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Are you looking to move from Keap/Infusionsoft to HighLevel for your CRM and marketing automation? In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of making a smooth transition from Keap to HighLevel.

Step 1: Familiarise Yourself with HighLevel.  Be sure to take the time to familiarise yourself with the HighLevel platform. Explore its features, understand its terminology, and identify key functionalities that your business requires. Each software has its pros and cons and it is important to understand these before switching from Keap to HighLevel. With any off-the-shelf software there will always be an element of compromise on your part. This knowledge will be crucial as you begin replicating your existing processes and creating new ones in the new system.

Step 2: Identify Your HighLevel Champion. I would highly recommend that someone in your business takes on the role of “HighLevel Champion” even if you plan to outsource most of the implementation. What you do not want to end up with is an external consultant building you a “black box” of a system that no one in the business understands. This is a key role as your CRM / Marketing Automation system will become core to your business. If that person is not the business owner, then the business owner at least needs to have a basic understanding – as staff tend to have a habit of changing jobs every 3 years on average. Not having a HighLevel Champion means that everyone chips in and does their bit in the system, and the whole thing becomes a muddled mess that in the end no one understands – definitely a case of “too many cooks”.

Step 3: Evaluate Your Current Setup Before diving into the transition, take a comprehensive look at your existing Keap setup. Identify key automations, campaigns, and integrations that are critical to your business. This assessment will help you prioritise elements that need to be rebuilt in GoHighLevel.

I would also take this opportunity to re-evaluate how you currently use Keap and the automation you have set up – could things in your business be done a different way – or a better and more efficient way? Based on step 1 (above), from your understanding of HighLevel, you can build out your new systems to play to the advantages of the HighLevel software that you have identified for your business.

Step 4: Map Out Your Customer Journeys Using the insights gained from evaluating your Keap setup, map out your customer journeys. It is during this stage that I will create a Marketing Automation Plan for my clients. Here is a video on how I do that.

This document becomes our “architect’s blueprint” that will then guide us through the implementation of HighLevel. And not only that, this document is a live document, which, provided it is maintained and updated will enable us in the future to manage and evolve the marketing and sales “machine” that you build in HighLevel. This step is key – otherwise, as your business bends and flexes to market forces then your automated processes can be updated too.

Step 5: Implementation in HighLevel 

Now based on your knowledge of HighLevel and with your Marketing Automation Plan in hand you can get down to the exciting bit of building your new processes in HighLevel. There are lots of help resources available on YouTube and the HighLevel support.

A good way to think about building out automation (in any system) is that it really is like writing software – there will be bugs along the way. They are frustrating but must be expected, so be patient as you work through them and view them as a learning opportunity rather than a problem.

Step 6: Export Your Data from Keap Once you are ready you need to export your data from Keap. Points to consider.

Take this opportunity to clear out any old and redundant data. Why clutter the new system from the start with old data.
If you are using Keap Pro or Keap Max. These versions of Keap give us the basic ability to export data. So for instance you can export contacts with basic contact details name, email, address – the basic stuff. It does not export tags, notes, opportunites. The workaround if say you need to replicate tags in HighLevel is to do individual contact exports based on tags from Keap Pro. Then when imported into HighLevel you recreate and apply the tag to the contact record. So this needs a bit of thinking about.

If you are using Keap Ultimate (previously Infuionsoft and Keap Max Classic) then the job is slightly easier we can export tags along with the contact record. But Order records, Notes and Opportunities will not come over in the data export. So this needs thinking about.

Step 7: Import Your Data to GoHighLevel Once you’ve mapped out your customer journeys, import your data into GoHighLevel. Pay close attention to data mapping and ensure that all fields align correctly to maintain data integrity.

Key “Gothas” to watch out for when importing data from Keap to HighLevel.

1. Keap allows us to have contact records without email addresses, HighLevel will not let us import contacts without an email address – it will simply ignore them on import. The way around this if you need to import contacts into HighLevel without an email address is to do a little bit of pre-import work and creae a fake, but unique email address. Using Google Sheets, a few columns and some data tools I create unique email addresses eg.    name1@fakeemail.com,  name2@fakeemail.com etc. I then import these contacts and finally, I can then do a seach on email addresses containing  “fakeemail” and find them in the database. And then the final step is to create and put the contacts through a “temporary” Workflow which simply updates the email field to a blank.

Step 8: Test and Iterate Before fully committing to the switch, conduct thorough testing. Run test campaigns, check automations, check any integrations and verify data accuracy. This step is crucial for identifying and ironing out any issues that may arise during the transition. Iterate on your setup until you are confident that everything is working seamlessly.

Step 9: Train Your Team If you’re working in a team, provide comprehensive training on GoHighLevel. Ensure that your team members are comfortable navigating the platform and utilizing its features. GoHighLevel often provides training resources and customer support to aid in this process.

I would recommend you roll out the training in stages, this especially applies when working with sales teams who will be using HighLevel daily to manage their contacts, sales pipeline and opportunities. Everyone has different levels of “techie” competence and acceptance. Start by onboarding those who are most accepting of the technology and the change in the way of doing things. They will not be phased when you hit any glitches as you adopt the new way of doing things and help you fine-tune the system. Once they start to see results you will find that the less techie members on the team will be more accepting and they will have colleagues they can ask for help.

Then going forward as you recruit new staff ensure that they are willing and accepting of working with the technology.

Step 10: Monitor and Optimize Post-transition, closely monitor your campaigns and customer interactions in GoHighLevel. Identify areas for optimization and take advantage of any advanced features that GoHighLevel offers to enhance your marketing and sales processes.

Conclusion: Switching from Keap to GoHighLevel may seem like a significant undertaking, but with careful planning and execution, it can lead to a more streamlined and efficient marketing automation system. Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to maximising the potential of HighLevel for your business.

If you would like to discuss your specific requirements then feel free to schedule a Discovery Call.