How to Combine Courses and Communities in HighLevel

HighLevel’s courses and community features let you sell educational content—like courses, frameworks, or systems—and pair it with interactive community spaces for discussions, office hours, or cohort-based experiences. This tutorial shows how to set up a client portal, create a course, configure offers, build a community group with a learning section, and automate access. Whether you’re selling a standalone course or bundling it with a community, this guide has you covered.

Why Combine Courses and Communities in HighLevel?

HighLevel’s integrated platform makes it easy to deliver content and engage members. Benefits include:

• Sell courses or bundles with customizable offers.
• Create community groups for discussions, events, or curated experiences.
• Integrate courses into community learning sections for seamless access.
• Automate access with workflows based on purchases, form submissions, or appointments.
• Unlimited community groups, unlike tools like Circle or WordPress-based solutions.

After testing this setup, it’s a powerful way to deliver value and build engagement without platform limitations.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Courses and Communities

This guide uses a “HighLevel Mastery” course and community group as an example. Follow these steps to create your own course and community setup.

Step 1: Set Up Your Client Portal

The client portal is where members access courses, communities, and other features.

1. In HighLevel, go to Sites > Client Portal.
2. Add a custom domain (e.g., learn.convology.com).
3. Follow the setup wizard. If your domain uses Cloudflare, authorize HighLevel to add DNS records. This takes a few seconds.
4. Go to Branding in portal settings:
   • Name the portal (e.g., “Convology Learning”).
   • Update brand colors (pulled from your branding guide, if set).
   • Optionally add a portal image or favicon for a polished look.
5. Click Save Settings.

Note: The default portal is clean but benefits from a background image for visual appeal. Check the portal preview to ensure it looks good.

Step 2: Create a Course

Courses are managed under the Products section, representing the content members access.

1. Go to Courses > Products > Create Product.
2. Name the course (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery Course”) and click Create Product.
3. In the Curriculum section, add modules or lessons later. For now, go to Details:
   • Add a description and thumbnail image.
4. In the Customize tab, select a theme:
   • Choose the “Neo Classic” theme for advanced customization.
   • Open the customizer to adjust sections (e.g., navigation, hero, progress).
   • Upload a header image, tweak typography, adjust overlay opacity, or hide sections like the instructor bio.
   • Customize the lesson page (e.g., hide instructor details or adjust video placement).
   • Save the template (e.g., “Convology Course Template”) and click Apply.
5. Return to Outline to add placeholder modules (e.g., “Introduction,” “Automation Lessons,” “Email Marketing Lessons”).
6. Preview the course in the customizer to see how it looks with content.

Tip: Populate modules early to preview the course accurately. The advanced customizer offers more flexibility than older versions, so experiment with layouts.

Step 3: Create an Offer

Offers define how you sell or grant access to courses.

1. Go to Courses > Offers > Create Offer.
2. Name the offer (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery”) and set the type (e.g., one-time fee of $495).
3. Set the status to Test and click Create.
4. In Included Products, add the course (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery Course”). For bundles, include multiple courses.
5. Optionally add a description and offer image.
6. Set access duration (e.g., 2 years) if needed.
7. Click Save.
8. In Edit Checkout, customize the checkout page or add upsells:
   • Create a one-click upsell (e.g., another course) or in-app upsell (e.g., “Convology+” for existing course users).
   • Note: The checkout editor is less customizable than the course customizer. For more control, use a funnel with automations (covered later).

Note: The default checkout page works but feels basic. It supports payments and upsells, so it’s functional for sales. It’s very similar to Kajabi’s simple checkout.

Step 4: Set Up a Community Group

Community groups provide discussion spaces or event sections that pair with courses.

1. Go to Communities > Create Community (this creates a group).
2. Name it (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery Group”) and add a description or custom photo.
3. Create an admin profile for the group.
4. In the group settings:
   • Confirm the name and add a subscription price (e.g., $20/month) if selling access.
   • Add channels (e.g., “Home,” “Agencies,” “Automations”).
   • Set channels as private or read-only (e.g., make “Announcements” read-only).
5. Add the course to the group:
   • Go to Learning > select “HighLevel Mastery Course.”
   • Set visibility to “All Members” or “Upon Purchase Only” if selling separately.
6. Create a sample post in a channel (e.g., “Automations” channel, post: “I have a question about workflows”). Members can comment and engage.

Tip: Each group is a standalone community, unlike other tools with a single-community limit. Create multiple groups for different programs (e.g., “Agency Blueprint Group”) with unique events or members.

Step 5: Automate Access to Courses and Groups

Automations grant access to courses or groups based on triggers like purchases or form submissions.

1. Go to Automations > Create Workflow.
2. Set a trigger:
   • For purchases: Use Order Submitted with a filter (e.g., “Product = [Your product name]”).
   • For other actions: Use Form Submitted (e.g., a signup form) or Appointment Booked.
3. Add actions:
   • Course Grant Offer: Select the offer (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery”) to grant course access.
   • Grant Group Access: Select the group (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery Group”) to add members.
   • Combine both for dual access.
4. Optionally add tags or email list integrations.
5. Click Save and Publish.

Example: A “Convology+ Lifetime” purchase triggers access to the “HighLevel Mastery” course and group, sending a welcome email.

Note: Keep automations simple unless complex workflows are needed. Use funnels for external products (e.g., a workshop signup) to grant access.

Step 6: Test the Member Experience

Preview how members interact with the portal, courses, and community.

1. In the portal (e.g., learn.convology.com), click the nine-dot menu to access Courses or Communities.
2. View the course library to see the courses you made or in-app upsells.
3. Click into the course to access lessons, with the video player and customizations displayed.
4. In the community group, check the Learning tab to confirm course access.
5. Explore channels to view posts and comments.
6. Test joining groups, taking courses, or managing subscriptions from the portal’s main hub.

Tip: Customize portal components (e.g., hide estimates or shared files) to tailor the experience, as covered in my client portal video.

Additional Features and Tips

• Bundles: Create offers with multiple courses for a bundled learning experience.
• In-App Upsells: Offer upgrades (e.g., “HighLevel Mastery + Office Hours”) within the portal.
• Unlimited Groups: Unlike Circle or WordPress solutions like SureDash, HighLevel supports unlimited community groups.
• Shared Files: Share resources with members alongside courses.
• Analytics: Check Course Analytics for performance insights.

FAQs

Q: Can I limit course access duration?
A: Yes, set an access duration (e.g., 2 years) in the offer settings.

Q: How do I sell community access separately?
A: Add a subscription price to the group and set course access to “Upon Purchase Only.”

Q: What if I don’t like the checkout page?
A: Use a custom funnel with automations for a more tailored checkout experience.