How White-Label Link-Building Services Work in 2024

‍Two things will always be true in the digital marketing world: links are important, and everyone eventually outsources their link building. Sometimes, though, it’s not just individuals doing it but an entire agency.

‍Yes, you read that right. And that’s where a white-label link-building agency comes in.

‍But experienced experts know how risky it can get when you hand off your link campaigns to someone else. Now, imagine that you are doing that through another agency – scary x2.

‍Can you even make it work? And should you consider this strategy for your own agency? These are the questions we’ll answer in this article.

‍Source: @jst5th on X

‍A white-label link-building agency is a special service that helps digital marketing agencies build backlinks. These agencies, in turn, resell those backlinks to their own clients.

‍But the idea is that the clients of the second agency (the buyer) won’t even know they outsource this process to someone else.

‍So, basically, if everything goes as planned, you then get all the credit for doing a great job (you did find a good white-label company, after all).

‍In general, these agencies do everything you need for quality link-building:

• Finding relevant websites,
• Doing the outreach (i.e., crafting and submitting the pitches and communicating with your target websites),
• Writing the guest post content (though this is often done in-house or by client),
• Reporting and tracking links after all the link building is done (if you’re lucky to find an agency that cares).

‍Sometimes, SEO and marketing agencies who need to partner with others to deliver their work, see them as just a place you can buy backlinks from, but it’s not entirely true.

‍Think of white-label as the secret service of the link-building world. They have “high-level access” (i.e., connections across niches) that is out of reach for most digital marketing agencies.

‍Well, everyone needs backlinks, but you might want to consider a white-label link-building provider if:

• You need more experience. Maybe you are a small SEO team without anyone who has link building experience. A big part of link building is your network, so if your company doesn’t really have it, you can get these services from another agency.
• Don’t have enough workforce. Say, you do have a dedicated link-building team. But there is too much demand at this time and you need a temporary solution to meet all those deadlines.

‍By outsourcing your task to a whole team of link builders, it is easy to scale up the backlinks you offer clients without compromising on quality.

• Need to meet special clients’ demands. Clients will want different things at different times. Your in-house SEO team may not have the expertise that your clients need at every particular moment.

‍White-label solutions will have both the skills and connections to help you acquire all kinds of links that may otherwise be out of your reach.

• Link building isn’t your main service. If link building is just an add-on benefit you offer to your clients for their convenience, then outsourcing this process to another agency is a wise decision to avoid a steep learning curve and optimize your budget.

‍Even though collaborating with a white-label link-building agency comes with tons of benefits, it also comes with some issues. And let’s be honest, the more you know, the better prepared you are to make the right choice. Most of the hassles will revolve around issues like:

Challenge #1: The Quality of the Sites

‍Spammy links are a serious problem, so you should be prepared for this challenge. Most of the time, you can tell if an agency is going to give you toxic links.

‍For example, if an agency is promising you a link from a DR 90+ site for $5, then run the other way. The real price is probably 100x (if not 1000x) higher.

‍Sometimes, though, it takes a different form. They might promise to help you land a publication in, say, Forbes for $5,000. But then, they come back to you and say that it will now be $7,000. This means that you should go to your client and extend the budget, so you do.

‍But then, after days (maybe even weeks) of back and forth, it turns out they can’t get you that publication for any price.

‍What do you think happens when you trust them and make all these promises to your clients only to fail to deliver at the end of the day? You end up looking bad and may lose the customer’s trust.

‍How to deal with it:

‍You see, good things rarely come cheap. So, avoid those ones who make promises that are just too good to be true. That means no chasing after $10 for DR 60+ link. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

‍That’s why the universal advice is to be picky – sieve every prospect carefully to see if they have a track record of success.

Challenge #2: Links That Last About as Long as Mist

‍Have you ever seen anyone online complain that they paid for “permanent links” only to see them disappear after a few weeks? Yeah, that is not really permanent now, is it?

‍This can be a whole issue, so watch out. Sometimes, your links might also get tagged nofollow or noindex after a while.

‍And this is a serious problem because you don’t want to be fighting for every link that went sideways.

‍There is nothing worse than your clients coming back to call you a “scammy” agency if their links turn out to be only dofollow for only a month. If this happens, then your white-label provider sucks (clearly) – sorry, not sorry.

‍How to deal with it:

‍Ask the prospective white-label link-building agency upfront about these things. They should be able to tell you the expected lifetime of any link placement. Besides, they should provide some sort of guarantee or refund just in case something goes wrong.

Challenge #3: Sketchy Link Placements

‍Some clients might learn (sometimes late) that their links got placed on sketchy websites or right next to sensitive web pages.

‍If your white-label provider (or the site by itself) also sells links to niches like gambling or adult sites, this can harm your client’s website credibility. And the worst scenario is if your outsourced agency isn’t being honest about the actual quality of sites they offer.

‍How to deal with it:

‍Always ask for the website portfolio and check the quality of the pages. Besides, talk your workflow through and make sure they want to replace the websites you’ve chosen for your clients without consulting with you first.

‍Truth be told, finding a credible white-label agency is not really that difficult. The real challenge comes from knowing which of the many options is right for you. To decide, you have to consider the following:

#1 Pay Attention to Clients Reviews

‍Anyone can claim they offer the best links in the world. But the real truth eventually comes out when you check what their customers are saying, especially those in the same “shoes” as you. Try to:

• Check the company websites for what customers say on there. Most of these will be positive (which is not a bad thing). But you’ll need to look elsewhere for a more balanced view.
• Visit websites like TrustPilot, G2 or Clutch. Also, check out online forums like Reddit to get more info on the quality of their work and how reliable they are.

‍Try to go beyond the first page, too. Some sketchy places might try to bury or hide the non-flattering comments. At the same time, try to get a balanced opinion without focusing only on the positive or negative ones.

‍Check the specific complaints people had. Was it about the quality of the backlinks? Or the difficulty of getting a refund? How did they respond to these reviews? A thorough review always gives you a better picture of what to expect.

#2 Comb Through Their Case Studies

‍Even a highly rated white-label agency might not be good for your specific situation. The only way to tell is to check their case studies. Reviews can tell you how good a service is, but case studies show you the results in detail.

‍Based on this, you can see the kind of clients they have worked for in the past. You also get to understand the scope of work, the challenges they faced, and the solutions they came up with.

‍A case study gives you a more comprehensive view of their skills and how they use them. That is if those stories are genuine, so perceive everything with a critical mind).

‍In most cases, you can look up the clients to see if they actually exist or are made up. What if you can’t find any trail of any of the companies online? It’s probably best to try the next agency on your list.

#3 Ditch the Offers That Promise Quick Results

‍No credible agency will make unrealistic promises or guarantee every single result you want all the time. So, if they are ready to give you 10,000 backlinks every month – something is definitely wrong.

‍Instead, their offers and guarantees should be more realistic. For example, they will be able to promise quality and diversity.

‍They have to be transparent about the things like how many links they can get, the quality of said links, and how they intend to make good on their promises. This brings us to the next point.

#4 Verify the White-Label Link-Building Agency Uses Ethical Practices

‍You definitely don’t want to be that agency with a client screaming at them over the phone or writing bad reviews everywhere. This can happen if you don’t take the time to verify that your outsourced team actually uses safe link-building practices.

‍You want something with the lowest risk possible, so link farms and spammy backlinks are a “no-no.” Instead, find a provider who actually uses Google-friendly white-hat link tactics.

‍Think of tested tactics like doing guest posting, becoming a source for journalists (Connectiely or similar platforms), and creating linkable assets.

‍How will you know all this? Well, most credible white-label link-building agencies are transparent about their work processes and sources. Plus, it is usually in their best interests to do so.

#5 Look For Open Pricing and Payment Plan

‍No one wants to be hit with an unexpected bill after they thought they had cleared all payments. This happens sometimes when agencies fail to disclose some hidden charges until the end.

‍That kind of experience leaves a sour taste in the mouth. So, be sure to check if your link company has a clear pricing plan and ask about all the details of their payment system and schedule.

#6 Define Your Level of Collaboration

‍Yet, keep in mind that a white-label service can tick all the right boxes and still not be a fit for you. How can that happen?

‍Well, it might be that they have a certain level/volume of collaboration that they expect, and this might not work for you right now.

‍So, what should you check before signing your contract?

• Deadlines and clear workflow description,
• Payment details (including terms, refunds, etc.),
• Legal side (responsibilities of each party, disputes, termination of the contract, etc.),
• If there is any requirement for you, such as volume of work, number of links per month, etc.,
• Their scalability potential.

‍Of course, there will be other things you have to regulate, but these are an absolute must.

‍There are many ways to understand if your collaboration is paying off. When you look at your website or those of your clients, you should see an improvement in:

• Domain rating. The DR should begin to get higher (not overnight, of course).
• Diverse link profile. The websites the agency offers you for link placements should be different. This diversity is the only way to ensure that your backlink profile improves over time.
• Organic traffic. Keep tracking your website’s traffic and your ranking for target keywords.
• Brand mentions. Monitor brand mentions and check what people are posting about you on your social media platforms.
• Reviews. Pay attention to what your clients are saying about the links they get from you.

‍A white-label link-building agency can definitely be a game-changer for your workflow. What about the risks? We all like to be given guarantees in all kinds of things. But let’s face it – it is quite complicated to get them, so it’s best to take preventative measures.

‍That’s why skip the sketchy offers, verify case studies, and pick the best option that fits your needs and volumes. After all is said and done, the agency you choose should be a part of the solution, not the root of your problems.