The Agency Playbook for Reselling SEO Services Profitably

You know you need to offer SEO. Your clients are asking for it, and you’re leaving money on the table by saying no. But the real challenge isn’t deciding if you should offer it—it’s figuring out how to do it profitably without derailing your agency.

How do you price your services, package them effectively, and sell them with confidence when you don’t have an in-house team of experts?

While most white-label providers focus on their own services, this playbook starts with your business model. It’s a guide to building a scalable, profitable SEO service that strengthens client relationships and drives predictable revenue for your agency.

The Profitability Equation: Aim for a 40-50% Margin

First, let’s talk numbers. The biggest question agencies have is, “How much can I actually make?”

Based on extensive market analysis, the standard profit margin for reselling SEO is between 20% and 50%. Top-performing agencies, however, consistently hit 40-50% margins. This isn’t an optimistic goal—it’s a realistic benchmark for agencies that structure their offerings correctly.

Hitting that margin comes down to your pricing model. Your client-facing price isn’t arbitrary; it’s a simple calculation:

Your Price = (Wholesale Cost) + (Your Strategic Value & Management) + (Profit Margin)

Your role as the agency isn’t just to pass along a service. You provide the strategy, account management, and client relationships that make the service valuable—and that’s where your margin comes from.

Part 1: How to Price White-Label SEO for Maximum Profit

The right pricing model is the foundation of your profitability. While you have several options, three models are most common for agencies. The goal is to select one that aligns with your operational style and your clients’ needs.

1. Flat Retainer (Most Recommended): This is the gold standard for SEO. You charge a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope of work, creating predictable revenue for you and a stable budget for your client. Because SEO is a long-term strategy, not a one-time project, this model allows your white-label partner to build momentum over time.

2. Project-Based: Ideal for specific, one-off needs like a technical SEO audit, a content migration plan, or initial keyword research. It’s a great way to introduce a client to your SEO capabilities without the commitment of a monthly retainer.

3. Performance-Based (Use with Caution): Here, payment is tied to specific results like keyword rankings or lead generation. While appealing to clients, this model can be risky for agencies. SEO results are influenced by many factors outside your control, from algorithm updates to competitor actions. It’s better to frame your value around consistent execution and strategic guidance, not guaranteed rankings.

For sustainable growth, the flat retainer model, built on a reliable wholesale cost, offers the stability your agency needs to scale.

Part 2: Building Tiered SEO Packages Clients Understand

With your pricing model in place, it’s time to package your services. Instead of overwhelming clients with a long list of technical tasks, create simple, tiered packages that communicate value and guide them to the right solution.

The classic “Good, Better, Best” approach works perfectly here. Structure your tiers around your clients’ maturity and goals.

Sample Package Structure:

Starter (“Launch”) Package:

Goal: Establish a foundational presence.
Ideal Client: Small local businesses or new companies.
Deliverables: Core keyword tracking (15-20), on-page optimization for key pages, local SEO setup (GMB), and monthly performance reporting.

Growth (“Accelerate”) Package:

Goal: Actively grow market share and traffic.
Ideal Client: Businesses in competitive markets.
Deliverables: Everything in Starter, plus expanded keyword tracking (40-50), regular content creation (e.g., two blog posts per month), authority building, link acquisition, and conversion rate analysis.

Scale (“Dominate”) Package:

Goal: Become the authority in their niche.
Ideal Client: Established businesses aiming for national or international reach.
Deliverables: Everything in Growth, plus comprehensive keyword tracking (100+), advanced content strategy (e.g., pillar pages, topic clusters), a robust link acquisition program, and technical SEO monitoring. This tier often involves an omnichannel growth SEO approach, integrating signals from paid and social campaigns.

Packaging your services this way transforms a complex offering into a clear product. Your clients can easily see the path forward, making the sales process smoother and faster.

Why Partner with JVGLABS? The Engine Behind Your Growth.

Your playbook is only as good as the team executing it. You have the pricing and packaging strategy—now you need a reliable, invisible engine to power it all. That’s where JVGLABS comes in.

We aren’t just another service provider; we’re built to be your agency’s scalable SEO department.

You focus on strategy, we handle execution. Our model lets you confidently sell these packages, knowing an expert team is handling up to 90% of the technical tasks in the background.

Our automation makes your model efficient. With AI-powered SEO automation, we handle repetitive work like audits, monitoring, and reporting, freeing you to focus on client relationships and high-value strategic work.

Completely white-label. Your client sees only your brand on every report and deliverable. We operate as your silent partner, ensuring you maintain full control of the client relationship.

With a partner like JVGLABS, you can move from thinking about offering SEO to profitably delivering it.

Part 3: Sales Scripts & Strategies for Upselling SEO

Many agencies hesitate to sell SEO because they lack confidence, but you don’t need to be a guru to sell it effectively. You just need to know how to connect it to your clients’ business goals.

Use these simple, benefit-focused scripts to start the conversation with your existing clients.

For a Web Design Client:

“The new website looks fantastic and is built to convert. Our next step is to make sure your ideal customers can actually find it. We can build a strategy that gets you in front of people actively searching on Google for what you offer. Are you open to exploring what that could look like?”

For a Google Ads Client:

“The ads are performing well, but we’re essentially renting that traffic. By adding an organic SEO strategy, we can build a long-term asset that captures traffic without paying for every click. It complements our paid campaigns perfectly and can lower your overall cost per acquisition over time.”

For a Social Media or Branding Client:

“We’ve done a great job building your brand authority on social media, and we can leverage that to improve your Google rankings. When people hear about you on social and then search for you, we want to make sure you own the first page of results. That’s what a good SEO foundation does.”

Ultimately, you’re framing SEO as the logical next step to amplify the results you’re already delivering.

Trust & Transparency: Your Reputation is Our Priority

We understand that when you resell a service, you’re putting your client relationships and reputation on the line. That’s why our partnership model is built to protect them.

Your success depends on consistency, clear communication, and tangible results.

Here’s how we build that trust:

• Transparent Reporting: You get clear, data-driven reports branded with your logo that you can confidently share with clients.

• Expert Oversight: While automation handles the scale, our human experts oversee every campaign to ensure strategic alignment.

• Seamless Onboarding: We’ve streamlined our process to get your clients’ campaigns up and running quickly with minimal disruption to your workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much control will our agency retain over the client relationship?
   You retain 100% control. We operate invisibly in the background. All communication, reports, and strategy presentations come from you. We are your execution team, not a third party.

2. What happens if my client asks a technical SEO question I can’t answer?
   We provide the strategic support you need. You’ll have access to our experts to get clear, concise answers you can relay to your client, reinforcing your authority.

3. Is your service truly 100% white-label?
   Yes. From the dashboard you use to the PDF reports you download, everything can be branded with your agency’s logo and color scheme. Your client will never know JVGLABS exists.

4. How difficult is it to migrate an existing client over to your platform?
   Our client migration process is designed to be seamless. We handle the technical heavy lifting to ensure a smooth transition with no loss of historical data or ranking momentum.

5. How does your pricing work for agencies?
   We offer transparent, wholesale pricing designed for resale. Our model allows you to easily calculate your costs and apply the 40-50% profit margin we discussed.

Start Building Your Profitable SEO Offering Today

You now have the playbook for pricing, packaging, and selling SEO services profitably. There’s no need to build an in-house team or turn away clients anymore. This is your path to adding a high-margin, in-demand service to your agency’s portfolio.

The next step is to see the engine that can power this new growth.

Book a discovery call with a JVGLABS partner specialist to see our platform and get your reseller pricing kit.