Simple Guide to GoHighLevel Community Setup and Management
Online communities are now a powerful way for brands to turn casual buyers into loyal fans who share and promote their business. In the past, Facebook Groups were the main option, but many businesses now want more control. Competing with ads and tricky algorithms makes it hard to keep members engaged.
That’s where GoHighLevel Community setup comes in. This feature lets you create your own branded space inside the GoHighLevel platform. It connects directly with your courses, contacts, and sales processes, so everything works together in one place. Members don’t have to manage extra logins or switch platforms; they get a smooth, professional experience tied directly to your brand.
This guide will show you how to handle your GoHighLevel Community setup, from the first steps of configuration to strategies that boost engagement. With the right approach, you can build stronger loyalty, add new revenue streams, and give your clients better support.
What is the GoHighLevel Community Feature?
GoHighLevel’s Community feature is designed to replace platforms like Facebook Groups or Circle, but with a big advantage; it’s built right into the GoHighLevel ecosystem. This means you don’t have to send members away to another platform or worry about multiple logins. Everything connects smoothly inside your GHL account.
With a proper GoHighLevel Community setup, you can create a private, branded space where your customers, clients, or members come together. They can share experiences, ask questions, and access exclusive content, all within your business environment. You’ll find this feature inside the “Memberships” section of your dashboard, making it easy to link with your courses and products.
Members can create posts, comment on discussions, and join topic-based channels. You can also upload exclusive content, including images, videos, or documents, to keep your community engaged. It’s a complete solution for building connection and loyalty under your brand
Why You Should Set Up a GoHighLevel Community
Seamless Integration
Your community lives alongside your contacts, courses, & marketing campaigns. This integration removes the need to export member lists, manually grant access, or worry about data synchronization between platforms. When someone buys your product, they can automatically gain community access through your existing workflows.
Enhanced User Experience
Your clients get a single login for everything; their purchased courses, community discussions, and any additional resources you provide. This streamlined experience reduces friction and increases the likelihood that members will actually engage with your community rather than forgetting about it after the initial excitement wears off.
Monetization Opportunities
You can sell community access as a standalone product, bundle it with your courses, or create tiered access levels for different membership types. Since it’s integrated with GoHighLevel’s payment processing, setting up recurring subscriptions for community access becomes straightforward.
Full Ownership and Control
Unlike third-party platforms, you own all the data and control the entire user experience. There are no algorithm changes to worry about, no ads competing for your members’ attention, and no risk of losing your community if an external platform changes their policies or shuts down.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Your GoHighLevel Community Setup
Step 1: Navigate to the Memberships Tab
Start by logging into your GoHighLevel dashboard and clicking on the “Memberships” tab in the left sidebar. Once you’re in the Memberships section, look for “Communities” in the sub-menu. Click on it, and you’ll see a “Create Group” button that will begin your GoHighLevel Community setup process.
Step 2: Create Your Group and Customize Settings
When you click “Create Group,” you’ll encounter several important fields that will define your community’s identity and functionality.
Group Name: Choose something clear and engaging that immediately tells potential members what they’ll find. Examples may be “Marketing Mastery Community” or “Fitness Transformation Hub.” Avoid overly clever names that might confuse your audience.
Group Description: Use this space to explain the community’s purpose, who it’s designed for, and what kind of value members can expect. A good description might read: “A supportive space for small business owners to share marketing strategies, celebrate wins, and get expert guidance on growing their businesses.”
Group URL/Slug: Keep this simple and professional. It will be part of the web address members use to access your community. Use lowercase letters and hyphens instead of spaces (e.g., “marketing-mastery-community”).
Group Logo and Favicon: These branding elements are crucial for creating a professional appearance. Upload a clear, high-resolution logo that represents your brand, and ensure the favicon (the small icon that appears in browser tabs) is recognizable even at a tiny size.
You’ll also encounter settings for making your group public or private, as well as gamification options like leaderboards that can encourage member participation through friendly competition.
Step 3: Structure Your Community with Channels
Channels function such as individual forums or topics within your broader community. They help organize conversations & make it easier for members to find discussions that interest them most.
Consider creating channels such as:
- “General Discussion” for broad conversations
- “Introductions” where new members can introduce themselves
- “Wins & Success Stories” for celebrating achievements
- “Q&A” for questions and expert answers
- “Resources” for sharing valuable tools and materials
To create a new channel, simply click the “Add Channel” button & give it a descriptive name and purpose. You may customize each channel’s settings, including whether certain member types have different permissions for posting or commenting.
Step 4: Connect Your Community to a Product (Offer)
This step is crucial for your GoHighLevel Community setup because it determines how people gain access to your community. GoHighLevel requires communities to be linked to a “Product” in the Memberships area think of this as creating a digital product that grants community access when purchased.
Navigate to the “Products” section within Memberships and create a new product. Give it a name like “Community Access” or something more specific to your niche. Add your community group to this product, and set whether access should be free or paid.
If you’re charging for community access, you can set up one-time payments or recurring subscriptions. For free communities, easily set the price to zero, but you’ll still need this product structure to manage access through GoHighLevel’s system.
Step 5: Grant Access to Members
You have two primary methods for adding members to your community:
Manual Addition: Best for adding individual members or small groups. Simply go to your community settings and add members by their email addresses or select them from your existing contacts.
Automated Through Workflows: This is the most scalable approach. Create a workflow that triggers when specific conditions are met (like “Customer Purchases Product X”) and include a “Grant Offer” action that automatically gives them access to your community product. This automation ensures new members get immediate access without any manual work from you.
Best Practices for Managing and Growing Your Community
Encourage Active Engagement
Post regular welcome threads for new members consider making this a weekly tradition. Use conversation starters and open-ended questions to spark discussions. For example, “What’s one marketing challenge you’re facing this week?” or “Share a recent win, no matter how small!”
Run polls to gather feedback and make members feel heard. This not only generates engagement but also provides valuable insights into what your community wants most.
Moderate Effectively
Create clear community guidelines and pin them in a prominent channel where new members will see them immediately. These guidelines should cover acceptable behavior, posting rules, and consequences for violations.
Actively monitor posts to remove spam and ensure discussions remain constructive and positive. Quick moderation prevents small issues from becoming community-wide problems.
Provide Exclusive Value
Share content that isn’t available anywhere else, behind-the-scenes insights, live Q&A sessions, early access to new products, or exclusive resources. This exclusivity makes membership feel special and worthwhile.
Consider hosting weekly or monthly live sessions where you answer questions, provide training, or simply connect with your community members directly.
Leverage Gamification
GoHighLevel’s leaderboard feature can motivate members to participate more actively by recognizing top contributors. Members who comment frequently, share valuable resources, or help others will appear prominently on the leaderboard, encouraging friendly competition and sustained engagement.
Building Your Community Success Story
Your GoHighLevel Community setup is only the first step toward creating a powerful business asset. Unlike other platforms, this integrated solution removes the usual problems lost logins, scattered platforms, and complicated access controls. Everything runs smoothly within the GoHighLevel ecosystem, making it easier for your members to stay engaged.
The true success of your community depends on what happens after setup. Consistently provide value, share resources, and interact with your members in a genuine way. Don’t wait for hundreds of people to join before starting. Even a small, active group can create strong connections and deliver real results for your business. In fact, smaller engaged communities often prove more valuable than larger, inactive ones.
Now is the time to begin your GoHighLevel Community setup and build stronger relationships with your audience. Consult MyVirtualTalent today to launch and grow your branded community with expert support.