Master Custom Values in GoHighLevel — Save Time & Scale

Running an agency means managing dozens of clients, each with unique data points, preferences, and workflows. Without a system in place, you're stuck manually entering the same information repeatedly—wasting hours that could go toward scaling your business.

This is where custom values in GoHighLevel change the game.

Custom values are dynamic key:value pairs that store personalized information—contact details, preferences, pricing tiers, service packages, or any custom identifier—and automatically populate them across emails, SMS, landing pages, funnels, and automations. Once you set them up, updates happen instantly across your entire platform. No more manual updates. No more scattered data.

In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to create, organize, and leverage custom values to eliminate repetitive work and scale faster. If you want to experience this firsthand, start your free 30-day GoHighLevel trial (that's double the standard trial length—no credit card required).

What Are Custom Values and Why They Matter for Agencies

Custom values are variables you create to store specific information about your contacts, clients, or business processes. Think of them as custom fields on steroids—they're not just for storage, they're active throughout your entire GoHighLevel ecosystem.

Here's the difference: A standard contact field stores data. A custom value uses that data to power personalization, automation, and workflows across your platform.

Why agencies need custom values:

• Eliminate repetition: Set a custom value once, use it everywhere. Change it once, update everywhere.
• Scale without hiring: Automate client onboarding, service delivery, and communication using dynamic values instead of manual work.
• Personalize at scale: Send hyper-personalized emails, SMS, and web content to hundreds of clients without creating separate campaigns.
• Reduce errors: No more copy-pasting client details or service information into emails and funnels.
• Speed up workflows: Automations trigger based on custom value changes, eliminating bottlenecks.

For example, if you manage 50 clients across different service tiers (Starter, Pro, Enterprise), you can create a custom value called "Service_Tier" and use it to automatically pull the right pricing, features, and messaging into every client touchpoint.

How to Create and Configure Custom Values in GoHighLevel

Creating a custom value in GoHighLevel is straightforward. Here's the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Access the Custom Values Section

Log into your GoHighLevel account and navigate to Settings → Custom Values. This is the hub for all your custom values across your agency.

Step 2: Click "Create New Custom Value"

You'll see a form with the following fields:

• Key: This is the internal name (no spaces, use underscores). Example: "Monthly_Retainer_Price"
• Value: The actual data you want to store. Example: "$2,500"
• Type: Choose from Text, Number, Checkbox, Dropdown, or Date. Select based on your data type.

Step 3: Add Your Data

Enter your key (the variable name) and value (the data). If you select "Dropdown," you can add multiple predefined options (great for service tiers or product categories).

Step 4: Save and Verify

Click "Save." Your custom value is now available throughout your platform—in email templates, landing pages, SMS, automations, and workflows.

Using Custom Values in Your Campaigns

Once created, reference your custom value using the syntax: {{CustomValueKey}}. For example, if you created a custom value with the key "Company_Name," you'd use {{Company_Name}} in any email template or landing page. GoHighLevel automatically replaces it with the stored value.

Organizing Custom Values with Folders and Bulk Actions

As your agency grows, you'll accumulate dozens or hundreds of custom values. Without organization, they become a mess to navigate.

GoHighLevel gives you powerful tools to keep them organized:

Organize with Folders

Create folders to group related custom values. For example:

• Client_Data (contact info, preferences, service tier)
• Pricing (rates, discounts, package costs)
• Campaign_IDs (seasonal promotions, marketing campaigns)
• Internal_Operations (invoice numbers, project codes)

This organization makes it faster to find values when building automations or email templates, and it helps team members understand your system.

Bulk Actions for Efficiency

If you need to update multiple custom values at once, use bulk actions:

• Bulk Edit: Update the values for multiple keys simultaneously.
• Bulk Delete: Remove outdated custom values in one action (useful when campaigns end or clients leave).
• Bulk Import: Upload custom values from a CSV file if you're migrating from another system or setting up a large batch.

These bulk features save hours compared to manual updates, especially if you manage hundreds of clients or complex pricing structures.

This is built into GoHighLevel. Try it free for 30 days →

Best Practices for Scaling with Custom Values

1. Use Consistent Naming Conventions

Adopt a clear naming system. Use underscores, avoid spaces, and make keys descriptive. "Client_Monthly_Retainer" is better than "cmr" or "Retainer."

2. Document Your Custom Values

Keep a spreadsheet or document listing all your custom values, their keys, purposes, and which campaigns or automations use them. This is critical for team handoffs and troubleshooting.

3. Separate Contact-Level and Agency-Level Values

Some values are specific to individual contacts (their service tier, preferences). Others are global (your company logo, standard pricing). Organize them separately to avoid confusion.

4. Test Before Scaling

Before using a custom value in a campaign that goes to 1,000 contacts, test it on a small segment. Verify the syntax is correct and the value populates properly in emails and landing pages.

5. Audit Regularly

Every quarter, review your custom values. Delete ones no longer in use. Consolidate duplicates. This keeps your system lean and your team focused.

Real-World Examples of Custom Values in Action

Example 1: Client Service Tiers

Create a custom value "Client_Package" with dropdown options (Starter, Pro, Enterprise). Use it to automatically populate pricing, feature lists, and support response times in client emails. When a client upgrades, update the value once—all future communications reflect the new tier.

Example 2: Seasonal Campaigns

Create custom values for seasonal promotions: "Holiday_Discount_Code," "Black_Friday_Offer," "New_Year_Bonus." Update these values once, and every email campaign automatically includes the current promotion. No more searching through email drafts to find the latest offer code.

Example 3: Multi-Client Personalization

For SaaS agencies, create values like "Client_API_Key," "Client_Dashboard_URL," "Client_Support_Email." Pull these into automated onboarding sequences so each client gets their own custom links and identifiers without manual work.

Example 4: Internal Tracking

Use custom values for cost tracking: "Project_Budget," "Monthly_Ad_Spend," "Team_Allocation_Hours." Reference these in automations and reports to track profitability per client without spreadsheets.

The key: Any data that repeats across multiple contacts or campaigns belongs in a custom value.

Summary: Mastering Custom Values for Agency Scale

Custom values are one of GoHighLevel's most underrated features. They eliminate manual data entry, reduce errors, and enable personalization at scale. By setting them up strategically and organizing them properly, you create a system that grows with your agency—without growing your workload.

The agencies that dominate their markets aren't the ones doing more work manually. They're the ones who've automated every repeating task. Custom values are a foundational part of that automation.

Start small: identify three repetitive data points in your current workflows. Create custom values for them. Use them in one campaign. Then expand from there. Within a month, you'll be handling 2x the clients with the same team size.