GoHighLevel Agency Setup Checklist: Everything You Need Before Your First Client

This Step is Often Overlooked By Most Agencies - And They Suffer Consequences

You closed your first GHL client deal. Excitement runs through you. Then you check out your GoHighLevel account and you find out that you’re not prepared to onboard this customer.

The setup on your agency account isn’t complete. There’s no snapshot created yet. The sequence templates need customization. You haven’t configured your Stripe integration and haven’t verified your domain.

All this means instead of making your clients’ experience smooth and professional, they will end up seeing a lot of delays and broken links, as well as a confusing setup process.

Does this sound familiar? It’s a common problem among newly-founded GoHighLevel agencies, and the reason behind it is often the lack of a checklist telling them what needs to be done before their first client.

This is that checklist.

Completing the GoHighLevel agency setup correctly and fully, even before your first client logs in, is the difference between an established agency and one that just figured out how to use the platform.

Why Your Account Configuration Must Come Before Everything Else

Prior to building anything for a client, your account configuration for your agency must be strong.

This is because your agency account is what everything else will be built upon. Sub-accounts, snapshot creation, billing, branding, and user access can all be attributed back to the quality of your account setup.

If you skip this critical step and go directly to client work, you'll face exponential difficulties. Failing at billing. Inconsistent branding. Poorly configured sub-accounts. No snapshots. You'll have to create each of these for every single new client.

Building the foundation once and everything after is vastly easier.

GoHighLevel Agency Setup Checklist

Part 1 - Agency Account Setup

Agency profile setup

Enter your agency name, physical address, contact phone number and website address within the Agency settings tab. Your data will be displayed in any billing correspondence or other documentation.

Connection of the custom agency domain

Connect your agency’s custom domain within the Agency settings >> White Label Domain. It will give you the opportunity to have your branded login portal if you set up a SaaS agency setup or just keep your URL professional.

Logo and agency branding setup

Upload your logo and configure your brand color scheme within the agency settings. The information will be shown within your login portal, email notifications, and other aspects of white label branding.

Agency owner account setup

Make sure your agency owner account is set up properly and your credentials are kept secure. Start using two-factor authentication right away.

Team member account setup

If you have team members, assign them proper role-based permissions. Different team members have different access levels according to their job responsibilities.

Section 2 - Setup For Billing and Payments

Stripe account connected

Connect your Stripe account at Agency Settings > Stripe. It’s required for GoHighLevel agency setup if you’re going to be billing clients via GoHighLevel or running SaaS subscriptions.

SaaS pricing plans set

If you’re offering GoHighLevel as a SaaS solution, create the pricing tiers using the SaaS Configurator prior to any of your clients signing up.

Billing email set

Set up an email address that will receive emails related to payments, such as payment confirmations and failed charges, etc. It shouldn’t be the default one, as in your private mailbox.

Billing tested by doing a dummy transaction

Do a test transaction using your Stripe connection prior to any of your clients making an actual purchase. Making a mistake in your billing process after your client's card is declined is much worse than while testing.

Section 3 - Communication Configuration

Domain verified by Agency

Verify your email sending domain from within Agency Settings > Email Services. Unverified domains lead to deliverability problems that will impact all sub-accounts of your agency.

Agency phone number set up

Buy or link an agency-level phone number for platform notifications and internal communication if necessary.

LC Email and LC Phone settings configured

The internal communication methods of GoHighLevel (LC Email and LC Phone) must be configured in order to function properly from within the sub-accounts.

Rebilling setup if necessary

If you wish to rebill your clients for email and text messages used, set up rebilling markups from within the SaaS Configurator.

Section 4 - Creation of Snapshots

Core agency snapshot creation

This is one of the most important elements on the whole GoHighLevel agency checklist. You need to create your core agency snapshot (including best practices regarding workflows, pipelines, funnels, templates, and sequences) before the actual client onboarding process.

Testing of snapshot in the dummy sub-account

Load your snapshot in the dummy sub-account and check out every element in it - make sure all workflows function properly, all pipelines have appropriate stages, and templates are written neatly.

Snapshot naming and documentation

Name your snapshot clearly and document its content - describe what kinds of workflows it contains and for which lead sources they are created; also, list customizations required for each particular client.

Snapshot update process

Decide how often you will update your core agency snapshot since its lack of updates makes it quickly become irrelevant.

Section 5 - Ready for First Client Onboarding

Intake process documented

Prior to your first GHL onboarding call, outline everything that you want to get from each new client - name of the business, address, contact info, target audience, advertisement accounts, access to the domain and calendars.

Sub-account setup process documented

Describe step by step all the processes used in creating a new sub-account. Standardization will help you avoid mistakes, which will result in messy client accounts.

Protocol of providing user access to the client is determined

Outline what kind of permissions and role each client will get upon logging into the sub-account. Documenting this process will ensure that everyone on the team does it the right way.

Welcome email is ready

Prepare an email that is going to be sent to each new client once the sub-account is set up – it should include their login data and details about their access.

Training materials are prepared

Create some kind of documentation or even a simple Loom video that shows your clients how they should work with their GoHighLevel account. It takes just 10 minutes.

Section 6 - Reporting and Quality Control

Template for reporting dashboard prepared

Prepare a standardized template for your reporting dashboard that will include all the metrics important for every client – leads generated, calls booked, pipeline changes, and campaign efficiency.

Checklist for quality control prepared

Write down all checks that your team will carry out prior to declaring the sub-account live – test lead submitted, work flows checked, calendar test done, integrations checked. This will become your pre-launch quality control procedure.

Notification system for your team configured

Configure the way your team will get notifications about some significant events - creation of a new sub-account, failed payments, requests for clients’ support, work flow problems.

Agency Setup: Rushed vs. Properly Prepared

There is an incredible difference in the way clients will experience these two columns - and clients will notice it!

Most Important Things to Do First

If you need to prioritize, do these five things first:

• Confirm your email sending domain - broken email deliverability is going to affect all aspects of your business

• Create your snapshot - nothing else will scale without that

• Set up and test Stripe - billing mistakes destroy trust instantly

• Record your sub - account creation procedure - consistency begins with that

• Prepare your client welcome series - first impressions happen within the first 24 hours

Do these five and your GoHighLevel setup will be sufficient to onboard your first client.

Conclusion - Build Out Your Agency Once. Grow It Forever.

A GoHighLevel agency build-out done correctly upfront before your first client is not additional work. Rather, it’s the work that ensures all work going forward is easier, faster, and more streamlined.

Each step on this list is something that ultimately needs to be done at some point in your agency. Getting this done prior to Client One means that you're doing things right from the outset - fixing issues while also trying to provide results.

Do these things for your GoHighLevel agency buildout one by one. Complete each step before even booking that first client appointment. And if the technical side of things seems daunting, then that is precisely where a GHL virtual agency team shines.

👉 Want to have your GoHighLevel agency account built out completely before bringing on any clients? Contact us today and we'll set up everything you need.

FAQ

Q1. What is the time required for the entire process of GoHighLevel agency setup?

A complete process of GoHighLevel agency setup including the process of snapshots, billing settings, branding, and onboarding documents may require 3 to 7 days to be completed.

Q2. Can I perform this GoHighLevel agency checklist myself or will I require professional help for the same?

Everything else can be done without any special skills; however, snapshot generation, domain configuration, and Stripe rebilling process require professional help from a GHL configurator.