White Label Web Design Partner: How to Win Agencies as Clients
Become a white label web design partner for marketing, SEO and PPC agencies: who buys, where to find them, pricing models, margins, NDAs and non-solicits.
TL;DR: Your buyers are agencies that sell websites but employ no developers: marketing, SEO, branding and PPC shops. Win them with one platform done well, a partner rate card that leaves them a margin, and a contract that settles the NDA, the non-solicit and who owns the work. Then reach them when capacity hurts: an agency hiring a web developer, an owner posting that the team is turning work down, or staff engaging with other white label studios.
A white label web design partner builds sites that another agency sells under its own brand, and stays invisible to the end client. This page is for the studio that wants to be that partner. It doubles as a checklist for agencies choosing one. For every other way to win clients, start with our web design client playbook.
Who buys white label web design services
Agencies buy white label web design when their clients ask for websites and they would rather not hire developers. Each type buys for a different reason:
| Agency type | Why they buy | What they ask for | Where to find them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing agencies | Clients want a new site inside a retainer | Full builds, landing pages, CMS work | HubSpot Solutions Directory |
| SEO agencies | Audits find problems their team can't fix | Rebuilds, migrations, technical fixes, page templates | Semrush Agency Partners |
| PPC agencies | Ads send traffic to pages that don't convert | Landing pages, conversion fixes, fast turnaround | Google Partners directory |
| Branding agencies | The identity is finished and the site isn't | Brand-led design builds | Their portfolios and launch posts |
| Other web studios | Overflow, or a platform they don't cover | Overflow builds, maintenance | Studio communities and referrals |
A white label web design agency that tries to serve all five ends up with five sales pitches. Pick one or two types and say so on your site. Two signals from our page for web design agencies, web hiring and engagement with rival studios, work here too, once the buyer is an agency instead of an end client.
What agencies expect from a white label web design partner
Invisibility comes first, predictability second. An agency looking for a white label web development partner checks six things:
- No trace of you. No credit link in the footer, no studio name in the theme or the admin, every account in the agency's or the client's name.
- The agency owns the client. You talk to the end client only when the agency asks, and only as part of its team.
- A written scope and turnaround. Delivery dates per project type and a price list for change requests.
- QA before the agency sees it. Browsers, mobile, forms, page speed and accessibility basics, checked by you.
- Handover docs. The agency must be able to answer its client's questions without calling you.
- One platform done well. Agencies pick a partner per platform. A WordPress partner can add care plans the agency resells, covered in our guide to WordPress clients.
How to price white label web design
Price so the agency can mark you up and still win its deal. Pick one of five models:
| Model | How it works | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed price per project | A set price by site size or template tier | Agencies that quote fast and resell at a markup |
| Rate card per page or component | A price for each page, section or template | Landing pages and add-ons |
| Prepaid hour blocks | The agency buys hours up front and draws them down | Small changes and fixes |
| Monthly retainer | Reserved capacity, such as a set number of hours | Agencies with steady web work |
| Per-site care plan | A monthly fee per site for updates, backups and monitoring | Agencies that want recurring revenue |
Run the margin math from the agency's side. Say an SEO agency sells a 15-page WordPress rebuild for $14,000 and pays you $8,500. It keeps $5,500, about 39%, for scoping, client meetings and its own review. Price yourself so high that its markup no longer fits the client's budget, and the agency loses the deal. Price so low that you lose money, and every later project gets priced from that first one.
Three habits keep pricing clean. Publish a partner rate card, so an agency can quote its client without waiting on you. Save volume discounts for committed volume, such as a retainer. And take a deposit before work starts, with the balance tied to milestones you control, not to the end client paying the agency.
The white label contract: NDA, non-solicit and ownership
Put five things in writing before the first project:
- Confidentiality, both ways. You keep the agency's client list and pricing private. The agency keeps your methods and rates private.
- Non-solicitation, both ways. You won't pitch or accept work from the agency's clients for a set period. The agency won't hire away your staff or contractors. If a client contacts you directly, you send them back to the agency.
- Ownership. Code and design transfer to the agency, or its client, on full payment. You keep your reusable tools and code libraries.
- Payment terms that don't depend on the end client. The agency pays your invoices on schedule whether or not its client has paid it.
- Scope, changes and exit. What's included, how changes are priced, how long you fix bugs after launch, and how files and access are handed over if either side ends the relationship.
Courts read non-solicitation clauses differently from one state or country to the next. Have a lawyer review your template once, then reuse it. When an agency sends its own contract, read the payment clause first: a term that ties your pay to the end client's payment moves their cash risk onto you.
Communication rules that keep the brand invisible
Agree on who talks to whom before kickoff.
- One shared channel per agency, with one point of contact on each side.
- Client calls under the agency's name. If you join, you join as its development team. Some agencies give partners an email address on their own domain for this; agree on it in writing.
- Staging links on a neutral domain, never your studio's.
- A weekly status note the agency can forward to its client unchanged.
- A response time in the contract, such as one business day.
How to find white label clients
Directories give you the list. Buying signals tell you when to write.
Start with three directories that double as lists of agencies:
- HubSpot's Solutions Directory lets you browse partners by service, such as Paid Advertising, Content Creation or Full Inbound Marketing Services. Open the profiles and look for agencies that sell websites but show no developers on the team.
- The Google Partners directory lists PPC agencies, filterable by certification and region. Google says Premier Partners rank among the top 3% of program companies in their country.
- Semrush's Agency Partners platform lists SEO and digital agencies with their services, location and typical project budget.
Then watch for the moment capacity hurts:
- An agency hiring a web developer. It has more web work than people. Offer to clear the backlog while it hires, or to take the work instead of the hire.
- An agency owner posting about capacity. Turning down website work, a developer who just left, a search for a dev partner.
- Agency staff engaging with other white label studios' posts. They are shopping, or unhappy with the partner they have.
Open with a pilot: one landing page at partner rates, delivered on a firm date. Deliver it on time, and the second project is an easier sale. Agencies also refer partners to each other, so ask each happy agency for one name, using the scripts in our web design referral program guide. When the pilot turns into a proposal, the steps in how to sell web design services apply, with the agency as the client.
Finding agencies with a capacity problem in Pancake
Pancake is our product: it spots agency staff showing a buying signal and opens the conversation under your name. A white label studio needs one extra step. In your GTM Brain, name agencies as your buyers: marketing, SEO, PPC and branding agencies. Pancake then keeps the agency staff it would otherwise set aside. The signals to watch:
- agencies hiring a web developer or a WordPress developer (companies hiring);
- agency founders posting about capacity, turning down work or white label partners;
- people engaging with posts from rival white label studios.
One Play could read: "Find founders and heads of delivery at US marketing, SEO and PPC agencies with 5 to 50 people hiring a web developer." The first message asks one question about the signal: "Saw you're hiring a web developer. Is that for client builds or for your own site?" It goes out as a direct message from your own account.
Pancake doesn't send email. It can find a lead's work email (50 credits each) if you would rather write from your own inbox. Agencies with no job posts and no public posts won't show up. One plan, from $99 a month per workspace (pricing); the free trial runs 7 days on 30,000 credits, card required. The rest of the studio setup is on Pancake for web design agencies.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a white label web design partner?
- A studio that designs and builds websites for another agency, which sells them to its own clients under its own brand. The partner stays invisible: no credit links, no direct client contact unless the agency asks, and every account in the agency's or the client's name. Agencies use one to sell websites without hiring developers.
- How do I price white label web design services?
- Price so the agency keeps a margin after it marks you up. Pick from five models: a fixed price per project, a rate card for pages and components, prepaid hour blocks, a monthly retainer for reserved capacity, or a per-site care plan. Publish the rate card so agencies can quote fast, and save volume discounts for committed volume.
- How do I find white label clients?
- Build a list from partner directories: HubSpot's Solutions Directory for marketing agencies, the Google Partners directory for PPC agencies and Semrush's Agency Partners platform for SEO agencies. Then write when an agency shows a capacity problem, such as a job post for a web developer, an owner posting about turning down website work, or staff engaging with other white label studios.
- Should a white label partner sign a non-solicitation agreement?
- Yes, and ask for one in return. You agree not to pitch or take work from the agency's clients for a set period, and the agency agrees not to hire away your staff or contractors. Add a rule that any client contact goes back to the agency. Enforcement varies by state and country, so have a lawyer review the clause once.
- What is the difference between white label and outsourcing web development?
- Outsourcing means another company does the work, and the end client may know it. White label adds invisibility: the partner works under the agency's brand, never markets to the end client and hands everything over in the agency's name. For the agency, white label keeps both the client relationship and the margin.