Agency Setup Guide: Start Here

Step 1 — Decide how your clients will work with you

Before setting anything up, it helps to know which model fits your agency. There's no wrong answer, and you can use more than one at the same time.

Done-for-you

You manage everything. Clients don't log in. You build their workspaces, connect their ad accounts, and run campaigns on their behalf — they just see results.

Done-with-you

You handle the setup and launch the first campaign together, then hand the reins to the client. Good for agencies that want to start clients off right before stepping back.

Do-it-yourself (client-led)

Clients log in and manage their own campaigns under your branded portal. You act as an overseer. The platform's built-in guardrails and best practices from Meta, Google, TikTok, and others mean clients can launch successfully without needing to understand every detail.

Step 2 — Set up your agency

Your agency configuration lives in the Agency tab. This is where you set up your branded client portal, customize what clients can see and do, and manage your team.

→ Set up your agency and manage clients

→ Set up white-label branding

→ Connect a custom domain

→ Set up the GoHighLevel integration

→ Manage workspaces and team members

If your clients will log in under your brand, set up your custom domain or GoHighLevel integration before inviting them. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate.

Step 3 — Add your first client (or your own brand)

Each client lives in their own workspace (also called a brand). Create one per client. If you're doing done-for-you work, you can create the workspace yourself without giving the client access.

For done-for-you:

Create the workspace yourself from the Brands tab and manage it entirely from your end.

For done-with-you or client-led:

Invite clients via your custom domain link or GoHighLevel integration. They'll create their account, scan their brand, and connect their ad accounts. You stay in control of what they can see and do.

→ What to prepare before connecting accounts

→ Your first 7 days: agency setup checklist

Step 4 — Connect ad accounts

Ad accounts are connected at the workspace level. Most trial users run into permission or access issues here — the articles below cover the common blockers.

→ Connect Meta (Facebook & Instagram)

→ Connect Google

→ Connect TikTok

→ Connect LinkedIn

→ Fix common permission and access errors

→ Why your page or account doesn't appear

Step 5 — Build and launch campaigns

During your 7-day trial, you can draft campaigns and generate creatives — but you can't publish until you're on a paid plan. Use the trial to get everything ready so you can launch the moment you convert.

→ Launch your first campaign

→ Import existing campaigns from native ad accounts

→ Create AI ad creative from a prompt

→ Set up brand context to supercharge AI results

→ Create reusable templates in the Creative Hub

→ Share templates across clients

Step 6 — Explore agency features

These features are what make managing multiple clients manageable. Explore them during your trial so you know exactly what you're unlocking when you convert.

→ Set up client billing with Stripe

→ Use the SaaS Configurator for custom billing models

→ Connect client Facebook ad accounts with Linkbridge

→ Google Ads Manager Accounts (MCC)

→ Client onboarding SOP for agencies

After you convert — days 8 to 30

Once you're on a paid plan and ready to launch, this is the path to get campaigns live and optimize fast.

→ Days 8–30: launch, optimize, and scale

→ Set up Optimize for Me (AI optimization)

→ Set up the Budget Optimizer

→ Set up the Rules Engine

→ Use Optimization Folders to maximize ROI

Common blockers

These are the most common places agencies get stuck during setup.