Keap to GoHighLevel Migration: No Data Loss (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Migrating from Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) to GoHighLevel takes 5 to 10 business days when done correctly. The process covers six areas: exporting and importing contacts with tags, rebuilding campaigns as GHL workflows, migrating pipelines and deal stages, transferring email templates, setting up two-way SMS (which Keap cannot do natively), and running a parallel test period before switching DNS and cancelling Keap. Ghlcrms has completed 40+ Keap-to-GHL migrations without data loss. This guide gives you the exact process we use.

Why Businesses Migrate from Keap to GoHighLevel

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) was the gold standard for small-business CRM and email automation for most of the 2010s.

Thousands of service businesses, consultants, and agencies built their entire customer lifecycle inside Keap. But by 2024 and into 2026, the platform has fallen behind in three critical areas that the market now demands.

Keap Limitation	What GoHighLevel Provides Instead
No native two-way SMS — Keap requires PlusThis or Zapier to send and receive SMS	Native two-way SMS with full conversation history, A2P 10DLC support, and SMS workflow triggers
No AI-powered automation — Keap has no AI chatbot, no AI voice agent, no AI review responder	AI Employee suite: Conversation AI, Voice AI, Reviews AI, Content AI — all native, no integrations needed
Pricing has become uncompetitive — Keap Pro runs $159+/month for 1,500 contacts with feature restrictions	GoHighLevel Unlimited at $297/month covers unlimited contacts, unlimited sub-accounts, and all AI features
No white-label infrastructure — agencies cannot rebrand Keap for clients	Full white-label + SaaS Mode: rebrand the entire platform under your agency name
Calendar and booking require integrations (Acuity, Calendly)	Native calendar system with round-robin, group booking, AI booking, and automation triggers on appointments
Reporting is basic — no attribution, no source tracking across channels	Full attribution reporting, source tracking, funnel analytics, and agency-level dashboards

The businesses that migrate from Keap to GoHighLevel are not leaving because Keap broke. They are leaving because GoHighLevel does more for the same or lower cost — and the gap is widening every quarter as GHL ships new features.

What Carries Over and What Does Not

Asset Type	Migration Outcome
Contacts (name, email, phone, address)	Carries over — export from Keap as CSV, import into GHL
Contact tags	Carries over — included in Keap CSV export, maps to GHL tags on import
Custom fields (standard types)	Carries over with prep — create matching custom fields in GHL first, then map on import
Email templates (HTML)	Carries over — copy HTML, paste into GHL email builder
Pipeline stages / deal data	Partial — pipeline names and stages migrate; deal history requires manual CSV rebuild
Campaign logic (sequence + automation)	Rebuild required — Keap campaign sequences must be manually recreated as GHL workflows
Campaign email content	Content carries over — copy/paste from Keap into GHL email sequences
Order / payment history	Does not migrate — Keap payment records stay in Keap for reference
Membership / product access	Does not migrate — rebuild membership products natively in GHL
Landing pages / web forms	Does not migrate — rebuild in GHL funnel builder or page builder
Keap API integrations (Zapier, PlusThis)	Replace — GHL has native equivalents for most Keap integrations

Key Insight: The contacts, tags, and email content are the most valuable assets in your Keap account — and all three migrate cleanly. The automation logic (campaign sequences) is the most time-consuming to rebuild, but rebuilding it in GoHighLevel’s workflow builder gives you far more powerful branching, SMS triggers, and AI actions than the original Keap campaigns ever had. Most clients end up with better automation after migration than before.

Pre-Migration Checklist (Do This Before You Export Anything)

Skipping pre-migration prep is the number one reason migrations fail or cause data loss. Complete every item below before touching the export button in Keap.

Audit your Keap contact database — identify and merge duplicate contacts, delete unsubscribes and hard bounces older than 12 months, and note total contact count for GHL import planning.
Document every active Keap campaign — list every sequence that is currently running, which contacts are in it, and what trigger starts it. You will need this list to rebuild workflows in GHL.
Map your custom fields — open Keap settings and list every custom field name and data type. Create the matching custom fields inside your GHL sub-account before importing any contacts.
Audit your tags — export a full tag list from Keap. Remove obsolete tags. Note which tags define your key segments (hot leads, past clients, free trial, etc.) — these map directly to GHL smart lists.
Set up your GHL sub-account completely — your GHL sub-account should have your business name, address, timezone, currency, and domain connected before you import a single contact.
Connect your GHL phone number — set up LC Phone or Twilio in GHL before migrating. This is the first thing new contacts will interact with via SMS workflows.
Set a migration window — choose a 5-day period where campaign activity in Keap is lowest. Pause all active Keap campaigns the day before you begin the migration.

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Export Your Keap Data

Contacts Export

Log in to Keap and go to CRM → Contacts.
Use the search/filter to select All Contacts (or segment by tag if you want to migrate in batches).
Click Export → Export to CSV.
In the export settings, include: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Address, all Tags, and every custom field you documented in pre-migration step 3.
Save the CSV. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets and verify that all columns are present and readable before closing Keap.

Read this: GoHighLevel vs ClickFunnels 2026: Which Platform Actually Wins?

Campaign / Sequence Export

Keap does not export campaign logic as a file. You will document it manually:

Open each active campaign in Keap’s campaign builder.
Screenshot every step, delay, condition, and email in the sequence.
Create a rebuild document (Google Doc or Notion page) that lists: trigger → delay → email subject → next step for every node in the campaign.
This document becomes your GHL workflow rebuild blueprint.

Email Template Export

Go to Email & Broadcasts → Templates.
Open each template and copy the HTML source code.
Save each template as a separate .html file named clearly (e.g., welcome-sequence-email-1.html).

Important: Do not cancel Keap at any point during the export phase. Keep Keap active as your source of truth until the GHL parallel test period is complete and you have confirmed zero data gaps.

Import Contacts into GoHighLevel

In your GHL sub-account, go to Contacts → Import.
Upload the CSV you exported from Keap.
On the field mapping screen, map each CSV column to the correct GHL field. Standard fields (First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone) map automatically. Custom fields must be mapped manually — this is why you created them in pre-migration step 3.
In the Tags column, GHL will read comma-separated tag values and apply them to each contact automatically. Verify that your Keap CSV has tags in a single comma-separated column, not split across multiple columns.
Set the duplicate handling rule to ‘Update existing contact’ — this prevents duplicate records if any contacts are already in GHL from prior tests.
Run the import. GHL will show a progress report. Review the error log — any contact that failed to import will be listed with the reason.
After import, spot-check 20 to 30 contact records manually. Verify that tags, phone numbers, and custom field values transferred correctly.

Pro Tip: Import contacts in batches of 5,000 to 10,000 if your Keap database is large. Smaller batches make error logs easier to review and fix before the next batch runs.

Rebuild Tags and Custom Fields

After the import, open your GHL contact list and verify the tag structure. In Keap, tags are flat — every tag is at the same level. GoHighLevel uses tags the same way, but also has smart lists which are dynamic segments that auto-update based on filter conditions. This is where you can upgrade your segmentation during migration.

Recommended Tag-to-Smart-List Mapping

Keap tag: ‘Hot Lead’ → GHL smart list: contacts tagged Hot Lead AND no appointment booked in last 30 days → triggers re-engagement workflow
Keap tag: ‘Past Client’ → GHL smart list: contacts tagged Past Client AND last service date > 90 days → triggers win-back SMS campaign
Keap tag: ‘Free Trial’ → GHL smart list: contacts tagged Free Trial AND no purchase in last 14 days → triggers trial expiry nurture sequence

This is also the time to clean up tags that are no longer relevant. Every orphaned tag from old Keap campaigns adds noise to your contact database. Remove any tag that does not map to an active segment or workflow.

Migrate Campaigns to GHL Workflows

This is the most time-intensive step. There is no automated way to convert Keap campaign builder sequences into GHL workflow automations — they use different logic structures and different trigger systems. You rebuild from the blueprint document you created in Step 1.

The Rebuild Approach

Open your campaign rebuild document.
In GHL, go to Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow.
Set the trigger that matches the Keap campaign trigger (e.g., Contact Tag Added = ‘Hot Lead’).
Rebuild each step using GHL actions: Send Email, Wait, Send SMS, Add Tag, Move Pipeline, Assign User, If/Else branch.
For each email step, paste in the email content from your Keap template export. Update any Keap merge fields ({{~Contact.FirstName~}}) to GHL format ({{contact.first_name}}).
Add steps that did not exist in Keap: two-way SMS check-ins, AI-intent branches, and missed-call text-backs that Keap could not do.
Test each workflow with a test contact before activating.

Workflow Priority Order: Rebuild your highest-volume workflows first: new lead nurture, booking confirmation and reminder, post-service follow-up, and review request. These four workflows cover 80% of your automation activity. Rebuild the remaining campaigns in week two of the parallel period.

Migrate Pipelines and Opportunity Stages

In GHL, go to CRM → Pipelines → Add Pipeline.
Name the pipeline to match your Keap pipeline (e.g., ‘Sales Pipeline’, ‘Client Onboarding’).
Add each stage name in the same order as your Keap pipeline stages.
For existing deals: export your Keap opportunity data as CSV, then import it into GHL using the Opportunities import function. Map the pipeline stage field to the correct GHL stage name.
Set up pipeline automation: in GHL, you can trigger workflows when a contact enters or moves through a pipeline stage. Build these triggers to replace any Keap campaign triggers that were tied to pipeline movement.

If your Keap account was used primarily as an email CRM without an active pipeline, you can set up your GHL pipeline fresh rather than migrating existing deal data — starting with a clean pipeline is often preferable to migrating partial historical deal records.

Read this: GoHighLevel AI Employee: The Complete 2026 Guide to All 4 AI Modules

Transfer Email Templates

In GHL, go to Marketing → Emails → Templates → New Template.
Switch the builder to HTML mode.
Paste the HTML source from your Keap template export.
Preview the template and check for rendering issues — Keap’s HTML sometimes uses inline styles that need minor cleanup for GHL’s email engine.
Update all merge field syntax from Keap format to GHL format.
Save and label each template clearly — use the same naming convention you used in Keap for easy reference during workflow rebuilds.

Keap Merge Field	GoHighLevel Equivalent
~Contact.FirstName~	{{contact.first_name}}
~Contact.LastName~	{{contact.last_name}}
~Contact.Email~	{{contact.email}}
~Contact.Phone1~	{{contact.phone}}
~Contact.Company~	{{contact.company_name}}
~Owner.FirstName~	{{assigned_user.first_name}}
~Contact._CustomField~	{{contact.custom_field_name}}

Set Up SMS, Calendar, and Phone (New in GHL)

This is where migration becomes an upgrade. Keap does not have native two-way SMS, a built-in calendar booking system, or an AI phone agent. Every one of these is native in GoHighLevel. Setting them up during migration — rather than after — means your new GHL environment launches fully equipped.

Two-Way SMS Setup

In GHL, go to Settings → Phone Numbers → Add Number.
Purchase an LC Phone number (recommended) or connect your existing Twilio number.
Complete A2P 10DLC registration — required for business SMS in the US. This takes 3-5 business days. Start this during your pre-migration window so it is approved before go-live.
Add SMS steps to your rebuilt workflows. A standard lead nurture workflow should include at least one SMS touchpoint in the first 5 minutes after opt-in — this is the step Keap users have never had.

Calendar Setup

Go to Calendars → Create Calendar.
Set your availability, buffer times, booking window, and confirmation settings.
Connect the calendar to your rebuilt workflows — appointment booked triggers a confirmation email and SMS, appointment reminder fires 24 hours and 1 hour before.
Embed the GHL booking widget wherever you previously used Acuity, Calendly, or a Keap web form.

Run the Parallel Period

A parallel period means running both Keap and GoHighLevel simultaneously for 5 to 7 days before switching over completely. This is the safety net that prevents data loss and catches errors before they affect live leads.

What to Do During the Parallel Period

Keep all active Keap campaigns paused — do not let new contacts enter Keap sequences
Route all new inbound leads into GoHighLevel only — test that the GHL workflows fire correctly
Manually cross-check 10-20 new contacts per day: verify that tags applied correctly, workflow steps fired in the right order, and SMS messages sent and received
Test every calendar booking flow end-to-end: book a test appointment, confirm that the confirmation email and SMS fire, and verify the appointment appears correctly in your calendar
Check email deliverability — send test emails from GHL to multiple inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) and verify they land in the primary inbox, not spam
Run a full Voice AI test if configured — call your GHL number, go through the AI qualification script, and verify the booking completes

Do Not Skip This Step: Every migration that has gone wrong in ghlcrms experience skipped or shortened the parallel period. Five days of parallel running costs nothing and catches the errors that a rushed migration misses. If you find a critical error during the parallel period, you still have Keap as a fallback. After you cancel Keap, you do not.

Go Live and Cancel Keap

After a clean parallel period — no critical errors, all workflows firing correctly, all contacts imported and verified — you are ready to switch completely to GoHighLevel.

Update your website forms — replace any Keap web form embed codes with GHL form embed codes or funnel page links.
Update your booking links — replace Keap-connected calendar links (Acuity, Calendly) with your GHL booking page URL.
Update your email footer — update your unsubscribe link to the GHL-managed unsubscribe URL. This is required for CAN-SPAM compliance.
Export a final backup from Keap — one last full contact export with all tags and custom fields before you cancel. Store this CSV as a permanent archive.
Cancel Keap — log in to Keap billing and cancel your subscription. Note the cancellation date and confirmation number. Keep your Keap login active until you are certain the cancellation processed correctly.
Monitor GHL for 14 days post-launch — check workflow logs daily, review conversation inbox for any missed lead responses, and verify that all automation is running without errors.

Full Migration Checklist Table

Task	Tool / Method
Audit and clean Keap contact database	Keap CRM → Contacts filter
Document all active Keap campaigns	Screenshot + rebuild doc
Map and create GHL custom fields	GHL Settings → Custom Fields
Audit and clean Keap tag list	Keap Settings → Tags
Set up GHL sub-account fully	GHL sub-account settings
Connect GHL phone number	GHL → Settings → Phone Numbers
Start A2P 10DLC registration	GHL → Settings → Phone → Compliance
Export Keap contacts as CSV	Keap CRM → Export
Export Keap email templates as HTML	Keap Email → Templates
Document pipeline stages	Keap CRM → Opportunities
Import contacts into GHL	GHL Contacts → Import
Verify contact tags and custom fields	GHL → spot-check 20+ records
Create GHL smart lists from Keap tag segments	GHL → Smart Lists
Rebuild top 4 workflows in GHL	GHL → Automation → Workflows
Rebuild remaining campaign workflows	GHL → Automation → Workflows
Create GHL pipelines matching Keap stages	GHL → CRM → Pipelines
Import existing deals/opportunities	GHL → Opportunities → Import
Transfer email templates to GHL	GHL → Marketing → Templates
Update merge field syntax in all templates	Manual find/replace
Set up GHL calendar and booking page	GHL → Calendars
Add SMS steps to rebuilt workflows	GHL → Workflow → Add Action
Run 5-7 day parallel period	Both platforms active
Test all workflows with live test contacts	GHL → Workflow Logs
Test email deliverability	Send to Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo
Update website forms to GHL embed codes	GHL → Forms → Embed
Update booking links to GHL calendar URL	GHL → Calendars → Share Link
Export final Keap backup CSV	Keap CRM → Export → Archive
Cancel Keap subscription	Keap Billing Settings
Monitor GHL for 14 days post-launch	GHL → Workflow Logs + Conversations

Common Mistakes in Keap-to-GHL Migrations

Mistake 1: Not cleaning the Keap database before export. Migrating 3,000 duplicate contacts and 500 hard-bounce emails wastes your import quota and pollutes your GHL database from day one. Clean Keap first. Import only valid, non-duplicate, opted-in contacts.

Mistake 2: Trying to recreate Keap campaigns exactly as they were. Keap campaigns were built around Keap’s limitations. GoHighLevel workflows can do more. Do not just rebuild the old sequence — use the migration as a chance to add SMS touchpoints, AI branches, and pipeline triggers that Keap never supported.

Mistake 3: Skipping A2P 10DLC registration. If you activate SMS workflows in GHL without completing A2P 10DLC registration, your SMS messages will be filtered or blocked by US carriers. This can take days to appear and is invisible in your workflow logs. Register A2P during the pre-migration window so it is approved before go-live.

Mistake 4: Cancelling Keap before the parallel period ends. Once Keap is cancelled, you lose access to campaign history, email logs, and contact activity records. Keep Keap active until you are certain the migration is complete and clean.

Mistake 5: Not updating email unsubscribe links. Every email sent from GHL must contain a valid GHL-managed unsubscribe link. If you copy Keap email templates without updating the footer, your unsubscribe links will be broken — a CAN-SPAM violation.

Related Resources on ghlcrms

Migrate to GoHighLevel: Complete Master Guide — the full platform-agnostic migration playbook
ActiveCampaign to GoHighLevel Migration Guide — the same process for ActiveCampaign users
GoHighLevel CRM: Complete 2026 Setup Guide — set up your GHL sub-account from scratch
GoHighLevel Workflow Templates: 12 Production-Ready Examples — pre-built workflows for your rebuilt automations
A2P 10DLC Registration for GoHighLevel: Complete Guide — step-by-step for SMS compliance
Why GoHighLevel Emails Go to Spam (Fix Guide) — deliverability setup post-migration
GoHighLevel AI Employee: Complete 2026 Guide — activate AI features after migration is complete

If you want ghlcrms to handle the migration for you — contacts, workflows, pipelines, templates, and SMS setup — book a free migration strategy call below.

→ Book a Free Keap-to-GoHighLevel Migration Call with ghlcrms

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Keap to GoHighLevel migration take?

A complete Keap-to-GoHighLevel migration takes 5 to 10 business days when done correctly. Contacts and tags import in hours.

Workflow rebuilds take 2 to 4 days depending on campaign complexity. The parallel test period adds 5 to 7 days. Rushing any phase increases the risk of data loss or automation errors.

Can I migrate my Keap contacts to GoHighLevel without losing tags?

Yes. Keap exports tags as part of the contact CSV. GoHighLevel reads comma-separated tag values during import and applies them automatically to each contact.

The key requirement is that your Keap export includes the Tags column and that the tags are formatted as a comma-separated list in a single column, not split across multiple columns.

Does GoHighLevel have everything Keap has?

GoHighLevel has everything Keap has and more. GoHighLevel adds native two-way SMS, AI automation, an AI voice agent, white-labeling, sub-account management, built-in calendar booking, and reputation management — none of which Keap offers natively.

The one area where some Keap users notice a difference is in the e-commerce and payment features, which Keap has developed more deeply for product-based businesses.

What happens to my Keap automations when I migrate?

Keap campaign sequences do not migrate automatically — they must be manually rebuilt as GoHighLevel workflows.

This is the most time-intensive part of the migration, but it is also the most valuable: rebuilding campaigns in GoHighLevel’s workflow builder gives you access to SMS triggers, AI intent branches, pipeline movement triggers, and dozens of new automation actions that Keap never supported.

Can I keep Keap and GoHighLevel running at the same time?

Yes, and you should during the parallel period. Run both platforms simultaneously for 5 to 7 days after your GHL setup is complete.

Route new leads to GoHighLevel only during this period and keep Keap paused as a reference. Cancel Keap only after the parallel period confirms your GHL environment is working correctly.

Is GoHighLevel cheaper than Keap?

For most businesses, yes. Keap Pro starts at $159 per month for 1,500 contacts. GoHighLevel Unlimited at $297 per month covers unlimited contacts, unlimited sub-accounts, AI Employee features, and white-labeling.

For agencies managing multiple clients, the per-client cost of GoHighLevel is dramatically lower than running separate Keap accounts.

Can ghlcrms do the Keap migration for me?

Yes. ghlcrms handles Keap-to-GoHighLevel migrations as a done-for-you service. The process covers contact import and verification, workflow rebuilds, pipeline setup, email template transfer, SMS configuration, A2P 10DLC registration, and the parallel test period.

Book a free strategy call to get a migration plan and timeline specific to your Keap account size.