Blog Platform Setup

Launch your first blog site, publish your first post, configure categories and authors, and integrate your blog with your website or funnel. This guide walks through blog creation, post authoring, design customization, and RSS feed setup for content distribution.

Prerequisites

Before setting up your blog, ensure you have:

• Admin access to your GoHighLevel sub-account
• A custom domain or subdomain ready to use for your blog
• Your blog content strategy: topics, categories, and target audience
• Your first blog post drafted or outlined
• Author profiles prepared: names, bios, and photos

Create Your Blog Site

Set up the container that holds all your blog posts and establishes your blog’s URL structure.

Navigate to Sites > Blogs in your sub-account.

Click Create Blog in the upper-right corner.

Choose to create from scratch for full control, or select a pre-built template to start with a designed layout.

Enter your Blog Site Title. This appears in the browser tab and search engine results. Use a clear, descriptive title like “Company Name Blog” or “Industry Insights by [Your Business].”

Select or add your Domain. Choose an existing domain from the dropdown or click to add a new one. Popular options include subdomains like “blog.yourdomain.com” or paths like “yourdomain.com/blog.”

Set the Slug for your blog’s URL path. If using a subdomain, the slug can be blank or ”/”. If using your root domain, set the slug to “/blog” or another path.

Add a Blog Meta Description (optional but recommended). This description appears in search results and social shares. Keep it under 160 characters and make it compelling.

Click Save to create the blog site. The blog site now appears in your blog list.

Configure Blog Design and Layout

Customize the appearance of your blog listing and post pages to match your brand.

From Sites > Blogs, click on the name of your blog site.

Click Edit the Blog Site to open the design editor.

Choose your Layout. Select Standard Layout for large cover images and detailed post cards, or Compact Layout for a condensed listing with smaller thumbnails.

Configure Card Elements to control what displays on each blog post card. Toggle on or off:

• Cover Image
• Post Title
• Description/Excerpt
• Author Name
• Publish Date
• Category Tags

Click into the Style panel to customize fonts, colors, and spacing. Adjust settings for headings, titles, descriptions, body text, images, author display, publish date format, and tag appearance.

Add a Navigation Menu by dragging the Navigation Menu element from the elements panel. Configure links to point to your homepage, services, contact page, and other key pages.

Add a Footer using prebuilt footer elements. Include contact information, social media links, copyright text, and legal page links.

Save both the navigation and footer as Global Sections if you want them to appear consistently across all blog post pages. Hover over the section, click the save icon, name it, check Global Section, and click Save.

Use the Advanced tab to add custom CSS for pixel-perfect design control.

Click Save to apply all design changes.

Create Categories and Authors

Organize your blog content with categories and attribute posts to specific authors.

From the blog site view, click Categories in the left sidebar or manage them during post creation.

Add categories relevant to your content strategy. Examples: “SEO Tips”, “Case Studies”, “Industry News”, “How-To Guides”, “Product Updates”.

Keep your category structure simple with 4 to 8 broad categories that align with your core topics.

Navigate to Authors (or create them inline during post creation).

Add author profiles with names and bios. Include a short bio that establishes credibility and expertise.

Upload author profile photos if available. Real photos build trust and make content feel more personal.

Click Save for each category and author.

Write and Publish Your First Blog Post

Create your first article with proper formatting, SEO settings, and publishing options.

From Sites > Blogs, click on your blog site name.

Click New Post at the top of the post list.

Select + New Post to create from scratch.

Use the built-in editor to write your article. Add headings (H2, H3), paragraphs, bullet lists, numbered lists, block quotes, images, and embedded media.

Structure your post with clear sections. Use H2 headings for main sections and H3 for subsections.

Add images by clicking the image icon or dragging images into the editor. Upload from your computer or select from the media library. Compress images before uploading to keep load times fast.

Embed videos by pasting YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia URLs directly into the editor.

When your content is ready, click Continue to proceed to post details.

Enter a URL Slug for the post. Use lowercase, hyphens between words, and keep it short and descriptive (for example, “how-to-generate-leads” or “5-seo-mistakes”).

Select or create a Category to organize the post under a topic grouping.

Select or create an Author to attribute the post.

Review the Canonical Link. The system auto-generates this, but you can edit it if republishing content from another source.

Add Keywords relevant to the post’s topic for internal organization and SEO planning.

Configure SEO Settings

Optimize your post for search engines and social media sharing.

Add an SEO Title. This appears as the clickable headline in search engine results. Keep it under 60 characters and include your primary keyword.

Write a compelling Post Description (meta description). This snippet appears below the title in search results. Keep it between 150 and 160 characters, make it benefit-driven, and include a call to action if space allows.

Upload a Cover Image for the post. This image appears on blog listing cards and when the post is shared on social media.

Add descriptive Alt Text for the cover image. Use a phrase that describes the image and includes relevant keywords naturally. Alt text improves accessibility and helps images rank in image search.

Review the Canonical URL to ensure search engines index the correct version of the page. The default setting works for most scenarios.

Click Save if you want to save the post as a draft without publishing.

Publish or Schedule Your Post

Make your post live immediately or schedule it for future publication.

Choose your publishing option:

• Draft: Save the post without making it publicly visible. Use drafts to work on articles over time or queue content for review.
• Publish: Make the post live immediately on your blog site. Once published, the post is accessible at its URL and included in your blog listing.
• Schedule: Set a specific date and time for the post to go live automatically. Use scheduling to plan your content calendar in advance and maintain consistent publishing.

If scheduling, select the desired date and time. The post will publish automatically at that moment.

Click Publish or Schedule to finalize.

Verify the post appears on your blog listing by visiting your blog URL.

Open the published post and confirm it displays correctly with all images, formatting, and metadata.

Add Blog to Website or Funnel

Display your blog post listing on any website page or funnel step.

Open the website page or funnel step where you want to display your blog.

Open the Elements panel on the left.

Drag the Blog Post List element onto the page.

Click the element to open its settings in the right panel.

Select the blog site you want to display posts from.

Configure display settings such as the number of posts, layout style, and filtering options.

Click Save to apply the element.

Preview the page to confirm the blog listing displays correctly with post titles, images, and excerpts.

When a visitor clicks on a blog post from the listing, the post opens in its own dedicated page with full content, author details, and category.

Set Up RSS Feed for Distribution

Leverage your blog’s auto-generated RSS feed to distribute content across channels.

Your blog automatically generates an RSS feed at [your-blog-url]/rss.xml. No manual setup is required.

Use this RSS feed URL to syndicate content to feed readers, email newsletters, and social media automation tools.

Connect the RSS feed to the Social Planner to auto-publish new blog posts to your social media channels:

• Navigate to Marketing > Social Planner
• Set up an RSS feed integration
• Paste your blog’s RSS URL
• Configure which social platforms receive auto-posts when new content publishes
• Customize the post format and schedule

Test the RSS feed by visiting [your-blog-url]/rss.xml in a browser. Verify it loads correctly with your latest posts.

Test Your Setup

Verify all blog components function correctly before promoting your blog.

Visit your blog homepage at the URL you configured during setup.

Confirm the blog listing displays with post cards showing the elements you enabled (cover image, title, description, author, date, category tags).

Click on a blog post to open it. Verify the post displays with proper formatting, images, and navigation.

Test the navigation menu and footer links. Confirm they route to the correct pages.

Test on mobile devices. Open the blog on your phone and tablet to confirm responsive design, readability, and image sizing.

Submit a comment on a blog post if comments are enabled. Verify comment moderation and display settings work correctly.

Check social sharing buttons if you added them. Click to share a post on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter and confirm the Open Graph image and description appear correctly.

Verify your RSS feed by visiting [your-blog-url]/rss.xml and confirming it lists your published posts with correct titles and links.

Test category and author pages by clicking on category tags or author names. Confirm they load with filtered post listings.

Check SEO metadata by viewing the page source (right-click > View Page Source) and searching for <title> and <meta name="description">. Verify your custom SEO settings appear correctly.

Next Steps

Now that your blog is live, explore related features to maximize content marketing impact:

• Social Planner to auto-publish new blog posts to social media channels via RSS
• Email Campaigns to share new blog content with your email list
• Forms and Surveys to capture leads through embedded forms in global sections
• Workflow Builder to trigger automations when blog visitors submit forms
• Review Monitoring to track blog post rankings and optimize for search visibility

For a complete overview of Blog features, content strategies, and best practices, read the Blog Platform Guide.