GoHighLevel sub account setup has two halves: creating the sub-account, ideally from a snapshot, and then configuring everything that belongs to the client, such as custom values, users, phone number, email sending, messaging registration, integrations, calendars and workflow publishing. The creation takes minutes. The configuration is where most delays and mistakes happen, so a written checklist is worth more than any shortcut.
This is the checklist I use when setting up GHL sub-accounts for agency clients, plus how to automate the agency-side steps around it.
Before you create the sub-account
Collect from the client, ideally through your intake form:
- Legal business name and the name customers know
- Business address, phone, website and time zone
- Owner and staff names and emails for user accounts
- Services offered and service areas
- Business hours
- Google Business Profile and Facebook page access
- Review link, booking preferences and any existing phone numbers
- Information needed for messaging registration, such as business registration details
If you collect these in your agency client onboarding template, setup becomes a matter of copying values in, or having an automation do it.
How to create a sub account in GoHighLevel
From the agency view, go to the sub-accounts area and create a new sub-account. You can typically:
- Start from a snapshot, so the account arrives with your workflows, pipelines, forms, calendars and custom fields
- Or start blank and build manually
Choose the snapshot route for any client on a standard package. See GoHighLevel snapshots for how to build one properly.
Fill in the business details accurately, especially the time zone. A wrong time zone breaks appointment reminders and sending windows.
GoHighLevel sub account setup checklist
1. Business profile and custom values
- Confirm business name, address, phone, website and time zone
- Fill in every custom value used by your snapshot: business name, owner name, booking link, review link, phone and address
- Check a few workflow messages and pages to confirm the values render correctly
2. Users and permissions
- Add client users with the right role and permissions
- Add your agency team members who need access
- Limit access to billing, settings and integrations for client users where appropriate
3. Phone number
- Buy a number through HighLevel's phone system or connect the client's existing setup
- Set call forwarding and voicemail
- Configure missed call text back if it is part of the package. See GoHighLevel missed call text back.
4. Messaging registration
For US texting, business SMS traffic generally requires A2P 10DLC registration. Submit the brand and campaign information as early as possible, because approval can take time and unregistered traffic can be filtered or blocked. Read SMS automation and 10DLC compliance and HighLevel's current help docs for the exact steps.
5. Email sending
- Set up a dedicated sending domain or subdomain for the client
- Add the DNS records your email provider requires for authentication
- Set the default from name and reply-to address
- Send a test email and check it lands in the inbox
6. Integrations
- Connect Google Business Profile for reviews and messages
- Connect Facebook and Instagram pages for messaging and lead ads, if used
- Connect Google or Outlook calendars for staff
- Connect payments, such as Stripe, if the client invoices through GHL
- Connect any other tools the snapshot expects
7. Calendars
- Assign team members to each calendar
- Set availability, buffers and booking windows
- Check the confirmation and reminder workflows point to the right calendar
8. Pipelines
- Confirm stages match how this client sells
- Assign default owners where relevant
9. Workflows
- Review each workflow from the snapshot
- Update anything client-specific
- Publish the workflows that are part of the package
- Leave optional ones in draft with a note
10. Testing
- Submit each form with a test contact and confirm the speed-to-lead workflow fires
- Book a test appointment and check confirmation and reminders
- Call the number and let it ring out to test missed call text back
- Move a test opportunity through the pipeline to check stage-based workflows
- Delete test contacts when done
11. Handover
- Give the client a short walkthrough or a recorded Loom
- Share login details and a one-page guide on what is automated
- Log setup completion in your client tracker
Common GHL sub-account mistakes
- Wrong time zone, so reminders arrive at odd times
- Custom values left blank, so messages go out with missing names or links
- Workflows published before testing
- Registration started late, delaying SMS for weeks
- Integrations connected with a staff member's personal login who later leaves
- No record of what was set up, so nobody knows what is live
GoHighLevel sub account automation
Some setup steps can be automated, on both the GHL side and the agency side.
Inside GHL
Snapshots handle most of the build. Workflows can run internal checklists, such as creating tasks for each setup item when the sub-account is created.
Through the API
HighLevel's API supports creating and updating sub-accounts, which it calls locations, along with contacts, custom values and more, depending on your plan and the type of access you set up. An onboarding form can feed an automation that creates the sub-account from the right snapshot and fills custom values. Check HighLevel's developer documentation for current endpoints, scopes and plan requirements before relying on it.
On the agency side
This is where most of the time goes. When a new GHL client signs, your team also needs a ClickUp project, Drive folders, a Slack channel and a tracker row. I automate that in Make from the intake form. On one live build, about 40 manual setup steps per new client became one form submission, with the workspace ready in under two minutes.
A combined flow looks like this:
- Client submits the intake form.
- Make creates the internal workspace: Drive, Docs, ClickUp, Slack, tracker.
- Make creates the GHL sub-account from the snapshot through the API, if your plan supports it, and fills custom values.
- Make creates ClickUp tasks for the steps that must stay manual, such as registration and integrations.
- The account manager gets a Slack message with every link.
How long should setup take?
With a good snapshot and an automated agency side, the hands-on part of a sub-account setup can be done in well under a day. Waiting on client access and messaging registration usually takes longer than the work. Start those first.
How I build this
I automate the agency side of new GHL client setup in Make, and connect it to GoHighLevel where the API allows. That is the Agency Onboarding Engine. If your sub-account setups keep missing steps, ask for a free teardown and I will show you where the gaps are.
FAQ
How do I create a sub account in GoHighLevel?
From the agency view, open the sub-accounts area and create a new sub-account, either from a snapshot or blank. Enter accurate business details, especially the time zone, then configure users, phone, email, integrations and workflows.
What should I set up first in a new GHL sub account?
Start messaging registration and integration access requests first because they take the longest. Then fill custom values, add users, set up the phone number and email domain, and test the workflows.
Can I automate GoHighLevel sub account creation?
Partly. Snapshots automate the build inside the account, and HighLevel's API can create sub-accounts and set values on supported plans. The agency-side setup in ClickUp, Drive and Slack can be fully automated with Make.
Do I need A2P 10DLC for every GoHighLevel sub account?
If the sub-account sends business text messages to US numbers over standard long codes, registration is generally required. Check HighLevel's current guidance for the client's situation.