Why branding the portal is worth it
The portal is often the only product surface your client interacts with regularly. If it shows someone else's logo and lives on someone else's domain, two things happen: the experience feels generic, and you quietly advertise the tool you use instead of your own brand.
White-labeling flips that. A branded portal makes a solo freelancer look like an established studio and makes a small agency look enterprise-grade. It reinforces your name at every touchpoint, justifies premium pricing, and keeps the relationship centered on you — not on the platform underneath.
What you can brand in ClientDeck
ClientDeck's white-label controls cover the whole client-facing experience:
- Logo — your mark at the top of the portal.
- Brand color — your accent color applied across buttons and highlights.
- Cover banner — a custom image (recommended 1200×300) or a preset across the top of the welcome card.
- Welcome message — a personal greeting line (up to ~240 characters) below the client's name.
- Browser-tab branding — the portal's favicon and tab title reflect your business, not "ClientDeck."
- Custom domain — map the portal to your own domain so the URL itself is yours.
Together these mean the client sees your studio from the address bar to the footer.
How to set it up
- Open branding settings. In ClientDeck, go to Settings → White-Label Branding.
- Upload your logo and choose your brand color. These apply across the portal immediately.
- Add a cover banner. Upload a 1200×300 image or pick a preset for the top of the welcome card.
- Write a welcome message. Add a short, warm greeting clients see when they open the portal. Leave it blank to use the default.
- Map your custom domain. Point your domain at the portal so clients visit you, not a generic app URL.
- Preview and share. Check the portal preview, then send each client their private link.
A note on plans
White-label branding and custom domain mapping are Pro features in ClientDeck. The lower plans still give you client portals (1 on Free, 10 on Plus) — branding is the upgrade that removes the platform's identity and replaces it entirely with yours. If you're positioning yourself as a premium studio or agency, this is usually the single highest-leverage upgrade, because it changes how every client perceives you.
Make the branded portal do more
Branding is the wrapper; the contents are what retain clients. Pair your white-label portal with:
- Organized project boards and published updates so clients always know where things stand.
- Professional, [payable invoices](/blog/best-payment-gateway-for-client-invoicing) inside the portal.
- E-signable proposals clients can approve in two clicks.
- A tidy [shared files hub](/blog/secure-file-sharing-with-clients) instead of email attachments.
New to portals? Start with what a client portal is and why you need one, or browse more client portal guides.
Frequently asked questions
A client portal branded entirely as your business — your logo, colors, welcome message, and custom domain — so clients experience it as your own product rather than a third-party tool.
Yes. ClientDeck supports custom domain mapping on the Pro plan, so the portal lives on your domain instead of a generic app URL.
White-label branding and custom domain mapping are included on the Pro plan. Free and Plus include client portals without full white-labeling.
Your logo, brand color, cover banner, welcome message, and browser-tab branding, plus mapping it to your own domain.
Put your brand on every client touchpoint.
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