Highlevel Onboarding Checklist

Updated: February 6, 2026  | 
Author: Bill Stilwell

Settings First – Everything Else Depends on It

Settings is the foundation. Every feature that depends on an integration, a phone number, or an email sending domain fails silently if Settings is not complete.

Complete Settings before building any funnels or automations.

Work through these Settings sections in order: Business Info, then Integrations (Google GBP, Facebook, Stripe), then Phone Numbers (provision LC Phone, start A2P 10DLC), then Email Services (sending domain with DNS records), then Team Members, then Custom Values, then Custom Fields, then Tags, then Notifications.

Build the 5 Core Automations Before Anything Else

Five automations deliver the majority of HighLevel’s value. Build these before any other workflows, funnels, or campaigns.

• Lead follow-up – Contact Created trigger, 5-minute wait, SMS + email
• Appointment reminders – Appointment Scheduled trigger, SMS 24 hours before, SMS 1 hour before
• Post-appointment follow-up – Appointment Status Changed to Showed, 2-hour wait, review request SMS
• Missed Call Text Back – Missed Call trigger, immediate SMS
• Review request on job completion – Opportunity Stage Changed to Job Completed, 2-hour wait, Google review SMS

Test Everything Before Going Live

Test each automation by triggering it manually with a test contact. Verify the SMS arrives, the email delivers, the task is created.

Test the LC Phone number by calling it from a personal phone. Test the email sending by sending a test email and checking the inbox.

Nothing should go live untested.

Full Onboarding Checklist

1. Settings – Business Info: name, address, time zone, logo
2. Settings – Integrations: Google GBP, Facebook Page, Stripe, Gmail
3. Settings – Phone Numbers: provision LC Phone number, initiate A2P 10DLC
4. Settings – Email Services: add sending domain, add SPF/DKIM/DMARC, verify
5. Settings – Team Members: add users with appropriate roles
6. Settings – Custom Values: business name, phone, address, booking link, website URL
7. Settings – Custom Fields: add business-specific contact fields
8. Settings – Tags: create standard tag library
9. Settings – Notifications: configure team alert events
10. Build lead follow-up workflow and test
11. Build appointment reminders workflow and test
12. Build post-appointment follow-up / review request workflow and test
13. Build Missed Call Text Back workflow and test
14. Build job completion review request workflow and test
15. Create basic landing page or lead capture form and test submission to CRM
16. Create calendar booking page and test booking flow
17. Verify all automations trigger correctly on test contact