Agencies partner constantly: a web firm needs search capability, a search firm needs development, a consultancy needs both. The arrangements are legitimate and they differ in who is accountable to the client, which is the part rarely explained to the client and the part that matters when something goes wrong.
The three shapes
White label, where one firm fulfils invisibly under the other's brand. Referral, where one introduces the client to the other for a fee. Joint delivery, where both are contracted and visible. Only the third makes both accountable to the client directly; in the first the reselling agency carries everything, and in the second the referrer usually carries nothing after the introduction.
Referral fees should be disclosed
A recommendation that carries a payment is a material connection, and a client assuming an unbiased introduction is entitled to know. Disclosing it costs very little and protects the referrer's credibility, which is the asset that makes the referral worth anything. Firms that keep it quiet tend to lose the relationship when the client finds out.
What the client should ask
Who is actually doing the work, who is accountable for it, whether any money flows between the firms, and who holds the accounts and data. None of these is hostile and all are routinely unasked. A straightforward answer is a good sign, because partnership arrangements are normal and only concealment is a problem.
Where partnerships genuinely help
When a client needs a capability their existing supplier does not have and does not want to fake. A web firm bringing in a search specialist is serving the client better than pretending to the capability, and a client is usually pleased to be told. The alternative, learning on the client's budget, is what damages relationships.
Questions people ask about seo partnerships
Should a client mind white label work?
Not inherently, provided somebody is clearly accountable and the client owns their own accounts. It becomes a problem when discovered during a dispute.
Are referral fees acceptable?
Common and unremarkable when disclosed. Undisclosed, they turn a recommendation into an advertisement the client did not know they were reading.
How are partnerships priced?
Wholesale rates for fulfilment, or a percentage of first year fees for referrals. What matters to the client is that accountability and account ownership are clear.