How do I set up GoHighLevel from scratch?

Work in order: confirm account type and business info, add users and roles, buy or port a phone number and start A2P registration, connect your domain and authenticate email, create fields, tags and a pipeline, import contacts, build calendars and forms, set custom values, and finish with workflows and tests.

How long does a GoHighLevel setup take?

A working basic account can take days. A tested go-live with texting, authenticated email, imported data and workflows usually takes three to four weeks, because A2P review, DNS and number porting are waits you do not control. HighLevel gives about 2 to 4 weeks for a small number port.

What is the difference between a GoHighLevel agency account and a sub-account?

The agency account is the top level where you manage billing, users and all client accounts. A sub-account is one business's workspace with its own contacts, pipelines, numbers and automations. A single business can work in one sub-account; an agency creates one per client.

Do I need an agency account to use GoHighLevel for my own business?

Not necessarily. A single business can run in one account on a plan that fits. The agency level matters when you manage several clients or locations, resell, or need user type controls across accounts. Check HighLevel's current plan page for what each tier includes.

What do I set up first in GoHighLevel?

Account structure and users, then the slow external items. Fill in business info, set roles, and on day 1 start A2P registration, number porting or purchase, and domain DNS. Then build contacts, pipelines, calendars and forms while those complete.

Do I need a snapshot to set up GoHighLevel?

No. A snapshot copies a finished account into another, which pays off when you repeat a build for many clients or locations. For a first build, set up directly, test, and then consider saving a snapshot.

Can I set up GoHighLevel myself?

Yes, for a single-business account if you can work through DNS records, a CSV import and a registration form. Hire help for data migrations, several locations, white-label SaaS or a tight deadline. Our setup agency page describes what a scoped build includes.

Why can't I send texts after setting up GoHighLevel?

Usually registration. US local numbers need A2P 10DLC approval for business texts, and toll-free numbers need Toll-Free Verification for texts to US or Canadian recipients. Check the registration status in the sub-account before debugging workflows.

Is a GoHighLevel setup guide different from a setup service?

Yes. A guide documents the steps so you can do them. A setup service builds and tests them for you, owns the schedule risk, and hands over the account. Which is better depends on your time, your data and how costly a delayed launch is.

GoHighLevel · Pillar guide

GoHighLevel Setup Guide: Build an Account in the Right Order

Quick answer

A GoHighLevel setup guide is a build order, not a feature tour: choose agency or sub-account, set users and roles, register phone and A2P, connect domain and email, build contacts and pipelines, then calendars, forms and custom values, and only then workflows. Start the slow items (A2P, DNS, number porting) in week 1.

Updated October 13, 2026 · Reviewed by Alpit Patel, Founder

Key takeaways

Set up GoHighLevel in dependency order: account structure and users, phone and A2P, domain and email, contacts and pipelines, calendars and forms, custom values and snapshot, then workflows. Each layer feeds the next.
Three items are slow because other organizations control them: A2P 10DLC registration, DNS records and number porting. Start them in week 1 and build the rest while they run.
HighLevel's own help articles, checked 2026-10-13, put a port of under 50 numbers at about 2 to 4 weeks after documents are submitted. Keep the old service active until it completes.
Two settings control who can see what: user type (Agency or Account) and role plus permissions. Give outsiders the Account type, assigned to only their sub-accounts.
This guide covers doing it yourself. For the done-for-you route, a scoped build is on the GoHighLevel setup agency page, and the cost estimator shows where your scope falls.

What is a GoHighLevel setup guide, and what order should it follow?

A GoHighLevel setup guide documents how to turn an empty account into one that captures leads, texts, calls, books and follows up, in an order where each step has what it needs. The order that works is: account structure, users and roles, phone and A2P, domain and email, contacts and pipelines, calendars and forms, custom values and snapshots, then workflows and compliance. Build workflows last because they point at everything before them.

This page is the hub. It tells you what each layer is for and sends you to the page that explains how to do it. Menu paths on the linked pages come from HighLevel’s help center, checked 2026-10-13, and HighLevel changes labels often.

Build-order flow

Account and sub-account. Agency or single account, business info.
Users and roles. Who can see and change what.
Phone and A2P. Numbers, porting, texting registration. Slow: weeks.
Domain and email. DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC. Slow: DNS.
Contacts and pipelines. Fields, tags, stages, CSV import.
Calendars and forms. Booking, reminders, lead capture.
Custom values and snapshots. Reusable business data, then a template.
Workflows. Routed to the automation pillar.
Compliance. Consent, opt-out, recording, routed to the compliance pillar.

Steps 3 and 4 are slow because registrars, carriers and HighLevel support are in the loop. Start them first, then do steps 5 to 7 while they run.

Which page do I need?

Use this table to jump to the right layer.

If you are trying to…	Go to
Follow one ordered plan with owners and times	GoHighLevel setup checklist
Decide agency vs sub-account, or understand sub-accounts	Sub-accounts explained
Invite staff, restrict a client user	User roles and permissions
Buy, port or route a number	Phone number setup in LC Phone
Connect your domain	Connect your domain to GoHighLevel
Get email into the inbox	SPF, DKIM and DMARC for GoHighLevel
Set up contacts, fields, tags and pipelines	CRM, pipeline and contact setup
Take bookings	Calendar and booking setup
Build landing pages	Funnel builder guide
Reuse business data across templates	Custom values guide
Copy a finished build to a new account	Snapshots explained
Automate follow-up	Automation pillar
Stay compliant with texting and recording	Compliance pillar
Have someone build it	GoHighLevel setup agency

Should I start with an agency account or a sub-account?

Start where your use case is. A single business builds in one sub-account. An agency or multi-location operator needs the agency level, where it manages client sub-accounts, billing and users. GoHighLevel sub-accounts explained covers why sharing templates or numbers across clients is risky, and the agency guide covers setup for agencies. If you plan to resell under your own brand, read the white-label guide before you create the first client account, because branding choices affect the domain and email setup.

Plan fees change, so confirm what each tier includes on the pricing explainer and HighLevel’s own page rather than from memory.

How do I set users and roles before anyone builds?

Set them first. Two settings control access: user type (Agency or Account) decides which sub-accounts a person reaches, and role plus module permissions decide what they can do inside. Give anyone outside your own team the Account type, assigned to only their sub-accounts. The path in HighLevel’s current article is Agency View > Settings > Users. See user roles and permissions for each permission, Only Assigned Data and the sensitive permissions to review.

How do I set up phone numbers and A2P?

Buy or port the number and start texting registration on day 1. HighLevel’s path to buy a number is Settings > Phone System > Phone numbers tab > + Add Number. Porting an existing number is Phone System > Phone Numbers > Add Number > Port-in Numbers, for Agency Owners and Admins. The phone number setup guide covers local versus toll-free, call routing, voicemail and the recording notice, and the porting FAQ covers keeping your number.

Texting needs registration: A2P 10DLC for US local numbers, Toll-Free Verification for toll-free. The timing is covered in how long A2P approval takes, and the compliance pillar covers consent. If you want to use your own Twilio account instead of LC Phone, see using your own Twilio account, and for the LC naming see what is LeadConnector.

How do I connect my domain and authenticate email?

Connect the domain with the DNS record HighLevel gives you, then authenticate the sending domain so email reaches inboxes. The domain FAQ lists the record types and the Cloudflare DNS-only setting. The email authentication guide covers SPF, DKIM and DMARC. DNS changes are quick to make and then wait on propagation, so do them while the phone items are pending.

How do I set up contacts, tags and pipelines?

Create custom fields first, then tags, then the pipeline, then import. HighLevel’s import mapping needs custom fields to exist already, and opportunities need a pipeline to be assigned to. The pipeline and contact setup guide has the CSV rules (30 MB, one sheet, admin only), smart list limits and stage design.

How do I set up calendars and forms?

Build calendars after users and your pipeline exist, because bookings are assigned to users and should create opportunities. The calendar booking setup guide covers availability and reminders. Pages that capture leads are covered in the funnel builder guide. For a missed form lead, see form submission not creating contacts.

When do I use custom values and snapshots?

Enter custom values (business phone, address, booking link, key prices) before you write templates, so every message references the tag instead of hardcoded text. The custom values guide explains the merge tag. Once the account is tested, a snapshot lets you repeat it; read snapshots explained and note that every custom value must be replaced in the new account. For ready-made templates see the snapshot marketplace guide.

What do I do in week 1, 2, 3 and 4?

The plan below is our suggested pacing for a single-business account. It is not a HighLevel schedule. The setup checklist has every task with owner and time.

Week	Focus	Do	Done when
1	Foundation and slow items	Business info, users and roles, buy or port numbers, submit A2P, connect domain, add email authentication records	Registration submitted, port request filed, domain verifies
2	Data and pipeline	Custom fields, tags, pipeline, smart lists, CSV import, custom values	Test imports land correctly; stages match the real process
3	Capture and booking	Calendars, forms, funnel pages, call routing and voicemail	A test booking, form and call all reach the right person
4	Automate, comply, test	First workflows, consent and recording review, five go-live tests, optional snapshot	Texts and email deliver; workflows tested with a test contact

Where a task stalls, the waiting items are the usual cause. A port under 50 numbers takes about 2 to 4 weeks after documents are submitted per HighLevel, and A2P adds its own review, so week 4 can slip even when your build is on time.

What should I check first when something does not work?

Texts not sending: registration status before workflow logic. See the troubleshooting hub and the SMS error codes page.
Workflow did not fire: trigger and published state, covered in the automation pillar and workflow not triggering.
Wrong number or link in a message: custom values, especially after a snapshot.
Staff cannot see a module: role and module permissions.
Calls go to the wrong place: call forwarding order and timeout.

Should I do this myself or hire someone?

Do it yourself if you have one business, a clean contact list and time to wait on registration. Hire if you are migrating data from another CRM, running several locations, launching white-label SaaS, or cannot afford a delayed go-live. A setup agency or expert builds, tests and hands over an account you own; scope decides the price. Read the GoHighLevel setup agency page for the “have it done for you” route, use the setup cost estimator to see where your scope lands, and see how to choose a GoHighLevel agency before you sign anything. To talk through a build, see the GoHighLevel service page, the wider GoHighLevel expert hub, or contact us.

Sources

HighLevel Support: User Access and Manage Agency User Roles and Permissions (both modified October 6, 2026): user types and the Users menu path. Checked on 2026-10-13.
HighLevel Support: How to Purchase a Phone Number (modified September 18, 2026): buy path and registration after purchase. Checked on 2026-10-13.
HighLevel Support: How to Submit and Track Port-In Number Requests (modified October 6, 2026): port-in path and 2 to 4 week estimate. Checked on 2026-10-13.
HighLevel Support: Importing Contacts and Opportunities via CSV (modified September 16, 2026): import rules. Checked on 2026-10-13.
HighLevel Support: Getting Started, Setup Pipelines and Opportunities (modified August 24, 2026): pipeline path. Checked on 2026-10-13.

All pages in this guide

GoHighLevel Phone Number Setup in LC Phone: Buy, Port, Route Blog
GoHighLevel phone number setup in LC Phone has four jobs: get the number (buy a new one at Settings, Phone System, or port yours), register it for texting (A2P 10DLC for local numbers, Toll-Free Verification for toll-free), set call routing and voicemail with a 20 second timeout, and turn on a recording disclosure where needed.
GoHighLevel CRM Setup: Contacts, Tags, Fields and Pipelines Blog
GoHighLevel CRM setup means four things in this order: custom fields for data you need to store, tags and smart lists for segmenting, a pipeline whose stages match your real sales process, then a clean CSV import. Do the structure before the import, because imported data can only map to fields and stages that already exist.
GoHighLevel Setup Checklist: Your First 30 Days, in Order Blog
A GoHighLevel setup checklist works best in build order: account structure and users first, then phone and A2P, domain and email authentication, contacts and pipelines, calendars and forms, and only then workflows. Three tasks block go-live because other companies control them: A2P review, DNS and number porting. Start those in week 1.
GoHighLevel User Roles and Permissions: Who Can See What Blog
GoHighLevel user roles work on two layers. User type (Agency or Account) decides which sub-accounts a person can enter. Role (Admin or User) plus module and granular permissions decide what they can do inside. To restrict someone, set their type to Account, assign only their sub-accounts, then switch off modules and turn on Only Assigned Data.
Can GoHighLevel Host a WordPress Website? Plans, Prices and Migration FAQ
Yes. HighLevel sells managed WordPress hosting as an add-on: $10 a month for one site (12 GB), $220 for 25 sites and $497 for unlimited sites, on top of the GoHighLevel plan. It includes SSL, Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, daily backups, staging and the LeadConnector plugin, and a migration plugin moves existing sites in.
Can GoHighLevel Text From My Landline Number? FAQ
Yes, in many cases. HighLevel's Hosted SMS (number hosting) enables texting on an eligible US or Canadian landline or toll-free number while your current carrier keeps handling voice. Mobile numbers are not eligible. You request it through HighLevel support, sign a Letter of Authorization, wait about 3 to 10 business days, then register for A2P 10DLC.
Does GoHighLevel Connect to Google Business Profile? Reviews, Calls, Posts and Chat FAQ
Yes. Connect a verified Google Business Profile under Settings > Integrations with an Owner or Manager login, and GoHighLevel brings in Google reviews for replies (including AI replies), adds optional GBP call tracking, and posts updates, offers and events from Social Planner. Google's own Business Profile chat ended in July 2024; text and WhatsApp numbers on the profile now sync instead.
How to Export Contacts From GoHighLevel to a CSV File FAQ
Open Contacts > Smart Lists, filter and select the contacts, then choose More > Export. The export runs in the background and the CSV appears under Contacts > Bulk Actions for 30 days. Only admins can export, the file holds just the columns visible in the table, notes are cut at 255 characters and message history is not included.
Can I Use My Own Twilio Account With GoHighLevel? Twilio vs LC Phone in 2026 FAQ
HighLevel says Twilio remains supported, but LC Phone is now the default and recommended phone system. Existing agencies can keep a connected Twilio account; moving between the two is a support-ticket migration that takes about 1 to 2 business days, and A2P registrations may need redoing.
What Is LeadConnector? The Name Behind GoHighLevel's Texts, Charges and App FAQ
LeadConnector is the unbranded name HighLevel uses for parts of GoHighLevel: its phone system (LC Phone), its email service (LC Email), its mobile app and its link domains. If you got a text, an email, a calendar link or a charge that says LeadConnector, it almost always came from a business or agency that runs its CRM on GoHighLevel.
How Do You Connect Your Domain to GoHighLevel? FAQ
Add the domain in GoHighLevel's domain settings, then create the DNS record at your domain provider: an A record pointing @ to 162.159.140.166 for a root domain, or a CNAME pointing your subdomain to sites.ludicrous.cloud. On Cloudflare set the record to DNS only. SSL is issued automatically once the domain connects.
Can You Keep Your Business Phone Number in GoHighLevel? FAQ
Yes. You can port an existing US business number into GoHighLevel through the in-app port request, which generates the authorization letter for you. Ports of fewer than 50 numbers take two to four weeks after paperwork is submitted. Keep the old carrier active until the port completes, and register A2P 10DLC before texting from it.
GoHighLevel Calendar & Booking Setup, Step by Step Blog
How to set up GoHighLevel's calendar and booking system: choosing the right calendar type, configuring availability rules, wiring up confirmations and reminders, and syncing Google or Outlook without creating double-bookings.
GoHighLevel Custom Values: The Practical Guide Blog
What GoHighLevel Custom Values actually are, how the {{custom_values.key}} merge tag differs from a contact-level Custom Field, and how to set up, organize and troubleshoot Custom Values across funnels, workflows and snapshots.
GoHighLevel's Funnel Builder vs ClickFunnels Blog
GoHighLevel's funnel builder compared to ClickFunnels on the things that decide a page-building purchase: drag-and-drop editing, template depth, split testing, and load speed, not overall platform breadth.
GoHighLevel Membership Sites: Full Setup Guide Blog
How GoHighLevel's membership site feature actually works: Products, Offers, drip content and Communities, plus an honest comparison to Kajabi, Teachable and Thinkific on scope and maturity.
GoHighLevel Mobile App: What It Can and Can't Do Blog
What the standard GoHighLevel iOS and Android app actually handles day to day (conversations, pipeline, calendar, reputation) and the specific desktop-only tasks it still can't touch, sourced from HighLevel's own documentation.
The GoHighLevel Snapshot Marketplace, Explained Blog
How the GoHighLevel Snapshot Marketplace actually works: browsing and buying pre-built templates, the seller listing and review process, what GoHighLevel does and doesn't disclose about revenue share, and what most competing guides leave out.
GoHighLevel White Label: The Complete Setup Guide Blog
How GoHighLevel white label actually works: the DNS and domain steps, desktop and mobile app rebranding, SaaS Mode and Stripe rebilling mechanics, and the real plan-tier costs competitor guides get wrong.
GoHighLevel for Agencies: The Complete Setup Guide Blog
How to set up GoHighLevel properly for a marketing agency: sub-accounts, snapshots, workflows, funnels, white-label SaaS, multi-location, and real pricing.
GoHighLevel Snapshots Explained: What They Are and How to Build One That Works Blog
What a GoHighLevel snapshot is, why cloning one generically breaks sales workflows, and how to build snapshots that adapt cleanly across clients or locations.
GoHighLevel Sub-Accounts Explained: Structure, Costs, and Common Mistakes Blog
How GoHighLevel sub-accounts work, why sharing templates or phone numbers across clients is risky, and how usage-based costs and multi-location setups should be structured.