’d probably have the funds to launch their online marketing campaigns. Localized SEO needs to be more precise. As an SEO local reseller, you should help your client rank for local search terms.
Content development
Of course, all the strategies above would be pointless if your client didn’t have content. Creating (and promoting) new content is often outsourced to professional writers. But most SEO companies throw this in their reseller programs. This saves your client a considerable amount of money.
More than creating content, these companies have people who will monitor the progress of every piece of content posted online. They look at all the data including traffic and revenue generated from each page.
Web design
While not specifically SEO, selling website redesigns are sometimes critical to bringing a site up to date, making it faster, a better user experience (UX) which all fall under web design. On larger clients, custom web development is often required and usually has a great ROI.
Tips on choosing the best SEO reseller program for you
So you think being an SEO reseller is right for you. How do you find a reseller program that’s right for you and your client? Well, there’s a lot to consider. The following tips should help guide you through the process.
Find a reseller program that’s scalable
SEO companies know what services they need to sell to land resellers. Sure, they may manage to tick off all the checkboxes of a good reseller program. But ask them: can they scale? Will they have enough resources to cater to your client’s growing business?
Look for experts in localized search
Bonus if you find experts with experience working in niche products or industries. As your client base continues to grow, you’ll find yourself dealing with niche sites. Unfortunately, some online marketers believe in a shotgun approach. That means they target every possible keyword in hopes that a website would rank for everything which is just silly.
A deli shop in Portland won’t need to rank for search queries outside of Maine. Your client’s funds need to go towards ranking locally. Finding an expert who knows how to do this will boost your client’s business and keep him happy.
Ask what tools they use to monitor progress
As a reseller, your client will look to you for progress reports. It’s important that the SEO company you work with use industry-leading software to track website performance. Some will say they have their reporting tool. In some cases, those would be enough or may even surpass other paid version available to the general public. It’s a gamble, really, on your end.
That’s why some prefer using tools from established developers. If you’re unfamiliar with SEO reporting tools, you may want to consider SEO companies that use those.
Find companies that use white hat SEO techniques
Google only consider white hat SEO as the acceptable practices of optimizing your site. On the opposite end of the spectrum lies black hat techniques. As you may have guessed, the online community frown upon these methods. But black hat continues to prevail in some circles because they still yield good short-term results.
You wouldn’t want to work with companies that do black hat SEO. In the long run, these strategies will come back to haunt your client. It may end up ruining the good relationship you’ve developed with your client over the years.
Talk to businesses who have worked with these SEO companies
Don’t rely on reviews you see online. These could have been posted by anybody. If you can, you should reach out to the companies themselves through any official channel. You could try sending an email or reaching out to social media. Ask how well the company performed.
You can also look at companies recommended by credible SEO personalities on their blogs or company websites. The SEO community tends to help each other out. Any recommendation from guys who are well-known in the industry should be welcomed.
Learn how long the SEO company had been in business
Going back to an earlier point about experience, ask how long the SEO reseller program had been in place. You’d also want to know how long the SEO company itself had been doing business.
Know their payment options
Prices vary depending on which SEO reseller program you decide to use. However, the payment structure would be just as crucial. Payments could be made monthly or annually. You want to find an arrangement that works with your billing cycle for your client.
Test how open their lines of communications are
Can these people be reached whenever needed? How fast can they take your call? In white label services, trouble comes when you least expect it. And when your client comes knocking on your doors demanding answers, you’d want someone who’ll pick up the phone immediately.
Determine their technical capabilities
This can be tricky especially if you have no background in SEO. How would you gauge how good an white label SEO company is? A company could very well take advantage of your lack of knowledge. What you could do is have an SEO-savvy friend go over the reseller program to see if everything’s on the up and up.
If nobody’s available to help out, you could do some research — just enough to see if what they offer makes sense.
Review content they published
Other than grammar, try to see if their writing style is up to your client’s standards. Since the content will be up on your client’s website, they’ll want it to represent their brand well. Asking for content samples will help you gauge if they’re up to the task.
Try to see how long their content is on average. You’d be surprised by how some SEO companies shortchange their customers by providing a lackluster copy. Not only should content be engaging, but they should also provide enough information to make every site visit worthwhile.
Get a team with different expertise
You should ask how diverse your team will be should you close the deal. As mentioned, SEO covers many strategies. You don’t want to be stuck with a team that only knows link building. Ask if you could meet the team through a Skype call or something. Ask what projects they have worked on in the past. This way, you can gauge for yourself how diverse their skill sets are.
Test how up-to-date they are on SEO trends
Again, you should reach out to someone who knows SEO to help you out. There’s always something new in the world of SEO. You want a team that’s up-to-date on the latest trends.
Find a company with an office
This last one may not be high on everyone’s list of things to look out for. But you’d sleep better at night knowing that the SEO company you partnered with has a physical office you could go to. If they ask you to meet up in a coffee place, be wary. While it may not be the case, that would tell you that you’re dealing with an amateur.
Conclusion
Don’t let your lack of SEO knowledge stand in the way of you making some serious profit. With all the white label SEO reseller programs available, you’d find a business partner that’s right for your client’s needs.