What is a white-label website?

Ecommerce has boomed in the last few years (Digital Commerce 360). You’re likely being asked by clients and prospects all the time whether you can build them websites from scratch. If your agency primarily focuses on delivering other marketing strategies and campaigns, however, you might not know how to respond. You might not have the in-house talent required to build websites. Could a white-label website builder be the solution? What is a white-label website and how can you benefit?

Start using a white-label website builder today. Get your “6-Step Guide to Selling Website Services to Local Businesses” to discover how to get started.

It’s time your agency stops turning away revenue. You can provide beautiful, functional white-label websites in less time with a white-label website builder.

To discover the answer to "What is a white-label website?" and learn what it can do for your agency and your clients, keep reading. This guide will walk you through the definition and benefits.

Defining white label

Generally speaking, “white label” means another company is providing the product or service, which can then be sold under your brand name.

A familiar example might be a grocery store chain with a house brand. The chain gets a large cheese manufacturer to make their “house” brand. The chain’s own branding appears on the cheese, and the product is made to the store’s specifications. The cheese manufacturer secures all the ingredients. They also use their equipment to make the product. They sell the cheese to the grocery store, which then resells it as their own product under their house brand name.

What is a white-label website?

A white-label website has the same idea behind it as the grocery store’s house-brand cheese. Instead of having your team build client websites from the ground up in house, you’ll team up with another company’s website development team. That company’s developers, graphic designers, and copywriters will build the websites you need, often with a white-label website builder, which you can then resell to your clients at a profit.

The white-label company has the in-house talents, capacity, and web templates required to create attractive and functional websites quickly. They can set up the website domains and provide hosting and maintenance, as well as provide the coding, the copy, and designs. They’ll fulfill the website build requests from your clients, under your brand.

Alternatively, you may also be able to use the company’s white-label website builder to create the sites your clients need now. A white-label website builder allows you greater control over the process. They have varying degrees of customizability. You can make more or less complex sites, depending on your clients’ needs and your team’s skill levels.

Some white-label website providers will do the build for you using a Do It For Me (DIFM) strategy. If your team’s time is better spent elsewhere, then this might be the right solution. Your team can get back to work while the experts craft the site your client needs. If you prefer to be more involved, then a Do It With Me (DIWM) strategy like a white-label website builder may be best.

What is a white-label website and what are the benefits?

Not every agency team has the time or resources to build client websites from the ground up. Instead of struggling to fulfill your clients’ website needs on your own, you can team up with a third party. Instead of turning away a new revenue stream, you can outsource the work, have a white-label website created by an expert team, and make a profit. 

Your clients also benefit from this arrangement. They get functional, beautiful websites, often at a lower price point than if your team did all the coding themselves. On top of that, they get the website up and running sooner since the white-label team has more bandwidth and quick delivery rates.

You can provide your clients with better websites sooner when you offer them white-label options. That’s a win-win situation for you and your clients.

White-label websites also improve SEO

Another key note about white-label websites is they have benefits for your clients’ online presence. It’s not just a matter of getting an online shop set up. These websites are also optimized for SEO.

Why is this important? Local businesses need a strong SEO presence. Google searches for “businesses near me” and similar keywords are on the rise. In fact, they rose 100 percent year-over-year in 2020 (Search Engine Land).

Think about a local florist shop as an example. Chances are someone is typing “flowers near me” into the Google search bar right now. You want to make sure your flower-shop client is the top result when this user hits “search.” An SEO-optimized website is key to capitalizing on these local searches. 

What is a white-label website and what are the benefits?

Not every agency team has the time or resources to build client websites from the ground up. Instead of struggling to fulfill your clients’ website needs on your own, you can team up with a third party. Instead of turning away a new revenue stream, you can outsource the work, have a white-label website created by an expert team, and make a profit. 

Your clients also benefit from this arrangement. They get functional, beautiful websites, often at a lower price point than if your team did all the coding themselves. On top of that, they get the website up and running sooner since the white-label team has more bandwidth and quick delivery rates.

You can provide your clients with better websites sooner when you offer them white-label options. That’s a win-win situation for you and your clients.

White-label websites also improve SEO

Another key note about white-label websites is they have benefits for your clients’ online presence. It’s not just a matter of getting an online shop set up. These websites are also optimized for SEO.

Why is this important? Local businesses need a strong SEO presence. Google searches for “businesses near me” and similar keywords are on the rise. In fact, they rose 100 percent year-over-year in 2020 (Search Engine Land).

Think about a local florist shop as an example. Chances are someone is typing “flowers near me” into the Google search bar right now. You want to make sure your flower-shop client is the top result when this user hits “search.” An SEO-optimized website is key to capitalizing on these local searches. 

What is a white-label website? More white-label website services and products

When asking the question "what is a white-label websites?" you should consider two major categories:

• Website products
• Website services

Website products include a website build or design. This category also includes “add-ons” like ecommerce functions, a chatbot, or a client portal. A content management system is also a website product.

There are also website services you can offer. This category might include website maintenance, customer service, or website hosting. Website security or ongoing SEO services are also examples. These can be offered in house or can also be white label.

What is a white-label website: What are white-label website products and services?

Now that we’ve answered, “What is a white-label website?” and gone over some benefits, your next question is probably “how do I get started?”

Start looking for third-party companies that offer the website products and services you want to offer to your clients. Ideally, the company would offer access to white-label website builder software.

That’s often easier said than done, though. There are many companies out there. They may offer website builds, domain hosting, maintenance, and much more.

That leads to another question. How do you know which companies are reputable? How do you know which ones are right for your clients?

One easy solution is to take a look at the Vendasta Marketplace. There are more than 250 products you can resell, many of them specifically for websites. Whether your clients need help writing website content or a hand with IT, there’s something in the Marketplace for them. Browse Marketplace to find the best white-label website builder for your needs.

Better yet, you know all the vendors in the Marketplace are reputable companies that have been vetted. Instead of spending hours researching different vendors, you can get started comparing great products and services immediately.

A winning strategy

If someone asked, “What is a white-label website?”, it wouldn’t be wrong to tell them it’s a winning strategy for all involved. You can provide an outstanding website using white-label website builder software geared to your client’s needs, along with a boost for their SEO. You can generate new clients, open up a new revenue stream, and make a profit. You could also upsell existing clients. 

Your client, meanwhile, gets the online presence they need to succeed in the new digital world. 

In short, a white-label website lets you connect your clients with the online presence they need. When you can do that, everyone wins.