How to choose a white-label WordPress partner: a checklist for agencies

Handing a client build to an outside developer is a trust decision. If the partner misses a deadline, cuts a corner or emails your client directly, it is your agency's name on the problem. This checklist covers what to ask before you send the first brief, grouped by the things that tend to go wrong.

1. Will they sign your NDA? A partner who hesitates over a standard NDA is telling you something. Ask before you share client names or designs.
2. Do they ever contact your clients? The answer you want is "only if you ask us to". Agree in writing who speaks to the client, and when.
3. Do their sites carry any credits? Check for footer links, "built by" lines, theme names, author tags in the code and their logo on the login screen. None of these should be there.
4. Is their portfolio shareable? Good white-label partners often can't show you their agency work. Ask for a private walkthrough or a reference from another agency instead.

5. How do they treat your designs? Ask how they handle spacing, type and responsive behaviour that the design files don't show. A partner with designers on the team will usually ask more questions up front, which is a good sign.
6. What do they build with? Custom theme, Elementor, a page builder you've never used? Make sure it matches what your client will need to edit after launch.
7. How do they test? Ask which browsers and screen sizes they check, and whether they test forms, page speed and basic accessibility before handing over.
8. Where can you review the work? A private staging site you can share with your client is the norm. Avoid reviewing work through screenshots alone.
9. Who writes the code? Ask whether the people you talk to are the people building, or whether the work is passed on to someone else.

10. Is there one point of contact? You should not have to chase three people for one answer.
11. How do time zones work? Ask what hours overlap with yours and when they will reply. A partner a few hours ahead can turn feedback round overnight; a partner with no overlap can leave you waiting a day for every question.
12. How do they report progress? Regular written updates mean you can answer your client's "how is it going?" without a call.

13. Is the price fixed? A fixed quote against an agreed scope lets you price the job for your client with confidence. Ask what happens when the scope changes.
14. How does handover work? Will they move the site to your client's hosting, or hand it to you to launch? Who holds the licences for premium plugins?
15. What happens after launch? Ask about fixes found after go-live, and whether they offer ongoing updates and maintenance you can resell.

However good the answers, the best test is a real job. Start with something small and well defined, such as a landing page or a set of changes to an existing site, and judge the partner on what actually happens: questions asked, deadlines met and how clean the handover is.

We build WordPress, Elementor and WooCommerce sites for agencies under their brand. We sign NDAs, never contact your clients unless you ask, and put no credits on the sites we build. Every project gets a fixed quote before we start. See how our white-label service works, or talk to us about a partnership.