How to white-label GoHighLevel: step-by-step setup (2026)
TL;DR — Full white-label setup takes ~4 hours the first time (mostly waiting on DNS and Apple review), and reduces new-client onboarding to 12–20 minutes once your snapshot is built. This is the concrete order of operations we use for every agency we set up.
Prerequisites
- GoHighLevel Agency Pro plan (~$497/mo)
- A domain you control (e.g. `youragency.com`)
- Apple Developer account ($99/yr) + Google Play account ($25 one-time) for the mobile app
- Twilio account (created automatically inside GHL, or bring your own)
- ~4 hours of focused time
Step 1 — Custom domain (30 min + DNS propagation)
In Agency Settings → Custom Domains, add `app.youragency.com`. GHL gives you a CNAME target. Add it in your DNS provider (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, wherever). Wait 15–60 min for propagation, then click Verify.
Once green, all client logins go to your domain — no more `app.gohighlevel.com` visible anywhere.
Step 2 — Branding (15 min)
Agency Settings → Company Branding: - Upload logo (SVG preferred, 200×60 target) - Upload favicon (32×32 PNG) - Set primary + secondary hex colors - Custom login background image (1920×1080)
Preview at `app.youragency.com` in an incognito window to confirm.
Step 3 — Email deliverability (45 min + verification wait)
Agency Settings → Email Services → connect your sending domain `mail.youragency.com`. GHL/Mailgun gives you 3 DNS records:
- SPF: `v=spf1 include:mailgun.org ~all`
- DKIM: TXT record with public key
- DMARC: `v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@youragency.com`
Add all three. Verify inside GHL. Then warm up the sender: send low volume (100–500/day) for 10–14 days before hitting your first real campaign. Skipping warm-up drops you into Gmail spam and takes 60+ days to recover.
Step 4 — SMS registration (60 min + carrier review 3–7 days)
For US clients you need A2P 10DLC brand + campaign registration. Inside Sub-account → Phone Numbers → Trust Center:
- Register brand (legal business name, EIN or tax ID, website, contact)
- Register campaign (use case: Marketing / 2FA / Customer Care)
- Pay one-time $4 brand fee + $10 campaign registration
For EU: register a sender ID (alphanumeric) with Twilio, ~2–5 business days.
Without this, your SMS gets filtered by carriers and delivery drops to <30%.
Step 5 — Custom mobile app (2 hours + Apple review 24–48h)
Agency Settings → Mobile App Branding: - App name, subtitle, description - App icon (1024×1024 PNG, no transparency) - Splash screen - Screenshots (they provide templates)
Upload your Apple Developer certificate. LeadConnector handles the actual build and submission. Apple review is where 80% of agencies fail on the first try — the two most common rejections:
- Guideline 4.3 (spam) — your app looks generic. Fix: personalize screenshots and description to your specific market.
- Guideline 5.1.1 (privacy) — missing privacy policy URL. Fix: point to `youragency.com/privacy`.
Second submission usually passes within 24h.
Step 6 — Build your first snapshot (2 hours)
This is where the compounding gain lives. In your Agency dashboard → Snapshots → New:
Include a base setup: 1 pipeline, 1 calendar (with buffer + reminder), 3 automations (lead nurture, booking confirmation, review request), 1 funnel template, custom fields, tag structure. Save as your "Starter" snapshot.
Step 7 — Onboard your first client (12 minutes)
New Sub-account → apply Starter snapshot → connect their domain → invite user. Done.
The first 3 clients still take 30–60 min each while you smooth out the snapshot. By client 5, you're at 12–20 min per onboarding.
Client-facing polish (optional but recommended)
- Custom loading spinner — Company Branding lets you replace the default
- Custom URL for the mobile app landing — `app.youragency.com/download` with your App Store + Play Store buttons
- Custom email templates for platform notifications — password reset, appointment reminders, etc. Remove all GHL branding
- White-labeled help docs — link clients to your own Notion / Intercom instead of GHL's help center
What NOT to white-label
- Twilio verification emails — these have to say "Twilio" for regulatory reasons
- Stripe checkout — Stripe branding stays visible on checkout pages by design
- App Store metadata — Apple requires "Powered by LeadConnector" somewhere in the description (usually a single line at the bottom, fine to include)
Common setup mistakes
- Skipping DMARC — SPF+DKIM without DMARC is a soft config; Google downranks
- Using the free `app.gohighlevel.com` fallback during onboarding calls — kills the illusion instantly
- Not testing the mobile app on a real device before submitting to Apple — half the rejections are for crashes that never appear in the simulator
- Reusing a snapshot across wildly different industries — a fitness studio setup will confuse a dental clinic. Build 2–3 snapshots segmented by industry cluster
FAQ
Do I need coding skills? No. Everything above is checkboxes, DNS records, and file uploads.
Can clients see that this is GoHighLevel? Not in normal use. If they view page source in a browser they'll see LeadConnector CSS class names — very few clients ever do.
What happens if I cancel Agency Pro? You drop to standard GHL branding immediately. Clients still work but see app.gohighlevel.com. You lose custom domain + mobile app. Contacts and workflows are preserved.
How long until the first client is fully live? Realistically: platform ready in Week 1, first client onboarded in Week 2, first email campaign shipping in Week 3.
Do I need separate Twilio accounts per client? No — use sub-account Twilio, all rolled up under your master. Cleaner billing and easier support.
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Want us to run the whole white-label setup for you? [Book a discovery call](/contact) — we've done this 40+ times, we know the Apple rejection triggers and the DNS traps.