SEO reseller program: how to judge one before you join

Judge an SEO reseller program by what it'll put in writing before you join. Ask about four things: the contract, the reports, access to your clients' accounts, and who keeps the client if you part ways. A program that answers all four on paper is one you can set beside the next.

How do you spot the best SEO reseller for your agency?

You spot a good fit by taking one checklist to every reseller you talk to, and getting each answer in writing. The reseller that fits is the one whose written answers match how your agency works, so we name no winner here.

If the word itself is new to you, start there. What the word means, and who does which part, is set out in what an SEO reseller is.

The checklist has four parts. Ask each question as it's written, and keep the replies in one file.

The contract

• How long is the term, and how do I end it?
• How much notice do I give, and in what form?
• Is there a setup fee, a minimum spend or a fee for leaving?
• Is there a refund? If so, what are its exact words?
• What happens to work that's half done on the day I leave?

Read the answers next to your own client contract, since the two have to fit. If the reseller ties you in for longer than your client is tied to you, that gap is yours to carry. For what each part of the contract says, see the parts of an SEO contract.

The reports

• Whose name and logo are on each report?
• Can I read and change a report before my client sees it?
• Which numbers does it hold, and where does each one come from?
• On which day does it reach me each month?
• Can I add notes of my own?

Ask for a sample report with the other agency's name blanked out. Reports are one part of what a program sends back. For how a program runs month to month, see white label SEO programs.

Access to client accounts

• Which of my clients' accounts will your people log in to?
• Does each person log in under a name of their own, or do they share one login?
• Who takes the access away when the work ends?
• Am I told when a new person is added?

Keep a list of your own that shows who has access to what. Update it each time the reseller tells you about a change.

Who keeps the client

• Does the contract say my clients stay mine?
• Does anyone on your side ever contact my clients?
• If we part ways, will you sell to my clients afterward?
• Do I keep the reports, the logins and the files when I leave?

If the contract is silent on one of these, ask for a line to be added.

Mark each question a reseller won't answer in writing. Those are the ones to raise again before you sign.

How do you compare SEO reseller plans?

Put the plans on one sheet, one column for each plan, and fill in the same lines for all of them. Use each seller's own words, and leave a line blank when a seller won't put it in writing.

1. Start with what the plan covers, and what it leaves out.
2. Next, note how you pay: a flat fee, a fee for each client, or a fee for each order.
3. Add the term: how long you're tied in, and how you leave.
4. Copy the refund in its exact words.

Here's DeskTeam360's own plan on those four lines, as one worked example:

• What's covered. On-page SEO is covered. Link building and outreach aren't.
• How you pay. It's a flat monthly rate, with no contracts.
• The term. It runs month to month, and you can cancel at any time.
• The refund. In its exact words: "There's a 30-day money-back guarantee. That's a full refund within the first 30 days, with no conditions."

A sheet like this won't make the choice for you. It shows where two plans differ, and which blanks to chase.

Price is one line on the sheet, and it only means something next to what the plan covers. What a reseller plan holds and costs is covered in SEO reseller services.

What should you look for in a white label SEO partner?

Look for five things in a white label SEO partner: skill, reviews, results, service and fees. Ask about each one the same way with every partner, so the answers line up. The short version of how to pick a helper is in How do I create a white label SEO report?.

• Skill. Ask for a sample of SEO work done for another agency, with the names removed. Ask who did it, and whether that person would work on your accounts.
• Reviews. Look for reviews written by agencies like yours, on sites the partner doesn't control.
• Results. Ask how the partner reports results, and what it won't promise.
• Service. Ask who your contact is, and what happens when that person is away.
• Fees. Ask for every fee in writing, and ask what makes a fee go up.

Two more asks belong on that list: who touches your client's data, and a contract in writing. The law's own words on a helper who handles client data are set out in Which California rules apply when a helper works under my brand?.

The data question ties back to the checklist. Hold the partner's answer here against what it told you about account access. The two have to agree.

This isn't legal or tax advice.