Client Onboarding Checklist (free, complete)

1 Day 1 — Kickoff & paperwork 2 Days 1–3 — Access collection 3 Days 3–7 — Baseline & setup 4 Days 7–14 — Strategy & first wins

Day 1 — Kickoff & paperwork

4 tasks · phase 1 of 4

Signed agreement + scope on file
Kickoff call scheduled (agenda sent in advance)
Primary contact + approval authority confirmed in writing
Invoice/payment details set up

Days 1–3 — Access collection

6 tasks · phase 2 of 4

Website/CMS admin access
Google Analytics (GA4) + Search Console access
Google Business Profile manager access (if local)
Ad accounts as relevant (Google Ads, Meta)
Domain/DNS contact identified (for verification records)
Store credentials in a vault — never in email

Days 3–7 — Baseline & setup

5 tasks · phase 3 of 4

Full site crawl saved as the baseline snapshot
Rankings baseline captured for target keywords
Analytics annotated: engagement start date
Client workspace/project created; team assigned; phases loaded
Client hub link shared (progress they can check anytime)

Days 7–14 — Strategy & first wins

4 tasks · phase 4 of 4

Strategy summary delivered: targets, timeline, definition of success
Quick-win fixes shipped (broken links, worst metas, GBP gaps)
Reporting cadence agreed: what, when, in what format
First monthly plan in the client's board, visible to them

Make it run itself

A template on a page is a start. A template that assigns itself is a system.

Copy this into any tool you like — it's yours. But the failure mode of every checklist is the same: it lives in a doc nobody opens on the day the work happens. In PeakKR this template is a phased project: phases unlock in order, each task lands on a real person with a due date, and your client watches the phases complete on their own hub link instead of emailing "where are we?"

Create a project from the template — the phases and tasks above appear on the board, in order.
Assign the phase owners once. New tasks default to the project's PM; recurring ones respawn on schedule.
Share the client hub link. Progress, wins and reports at the same URL all engagement — no status meetings required.

FAQ

Using this template well

What if the client is slow granting access?

That's exactly why access collection is days 1–3, all at once, in a single request list — not dripped out as each need arises. One email with everything, one follow-up call, and the account manager (not the delivery team) owns the chasing. Slow access then delays day 3, not day 30.

Why capture baselines before doing any work?

Because month six's "was this worth it?" conversation is won or lost in week one. Rankings, traffic and a full crawl snapshot from before you touched anything is the only honest before/after — and the cheapest insurance an agency can buy.

Should clients see this checklist?

The access and expectations parts, absolutely — clients chase faster when they can see the checklist their launch is stuck on. In PeakKR the client hub shows onboarding progress live, which turns "we're waiting on you" from an accusation into a dashboard.