Agency client onboarding workflow
Before kickoff
- Get access: website/CMS, analytics, Google Business Profile, ad accounts — send one access checklist (admin on the CMS, GA4, Search Console, GBP manager, Google Ads/Meta) so nothing blocks you later
- Run a baseline audit — GrowMyWebsite, or Lighthouse + Google Search Console (Pages + Core Web Vitals) + a Screaming Frog crawl; save the scores so you can show progress
- Set up rank tracking + an AI-visibility prompt set — a rank tracker (Ahrefs, Semrush, or BrightLocal for local) plus buyer prompts run monthly in ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity
- Configure the client portal + monthly report — the white-label portal, or a shared Looker Studio dashboard / a simple branded slide template if you're doing it manually
Kickoff call
- Confirm goals and what success looks like (in their words) — write it down as one measurable sentence
- Share the baseline audit + scorecard
- Agree on the first 30-day priorities
- Set the reporting cadence and main point of contact
First 30 days
- Ship 2–3 quick technical wins they can see — e.g. fix broken links, add missing title tags, add Organization/LocalBusiness schema
- Publish or optimize the first content piece
- Send the first branded report with a clear "what's next"
Ongoing
- Monthly branded report (automate it where you can)
- Monthly review call against goals
- Keep the portal/dashboard current so the client can self-serve status
Sample artifact — access request checklist
Send this as the first email so onboarding never stalls:
| System | Access needed | Who grants it |
|---|---|---|
| Website / CMS | Admin or editor login | Client's web person |
| Google Analytics (GA4) | Editor | Client |
| Google Search Console | Full user | Client |
| Google Business Profile | Manager | Client |
| Ad accounts (Google/Meta) | Admin | Client |