A white label SEO agreement has to do something a normal service contract does not: protect a relationship you own from a provider your client cannot see. Four clauses carry almost all of that weight.
The four clauses that matter
1. Non-solicitation
The provider may not approach, solicit, or accept direct business from any client introduced through you – during the engagement and for a defined period after, typically 12 to 24 months.
Make it cover indirect approaches too. The realistic risk is not a cold pitch; it is the provider responding warmly when your client goes looking after seeing a name in a document.
2. White label guarantee
Specify what unbranded actually means, because “white label” alone is not enforceable:
- No provider branding on any deliverable, including document metadata and filenames
- Communications with your client only through you, or under your brand with your written consent
- Dashboards served from your domain
- Your client not named in the provider’s marketing, case studies, or client lists without written approval
3. Link acquisition policy
The only clause preventing damage that outlives the relationship:
- No paid links, PBNs, link networks, or paid directory submissions
- All links earned through outreach, digital PR, or editorial placement
- Monthly report: every new link with live URL, target page, anchor text, and acquisition method
- Remediation at provider cost if breaching links are found
- Your right to veto placements on brand-safety grounds
4. Ownership and exit
- All work product, content, data, and documentation is yours on payment
- Client accounts remain owned by the client or you, never the provider
- On termination, full handover within 10 business days
- No clause permitting removal of delivered and paid-for work
- 30 days’ notice either way after an initial 90-day term
Terms to negotiate on commercials
| Term | What to push for |
|---|---|
| Price lock | Wholesale fixed for the duration of your client contract |
| Volume tiers | 10-25% reduction past five and ten clients, written in now |
| Payment timing | You settle after your client pays you, never before |
| Pause rights | Ability to pause an account if a client pauses, without losing tier pricing |
| Capacity commitment | Guaranteed onboarding slots per month as you grow |
SLA items worth specifying
- Email response within 1 business day; urgent client issues within 4 business hours
- Monthly data and work log delivered by the 5th, so you can write commentary before the 10th
- Content drafts within 5 business days of an approved brief; revisions within 2
- A named strategist, with written notice and equivalent seniority on substitution
- A named escalation contact above the account lead
- A fixed daily overlap window, stated in both time zones
What should never appear
- Ranking guarantees. Unenforceable, and a signal they will make the same promise to your client.
- A fixed monthly link quota. It guarantees purchased links.
- Provider ownership of accounts or content. Ever.
- Auto-renewing long terms with lengthy notice windows.
- A right to display your clients as their own case studies.
Have a solicitor review the non-solicitation and IP clauses in your jurisdiction. Everything else you can negotiate yourself, but those two are where enforceability actually matters.
Frequently asked questions
What should a white label SEO agreement include?
Non-solicitation covering your clients, a specific white label guarantee including document metadata, an explicit link acquisition policy, and clear ownership and exit terms.
How long should a non-solicitation clause last?
Twelve to twenty-four months after termination, covering both direct approaches and accepting inbound business from clients introduced through you.
Who owns the content and accounts?
You or your client – never the provider. Specify that all work product transfers on payment and that client accounts are never created under provider ownership.
What SLA terms should I ask for?
One business day email response, four hours for urgent client issues, monthly data by the 5th, content drafts within five days of an approved brief, and a named strategist with substitution notice.
Should a lawyer review it?
Have one review the non-solicitation and IP assignment clauses for your jurisdiction, since enforceability varies. The commercial terms you can negotiate yourself.
Part of our complete guide to white label SEO.
Serpwize provides white label SEO fulfilment from India for agencies in the US, UK, and Australia. See how our reseller programme works.
