On this page
Key takeaways
- White label SEO pricing has two layers: what the partner charges you, and what you charge your client.
- Markup and margin are different numbers. A 50% markup is only a 33% margin.
- Your margin has to pay for account management, sales, reporting calls and the risk of client churn.
- Price per client scope, per location or per deliverable, depending on how you sell SEO.
- Compare partners on scope and process, not on the lowest fee or ranking promises.
Quick answer
White label SEO pricing works in two layers. The partner charges your agency a fee per client scope, per location or per deliverable. Your agency then sets a client price that holds a target margin, for example 40% or 50% of the price, to cover account management, reporting, sales costs and profit.
White label SEO pricing is the question every agency hits once it decides to resell SEO. You know roughly what clients will pay. You get a quote from a partner. The gap between the two numbers has to cover everything your agency does on the account, and still leave profit. This guide covers the pricing models partners use, the math for setting your client price, and the costs agencies forget to include. If you are new to the model itself, start with our guide to white label SEO.
White label SEO pricing: how much should an agency charge?
There is no single market rate, because scope varies so much. A five-page local site needs a Business Profile, citations and a few service pages. A national ecommerce store needs technical audits, category page work and links at scale. What stays consistent is the structure. Agencies start from the partner's fee for a defined scope, add their own costs, and then set a price that holds the target margin.
A practical approach is to pick a target margin first, such as 40% or 50% of the client price, and work backwards from the partner fee. Agencies that do heavy strategy, calls and custom reporting need a higher target. Agencies that resell a lighter, packaged product can run a lower target and make it up on volume. Your own number depends on how much time your team spends on each account.
The pricing models white label partners use
Partners package SEO in a few standard ways. The model you choose on the buying side often shapes how you sell on the client side, so it is worth matching them.
| Model | How the partner charges | Works well for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly scope per client | A fixed monthly fee for an agreed set of tasks or hours | Ongoing SEO retainers | Scope creep when the client asks for extras |
| Tiered packages | Fixed bundles, often called bronze, silver and gold or starter and growth | Agencies that sell standard SEO packages | Tiers that do not fit the client's real needs |
| Per location | A fee for each Business Profile or location page set | Local SEO and multi-location brands | Locations with very different competition levels |
| Per deliverable | A price per audit, article, page or link placement | Agencies adding SEO as a one-off or add-on | Buying links as a commodity, which can breach Google's spam policies |
| Dedicated team | A monthly fee for a team working across all your SEO clients | Agencies with a large SEO book | Paying for capacity you do not yet use |
SEO reseller pricing is often presented as fixed packages, because packages are easy to resell. Custom scopes take more back and forth, but they usually fit the client better and reduce the risk of churn after a few months.
Markup vs margin: the math that trips agencies up
Markup is the amount you add on top of your cost, as a percentage of cost. Margin is the share of the client price you keep, as a percentage of price. They are not the same number, and confusing them is the most common pricing mistake in white label work.
The figures below are illustrative only, to show the math. They are not BX rates or market quotes.
| Approach | Client price | Kept by agency | Margin | Markup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add 50% markup | $750 | $250 | 33% | 50% |
| Target 40% margin | $833 | $333 | 40% | 67% |
| Target 50% margin | $1,000 | $500 | 50% | 100% |
| Target 60% margin | $1,250 | $750 | 60% | 150% |
To price for a target margin, divide the partner fee by one minus the margin. For a 50% margin on a $500 fee, that is $500 divided by 0.5, which gives $1,000. If you only add 50% on top, you end up at $750 and keep a third of the price, not half.
What your margin has to cover
The partner does the SEO work. Your agency still carries real costs on every account. List them before you settle on a price.
- Account management: client calls, email, and turning the partner's output into advice the client can act on.
- Report review: checking each report before it goes out under your brand.
- Sales and onboarding: proposals, discovery calls, and collecting access to Search Console, analytics and the CMS.
- Tools: rank tracking, reporting dashboards and any seats you pay for per client.
- Churn risk: some clients will leave early, and the setup work on those accounts is not recovered.
- Payment terms: if you pay the partner before the client pays you, you are financing the gap.
How to set client prices step by step
- 1
Get a scoped quote
Send the partner the client's site, markets and goals. Ask for the monthly scope in writing: tasks, content volume, link targets and reporting.
- 2
Add your internal hours
Multiply your monthly hours on the account by your loaded hourly cost. Add tool costs per client.
- 3
Choose a target margin
Decide the share of the client price you want to keep after partner and internal costs. Price with the formula, not a flat markup.
- 4
Check the market
Compare the result with what clients in that market already pay for similar SEO scopes. Adjust scope, not quality, if the price is out of range.
- 5
Package it
Turn the scope into a client-facing package with clear deliverables, a reporting cadence and a minimum term that matches how SEO work compounds.
Pricing local and multi-location SEO
Local SEO is usually priced per location, because most of the work, such as the Business Profile, citations, reviews and a location page, repeats for each one. Agencies often reduce the per-location price as the count grows, since templates and reporting are shared. Keep a floor price per location so a large account does not end up below your costs. For a full view of that service, see white label local SEO.
Partner terms that protect your margin
Pricing is only half of the agreement. The terms around it decide whether your margin survives a difficult month. Before you sign with a partner, get these points in writing.
- Notice period. Match the partner's notice period to the one in your client contracts, so a client cancellation does not leave you paying for work you can no longer bill.
- Pausing and scaling. Ask whether a client scope can be paused, reduced or increased mid-term, and how much notice that needs.
- Extras. Get a written rate or quoting process for work outside the monthly scope, such as extra pages, migrations or urgent fixes.
- Billing currency. If you bill clients in one currency and pay the partner in another, agree which currency applies and review prices when rates move.
- Ownership on exit. Content, audit files, reports and account access should transfer to you or your client if the arrangement ends.
These terms matter more as your book grows. One loose clause across twenty accounts can wipe out the margin you worked out so carefully above.
Pricing red flags when you compare partners
The cheapest quote is not always the lowest cost. A partner that cuts corners can cost you the client, and in some cases put the client's site at risk. Watch for these signs.
- Ranking promises. Google's own guidance warns that no one can guarantee a number one ranking.
- A fixed number of links for a very low price, with no names of the sites or methods used.
- No written scope, only a package name.
- Reports that cannot be rebranded, or that include the partner's logo.
- Content and audit files that stay with the partner if you leave.
Pros
- Cost scales with each client you sell
- No salary to carry before the revenue arrives
- You set your own client price and margin
- Easy to price per location or per deliverable
Cons
- Margin shrinks fast if account management time is not priced in
- Cheap partners can create cleanup costs later
- Currency moves can change your cost if you pay in another currency
- Scope creep eats margin unless extras are priced
How to present the price to your client
Clients rarely ask how your delivery is split. They ask what they get each month. Frame the price around deliverables and reporting, and keep the partner fee out of the conversation. A clear monthly report is what keeps the client paying, so our guide to white label SEO reporting is worth reading alongside this one. For benchmarks on what businesses already expect to pay for SEO, see SEO pricing in the Philippines or model the return with the SEO investment calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good margin on white label SEO?
There is no standard figure. Many agencies set a target such as 40% or 50% of the client price and work backwards from the partner fee. The right number depends on how much account management and reporting time your team puts into each client.
How is seo reseller pricing usually structured?
Most partners charge a monthly fee per client scope, a tiered package price, a per-location fee for local SEO, or a per-deliverable price for audits, content and links.
Should I show my clients the partner's price?
Most agencies do not. Clients pay for the result, the strategy and the account management your agency provides, and the price reflects all of that.
What is the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is what you add as a percentage of your cost. Margin is what you keep as a percentage of the client price. A 50% markup on a $500 cost gives a $750 price and a 33% margin.
Is cheap white label SEO worth it?
Low prices often mean mass-produced content or low-quality links, which can breach Google's spam policies. Compare partners on process, samples and ownership terms before price.
How we wrote this guide
We reviewed the service scope and trade-offs from our hands-on work. Our guides explain costs, limitations, and what to ask before choosing a provider. See our process.
About the author
Tim Alcantara
Tim Alcantara is the founder of BX Digital Marketing, a Taguig-based agency that runs SEO, Google Ads and Meta Ads for clients in the Philippines, Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
Learn more about BX
