Agency Onboarding Checklist: Everything You Need From New Clients

Why You Need a Standardized Onboarding Checklist

Onboarding a new client is one of the most important moments in your agency-client relationship. Get it right, and you set the foundation for a smooth, productive partnership. Get it wrong, and you'll spend weeks chasing missing information, dealing with miscommunication, and making a poor first impression.

A standardized onboarding checklist ensures:

• Nothing falls through the cracks — every piece of information is requested upfront
• Consistency — every client gets the same professional experience
• Speed — you can start delivering value faster
• Clarity — both sides know exactly what's needed and when

Below is a comprehensive checklist covering everything a digital marketing agency typically needs from a new client. Adapt it to your specific services.

Section 1: Platform Access

This is often the most time-consuming part of onboarding. You need access to every platform you'll be managing.

Advertising Platforms

• Meta Business Manager — Partner access to Ad Account(s), Page(s), and Pixel(s). How to grant Meta access
• Google Ads — Manager account link to client's Google Ads account(s). How to grant Google Ads access
• Google Analytics 4 — Editor or Analyst access to the property
• Google Tag Manager — Publish access to the container
• Google Search Console — Full user access
• TikTok Ads Manager — Partner access via Business Center
• LinkedIn Campaign Manager — Account Manager access
• Pinterest Business — Partner access (if applicable)
• Snapchat Ads Manager — Member access (if applicable)
• Microsoft Ads — Account access (if applicable)

Social Media Profiles

• Facebook Page — Admin or Editor access
• Instagram Business — Connected through Meta Business Suite
• LinkedIn Company Page — Admin access
• TikTok Business — Profile access
• X (Twitter) — Access via delegation or shared credentials
• YouTube Channel — Manager access via Brand Account

Other Tools

• CRM access (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) if managing lead follow-up
• Email marketing platform (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc.) if managing email
• E-commerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) if managing product feeds
• Call tracking (CallRail, etc.) if tracking phone conversions

Pro tip: Instead of sending separate instructions for each platform, use Portaal to request access to all platforms through a single link. Your client connects everything in one session, and you get notified when each platform is connected.

Section 2: Branding Assets

You'll need these to create ads, landing pages, and content that matches the client's brand.

• Logo files — Vector format (SVG, AI, EPS) and high-res PNG with transparent background
• Brand guidelines document — Colors, typography, tone of voice, do's and don'ts
• Color codes — Primary and secondary colors in HEX/RGB
• Font files — Or font names if using Google Fonts/Adobe Fonts
• Photography/imagery — Brand photos, product photos, team photos
• Video assets — Existing brand videos, B-roll footage
• Templates — Any existing ad templates, social media templates
• Approved copy — Taglines, boilerplate text, legal disclaimers

Section 3: Business Information

Understanding the client's business is essential for effective marketing.

• Company overview — What they do, their value proposition, what makes them unique
• Target audience — Demographics, psychographics, buyer personas
• Competitive landscape — Top 3-5 competitors and what differentiates the client
• Products/services — Full catalog with pricing, margins, and best-sellers
• Seasonal trends — Peak seasons, slow periods, key dates
• Geographic focus — Service areas, target markets, expansion plans
• Unique selling points — What the client wants to emphasize in marketing

Section 4: Goals and KPIs

Aligning on goals from day one prevents misunderstandings later.

• Primary business goal — Revenue growth, lead generation, brand awareness, etc.
• Monthly/quarterly targets — Specific numbers (leads, revenue, ROAS)
• Current performance baseline — Where are they now? What's working, what isn't?
• Historical data — Past campaign performance, year-over-year trends
• Budget — Monthly ad spend budget per platform
• Reporting expectations — Frequency, format, key metrics to include
• Success criteria — How will they evaluate the agency relationship?

Section 5: Technical Setup

Get the technical foundation right to ensure accurate tracking and attribution.

• Website URL and staging environment (if applicable)
• Conversion tracking — What actions count as conversions? (purchases, form fills, calls, etc.)
• Pixel/tag status — Are tracking pixels already installed? Which ones?
• UTM conventions — Existing UTM parameter structure (or define one)
• Landing pages — Existing pages or need to create new ones?
• CMS access — If you'll be creating or editing landing pages
• Domain verification — For Meta, Google, etc.
• Server-side tracking — CAPI setup for Meta, enhanced conversions for Google

Section 6: Contacts and Communication

Establish clear communication channels from the start.

• Primary contact — Name, email, phone, role
• Decision maker — Who approves budgets, creative, and strategy?
• Technical contact — Who can help with website/tracking issues?
• Billing contact — For invoicing and payment questions
• Preferred communication channel — Email, Slack, Teams, phone
• Meeting cadence — Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly check-ins
• Emergency protocol — Who to contact for urgent issues
• Approval workflow — How are ads and content approved? Who reviews?

Section 7: Legal and Compliance

Cover your bases on the legal side.

• Signed contract/SOW — With clear scope, deliverables, and timelines
• NDA — If handling sensitive business data
• Industry regulations — Healthcare (HIPAA), finance (SEC), alcohol, etc.
• Ad policy compliance — Any previous ad disapprovals or account restrictions?
• Data processing agreement — Required under GDPR if handling EU data
• Content rights — Permission to use client's photos, testimonials, etc. in ads

How to Use This Checklist

Option 1: Manual Collection (The Hard Way)

Copy this checklist into a Google Doc or Notion page. Send it to your client. Chase them for responses. Send follow-up emails. Schedule a call to walk through the platform access steps. Repeat for each client.

Estimated time: 5-10 hours per client. See the true cost of this approach.

Option 2: Automated Collection (The Smart Way)

Use Portaal to handle the most painful parts of this checklist automatically:

1. Platform access — Portaal's single-link onboarding handles all platform connections. No more walking clients through Business Manager settings.
2. Intake forms — Collect branding assets, goals, contacts, and other information through customizable intake forms that are part of the onboarding flow.
3. Status tracking — See exactly which items are complete and which are pending on your Portaal dashboard.
4. Automated reminders — Portaal follows up with clients who haven't completed their onboarding, so you don't have to.

The result: your clients complete onboarding in one session instead of multiple weeks, and you have everything you need to start working immediately.

Download and Customize

This checklist covers the most common items for digital marketing agencies. Depending on your specialization, you may want to add:

• SEO agencies: Current keyword rankings, backlink profile, content calendar
• Social media agencies: Content approval process, user-generated content guidelines, influencer partnerships
• E-commerce agencies: Product feed access, inventory data, promotional calendar
• B2B agencies: Sales cycle length, CRM pipeline stages, lead scoring criteria

The key is to collect everything upfront so your team can hit the ground running from day one.

Start Onboarding Clients the Right Way

A great checklist is the foundation, but the right tools make execution effortless. Portaal automates the most time-consuming parts of client onboarding so you can focus on what you do best: delivering results.

Free for up to 3 clients per month. No credit card required. Get started now.