HighLevel’s Client Portal is a multifunctional tool designed to centralize client management, course delivery, community interaction, and more. Whether you’re running a business, a membership site, or educational programs, this portal offers a unified place for clients, students, and affiliates to access what they need.
This tutorial covers the fundamental setup of the Client Portal, from domain configuration and branding to enabling key features. It’s the first part of a series that explores the broader potential of HighLevel’s portal system.
What is the HighLevel Client Portal?
The Client Portal in HighLevel is a central hub for your users, serving multiple purposes:
- Client Management: Clients can view invoices, contracts, and payments.
- Course Delivery: Students can access their courses.
- Community Engagement: Members can interact in discussion spaces or communities.
- Affiliate Tracking: Affiliates can view their commissions and related data.
Rather than juggling multiple logins and systems, the portal consolidates all these functions into a single interface, simplifying user access and management.
Initial Setup: Configuring the Basics
Step 1: Setting Up the Domain
The first step is to configure a custom domain for your portal. By default, HighLevel assigns a generic URL (e.g., clientclub.net), but a custom domain ensures a professional appearance.
- Go to Membership Settings: In the Membership section, navigate to the Client Portal settings.
- Add a Custom Domain:
- Enter your desired subdomain (e.g.,
members.yourwebsite.com). - If you use a service like Cloudflare, HighLevel can automatically detect your DNS settings, allowing you to authorize the domain with one click.
- Alternatively, you can manually add DNS records to your domain provider.
- Enter your desired subdomain (e.g.,
Once your domain is verified, preview it to confirm the changes. While the basic portal will look functional, it likely won’t match your branding just yet.
Step 2: Branding the Portal
Branding ensures your portal aligns with your company’s visual identity. In the Settings section, you can:
- Name Your Portal: For example, “Convology Academy.”
- Add a Logo: Use a square, one-to-one ratio image for the best results.
- Choose Colors: Set brand colors for buttons, links, and backgrounds.
- Upload a Favicon: This ensures your portal has a recognizable icon in browser tabs.
- Advanced Customization: Add custom CSS, JavaScript, or tracking codes (e.g., for Google Analytics or ConvertBox).
After saving your changes, preview the portal to see the updates. Be sure to refresh your cache if updates don’t appear immediately. It usually takes me a couple of refreshes to see the updates.
Step 3: Managing App Permissions
The Client Portal allows you to control which features are visible to users. In the App Permissions section:
- Select Visible Applications:
- For example, enable courses, communities, and billing while hiding contracts or affiliates.
- Set Default Landing Pages:
- Choose what users see upon logging in (e.g., the Home screen, Courses, or Communities).
- For community-focused memberships, set Communities as the default. For course-driven setups, opt for Courses.
Step 4: Email Notification Settings
HighLevel provides built-in email notifications for actions like tagging users in a post or adding a new course. While these default templates are functional, advanced users may want to customize them. Be warned, this can be quite advanced and you will also end up losing out on a lot of pre-built functionality with direct dynamic links that you can’t otherwise create. Proceed with caution.
- Default Emails: Leave them unchanged for simplicity. They include dynamic links to posts, courses, or actions, ensuring seamless navigation for users.
- Customization: For advanced workflows, consider turning off notifications and managing emails through HighLevel’s workflow builder.
Exploring the Portal’s Interface
Navigation Bar
The portal’s navigation bar provides quick access to key features:
- Home Icon: Takes users back to the main dashboard.
- Grid Menu: Displays available applications (e.g., Communities, Courses, Billing).
- Search Bar: Allows users to search lessons, courses, or community content.
- Notifications: Displays alerts for community activity or course progress.
- Profile Section: Includes options for updating user details, managing account settings, and viewing certificates.
Profile and Account Management
Users can manage their information through the profile settings:
- Update Details: Add a bio, profile picture, or social media links.
- Billing and Subscriptions: Secure access to billing information with an authentication email.
- Certificates: Download course completion certificates directly from the portal.
- Community Settings: Adjust chat permissions, block users, or customize notifications.
Final Thoughts
The HighLevel Client Portal is a versatile tool for consolidating client, student, and member interactions. That versatility is also a downfall. Everything is combined into one single portal, and that means clients who just want to access their contracts will also see an affiliate portal, courses, and communities… vice versa etc.
I find the best use for the portal is for strictly the course and community features. I’d recommend turning off affiliates, contracts, and other options.
If you need additional help with HighLevel you’re welcome to check out my other HighLevel tutorials or learn more about my HighLevel Mastery course.