You know that urge to tweak everything inside your HighLevel account? Like… “I bet I could customize this better than the default setup”?
Yeah, I’ve been there too.
But sometimes, less really is more. One of the most common mistakes I see agency owners make is over-customizing features that were designed to just work.
And at the top of that list? The Launchpad.
Let’s talk about why the Launchpad is more helpful than you think, when it’s actually worth customizing and how to make your client experience smoother without breaking stuff behind the scenes.
What Even Is the Launchpad?
If you’re new to HighLevel or just haven’t paid attention to it yet, the Launchpad is basically the built-in onboarding guide for new users. It helps your clients:
✅ Connect their Google account
✅ Set up Facebook and IG integrations
✅ Plug in their Stripe account
✅ Turn on reputation management
✅ Set up domains, calendars, and more
In other words, it does all the stuff you want your clients to do without you holding their hand the entire time.
The Urge to Turn It Off (and Why You Probably Shouldn’t)
So, naturally, a few people want to disable it.
“Can I remove the Launchpad from specific subaccounts?”
“Can I hide some of these steps?”
“Can I make it prettier with my own branding?”
I get it. You want control. But here’s the thing:
🛑 Unless you really know what you’re doing, disabling the Launchpad is more trouble than it’s worth.
Let’s clear up a few myths:
- No, it won’t charge your clients without consent.
- No, it’s not going to connect random stuff automatically.
- Yes, it’s actually useful—even for seasoned marketers.
If your clients are skipping important setup steps, it’s probably not because of the Launchpad… it’s because they’re overwhelmed. Don’t remove the tool—teach them how to use it.
But What If You Do Want to Customize It?
Okay, I’m not here to stop you from experimenting. If your agency is building a hyper-personalized onboarding experience, or if you’re running a done-for-you service model, Launchpad customization can make sense.
In that case, you might end up using some creative workarounds—like Google Sheets + Apps Script to deploy custom web app settings.
But fair warning: it’s fragile. One wrong move and things can get messy, fast.
My take? Only go this route if you’ve got a dev handy or you’re already elbows-deep in custom snapshots. Otherwise…
👉 Keep it simple. Refine user permissions. Limit what they see.
Let the default Launchpad do its thing.
The Real Goal: Better Onboarding Without the Chaos
At the end of the day, your clients don’t want a fancy interface. They want:
✨ A fast setup
✨ A clear path to results
✨ A system that just works
So instead of reinventing the wheel, focus on enhancing what’s already working:
✅ Use Loom to record mini-tutorials that complement Launchpad steps
✅ Build an onboarding email sequence that walks them through what to expect
✅ Add in-app tooltips or checklists using Custom Menu links
Final Thought: Complexity ≠ Value
I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it:
The more complex your system is, the less likely your clients are to succeed.
If you’re spending hours customizing something just because it’s “not perfect,” ask yourself—is this really helping the client? Or am I just tinkering for the sake of tinkering?
Let HighLevel’s Launchpad do what it does best. Focus your energy on helping clients win faster.
Cool Free Thing
Before you can help businesses with your service, you need to establish trust. The fastest way to build that trust? ⭐️ Testimonials.
In the spirit of free stuff, I want to give you my team’s Testimonial Workflow.
It’s our go-to system for gathering, editing, and organizing client testimonials—without chasing people or getting stuck in back-and-forth emails.