As digital marketing continues to grow, the demand for particular services, like SEO, is also rising. For many agencies, SEO reselling is an attractive alternative. Agencies have thus been able to expand their list of services offered without having to hire SEO experts in-house. However, it’s not the same story with SEO resellers, and that you pick may make the difference between standing tall in front of your agency’s reputation and growth. This guide will take everything through a step-by-step walk when selecting the best SEO reseller partner.
What Does an SEO Reseller Do?
Before we explain in detail how to pick the right SEO reseller, it is helpful to first clarify what an SEO reseller is. An SEO reseller is a company or agency that offers white-label SEO services, meaning that they are responsible for all the aspects of SEO-from keyword research to link building and reporting-on behalf of your agency. This implies that you retain the relationship with the clients while the reseller completes the SEO tasks under your agency’s brand name.
There are many benefits: you will be offering professional SEO services with all the overheads of handling an in-house team out of your way, and you can focus on client relationships while the reseller focuses on results.
Learn about the benefits of reseller services.
Key Considerations When Making a Choice of an SEO Reseller
Having understood the basic concept, let’s now discuss what you should consider to have high chances of choosing a reliable and effective SEO reseller partner.
1. Past and Reputation of the Reseller
A strong reputation with a proven history goes with any SEO reselling agreement. The first thing to look in that direction is their past. So, check their client case studies first.
- Reviews and Testimonials: Search for client testimonials and independent reviews. If positive feedbacks and success stories are coming from genuine customers, it is usually agreed that this is an honest reseller.
- Industry Experience: Discover how long they have been into business. Long-serving resellers are relatively more capable of managing complex SEO strategies and keeping track with algorithmic changes.
A credible reseller with experience and client satisfaction that has worked out well proves reliable, and this will protect your agency’s reputation.
2. Consider Their SEO Services and Specialisations
All SEO strategies are not created equal, and neither are all clients the same. In reviewing a reseller’s services, consider:
- Full-Service SEO: Ideally, the reseller should provide you with full-service SEO, which would include on-page SEO, off-page SEO, local SEO, and technical SEO.
- Scalability: Consider the reseller’s ability to handle small projects and large ones. Are they capable of handling large volumes if your client base is growing?
- Specialised Services: In case you specialise in a niche industry or clients have unique needs, ensure that the reseller is flexible enough to provide industry-specific or niche-friendly solutions. Examples include e-commerce SEO, which can travel much further than small business local SEO.
The more adequate and versatile the reseller’s services are, the better they’ll meet the requirements of your diverse clients.
3. Look at Prices and Margins
Of course, reselling SEO is about profit too. Take an in-depth look at the pricing model set up by the reseller, and check how that will influence your margins:
- Reseller Pricing: Most SEO resellers provide wholesale pricing, which means you get to set your own rates. The pricing model should be sustainable such that it lets you add a markup and remain competitive.
- Tiered Packages: Some resellers provide flexible, tiered packages that will enable you to serve different levels of customers. It suits agencies working with clients from more than one budget profile.
- No Hidden Costs: There should be transparent costs-no hidden fees or surprise expenses that may eat into your gross profit.
With a reseller that offers competitive, clear pricing, you will enjoy healthy margins, and your agency will always stay in the black.
4. Review Their Reporting and Communication Practices
The order of communication must be transparent in any partnership. A good reseller will not hesitate to communicate with you and your clients through detailed reports on a regular basis:
- White-Label Reports: Opt for a reseller that gives you white-label reports. This will enable the results directly to the clients as though they were devised by your agency.
- Performance Metrics: Understand the type of data they include in their reports. Ensure that they will use key performance indicators (KPIs) like keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates.
- Updates: The reseller should make regular check-ins with you to update you on progress. Weekly or monthly updates can give one peace of mind and help spot any problems before they turn disastrous.
This will also help the kind of relationship you have with your client because they can track and follow better what’s going on, thus gaining the trust of the clients.
5. Measure Their Conformity to SEO Best Practices
SEO is changing all the time-actual rules from the providers of the search engines. You want to be sure to work with a reseller devoted to white-hat SEO practices:
- Ethical SEO Techniques: Avoid re-sellers using black-hat tactics such as keyword stuffing, link schemes, or cloaking. They may have short-term benefits but will eventually lead to penalties and damage the client’s reputation.
- Algorithm Knowledge: ask how well they know the latest algorithm updates. Resellers that are up-to-date about the knowledge of the changes in the search engine are more likely to not get penalised and prepare client sites for long term success.
- Quality of Content: Quality content is the backbone of a successful SEO program. Ensure they have rich, experienced writers and content strategists who will produce valuable, SEO-friendly content.
A reseller who stands for ethical SEO practices and high-quality content will protect your agency and its clients from penalties dished out by search engines.
6. Check Their Client Service
Strong after-sales support to the customer can either make or break a reseller partnership. As far as the reseller is an extension of your agency, hence, reliable service is crucial for you:
- Availability: Let you know whether there is available round-the-clock support through the reseller or if they happen to work within specific hours. Agencies that cater to international clients will often find 24/7 pretty useful.
- Dedicated account manager: Some SEO resellers provide dedicated account managers to agencies. Such a single point contact makes communication smooth and ensures personalised attention.
- Response time: Test how fast they can respond with some questions. A responsive reseller is of the utmost importance to address urgent matters and deliver seamless service.
Choosing the right reseller with a responsive support team would mean smooth communications and quick resolution of problems for you as well as your clients.
7. Ask for a Trial or Demo
Before you commit fully to their services, take them up for testing the services of the reseller. Several resellers offer trials or demo accounts where you can take them through their process and results:
- Trial Period: Some resellers give you a trial period or a discounted rate for the initial services. This will help you gauge their performance without considerable commitment.
- Demo Reports: Request sample reports to judge the depth and quality of their analysis. It will help you better understand how they communicate results and how well they can demonstrate their value to clients.
- Pilot Project: If possible, it is best to implement a small project or single client to check for its effectiveness and compatibility with your agency’s workflow.
A trial period or demo offers the chance to confirm the quality and service of the reseller before having committed fully to the whole process.
8. Measure Their Flexibility and Personalisation Capabilities
There are no two different clients. Therefore, flexibility and personalisation are a must for reselling SEO services. Look for resellers that can adapt their services according to specific client requirements:
- Personalised Strategy: Not every client will fit the one-size-fits-all approach. Make sure the reseller is amenable to adapting strategies according to specific client goals, industries, and levels of competition.
- White-Label Branding: If consistency of branding is of prime importance to your agency, find out whether the reseller provides complete white-label capabilities-from reports to communications with the client.
- Flexible Contract Terms: Some lock agencies into long-term contracts. Seek a reseller who gives flexible terms and will enable you to make changes to services along the way.
By choosing a flexible reseller, you can give clients more customised services and catch up with the fluctuations in demand.
Conclusion
Choosing the right SEO reseller can be just what’s in it for your agency. An ideal SEO reseller should have a proven track record, flexible pricing, transparent reporting and best practices. A trial period can also be used to test the services and make the right choice for you. The proper partner will expand your services offered to clients, tighten ties to clients, and expand your agency.