GoHighLevel Custom Dashboards: The KPIs Every Agency Should Track
GoHighLevel’s Custom Dashboards are a configurable analytics space inside each sub-account where you build widgets tracking KPIs from contacts, appointments, opportunities, calls, and revenue, with full control over layout, chart type, and automated delivery. Multiple dashboards and custom reports are included on every HighLevel plan ($97, $297, and $497), so this isn’t a paid add-on you need a higher tier to unlock.
Custom Metrics, a separate but related feature that lets you build formula-based KPIs by combining data from multiple sources, is restricted to the $497-and-above plan. Below is how each piece works, what’s actually included at each tier, and which KPIs are worth building first.
Custom Dashboards vs. Custom Reports vs. Custom Metrics: Three Different Tools
These three terms get used interchangeably in casual conversation but are distinct features inside HighLevel, and knowing which one you actually need saves time:
What’s Included at Each Plan Tier
This is worth stating precisely, since it’s easy to assume dashboards are a premium feature when they mostly aren’t:
| Feature | $97 Plan | $297 Plan | $497 Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Dashboards | Included | Included | Included |
| Custom Reports (scheduling/export) | Included | Included | Included |
| Standard Widgets (scorecards, time series, bar, donut, table) | Included | Included | Included |
| Custom Metrics (formula-based KPIs) | Not included | Not included | Included |
The practical implication: most agencies don’t need to upgrade plans just to build a client-facing dashboard. The place where plan tier actually matters is if you need custom, formula-driven metrics that combine multiple data sources, that’s the $497-and-above capability specifically.
How to Create a Custom Dashboard
Which KPIs to Build First
Rather than replicating every metric available, prioritize the handful that answer the questions an agency or client actually asks in a monthly check-in:
Time-based widgets (Google and Facebook Ads data specifically) calculate using the timezone configured in the ad account itself, not your sub-account’s timezone. This is worth knowing before you assume a discrepancy between an ads platform’s native reporting and a GoHighLevel dashboard widget is a data error, it may simply be a timezone offset in how each system buckets the day.
Client-Facing Dashboards vs. Internal Dashboards
Since Custom Dashboards live inside each sub-account, the natural pattern is: build one internal, detailed dashboard for your team’s operational use, and a second, simplified, white-labeled dashboard scoped to what a client actually wants to see, typically leads, appointments, and revenue, without the operational noise (workflow error rates, internal task completion) that only your team needs.
Scheduled Custom Reports are the better delivery mechanism if the client doesn’t need live dashboard access at all, since a report can be emailed on a recurring schedule to any valid email address, including people who don’t have a login to the platform.
Where GoHighLevel’s Reporting Genuinely Falls Short
Worth stating plainly rather than overselling the feature: GoHighLevel’s dashboard and reporting system is not a replacement for a dedicated business intelligence tool if your reporting needs include pivot tables, complex multi-touch attribution modeling, or reporting that spans data outside the CRM entirely. Platforms built specifically for that purpose go deeper.
Where GoHighLevel’s dashboards win for agencies specifically is white-label capability (no per-client reporting tool license needed), inclusion in the base subscription rather than a separate paid add-on, and setup speed, a usable client-facing dashboard can realistically be built inside a single onboarding session.
FAQ
Do I need a specific GoHighLevel plan to build custom dashboards?
No. Multiple dashboards and custom reports are included on every plan tier ($97, $297, and $497). Only Custom Metrics, the formula-based KPI builder, is restricted to the $497-and-above plan.
What’s the difference between a Custom Dashboard and a Custom Report?
A Custom Dashboard is a live, interactive screen you check inside the platform. A Custom Report is built for scheduling and exporting, useful for sending a recurring PDF or email summary, including to people without platform access.
Why does a widget’s number look different from what I expected?
Check the widget’s Date Property setting first, since a widget filtered by record creation date can show a different number than one filtered by last-update or status-change date for the same underlying records. Also check the timezone: Google and Facebook Ads widgets use the ad account’s own timezone, not the sub-account’s.
Can I send a GoHighLevel report to someone who doesn’t have a login?
Yes. Any valid email address can be added as a report recipient, so clients or stakeholders without platform access can still receive scheduled reports.
Can I duplicate a dashboard to reuse its structure for a new client?
Yes, dashboards can be duplicated directly through the dashboard action menu, and the structure can also be captured in a Snapshot for deployment across future sub-accounts.
A dashboard is only as useful as the KPIs it’s actually tracking and the CRM structure underneath it. Our Custom Dashboard Setup service builds agency and client-facing dashboards around the metrics that matter for your specific business, not a generic template.
