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Onboarding: Access and Assets Checklist
Once you approve the growth plan, step three begins. Onboarding and setup is where we collect what we marketing agency pricing need to start work. Most delays in marketing come from missing logins and missing photos, not from strategy. This checklist helps you avoid that. It follows the Bottarini Marketing Group onboarding steps in order.
You do not need to gather everything in one day. Send items as you find them. We keep a running list so nothing gets lost.
Why Onboarding Comes Before the Build
We cannot improve a Google Business Profile we cannot reach. We cannot connect call tracking to a site we cannot edit. And we cannot write accurate copy if the business facts are wrong. Onboarding closes those gaps so the build can move without stops.
It also protects you. Accounts that belong to your business should stay in your name. We ask for access as a manager or user, not for ownership.
Accounts to Share
Here are the accounts we usually ask about. Not every business has all of them, and that is fine.
- Google Business Profile, with manager access added for our team
- Website hosting, domain registrar and the site's admin login
- Google Analytics and Google Search Console, if they exist
- Google Ads or Local Services Ads accounts, if you run them
- Meta Business Manager, the Facebook page and the Instagram account
- Call tracking or form tools already in use
- Any citation or directory listings you know about
If you are not sure who owns an account, tell us. Old accounts created by a former agency or a former employee are common. We help you recover them.
Local search tools
Profile access matters most for local visibility. Our local SEO tools and profile access shared at onboarding let us update categories, services, hours and photos without waiting on you each time. SEO starts at $500 a month, and we confirm scope before work begins.
Website access
If we are building or rebuilding your site, website design access needed during onboarding includes the domain, the hosting account and any existing content you want kept. If you have an old site, tell us what you like about it.
Assets to Send
Good assets make a site and an ad look like your business and not like a template. Send what you have, and we will tell you what is missing.
- Your logo in the highest quality you have
- Photos of your team, your trucks, your shop or your work
- Short videos, even phone clips
- Brand colors and fonts, if you have chosen them
- Licenses, certifications and insurance details
- Any offers, guarantees or financing terms you want shown
Real photos beat stock images. A phone photo of your own crew in front of your own vehicle usually does more for trust than a polished picture of strangers.
Business Facts to Confirm
Search engines and AI tools compare your name, address or service area, phone number and hours across the web. If those facts differ from place to place, trust drops. During onboarding we confirm the exact version of each fact and use it everywhere.
We ask you to confirm:
- Your legal name and the name customers know
- Your main phone number and any tracking numbers
- Your service area, listed by city or neighborhood
- Your hours, including holiday hours
- Your list of services, in the words customers use
- Your website address and any extra domains
The same facts feed our answer engine work. Our AEO business facts gathered during onboarding become the base for schema and for the question-and-answer content that AI tools can cite.
Tracking Setup
Tracking is the last part of onboarding, and it is one of the most important. We set up call tracking, form tracking and conversion events so that each lead can be traced to a source. Without this, the monthly report cannot say what is working. Readers who want more context can read about the Federal Trade Commission.
We test each tracker before launch. We place a test call, send a test form and check that each shows up where it should. If you run ads, we also confirm that ad accounts, billing and conversion goals are connected.
Paid accounts
For paid search and Local Services Ads, ad accounts to connect during onboarding for paid search should include billing details and any past performance data. For Local Services Ads, we also check the status of your Google Guaranteed or Google Screened badge. Ad spend is separate from our management fee.
A Note for Medical Practices
If you run a clinic, onboarding includes extra care. Patient data should never be shared with us or fed into ad platforms. Advertising rules vary by state medical board, and HIPAA governs patient information. Our med spa onboarding that keeps patient data out of tracking is one example of how we keep forms and pixels clean. The same marketing-operations care applies to weight loss and surgical practices. We do not make treatment claims in any copy.
How Long Onboarding Takes
Plan on a few rounds of back and forth. Most owners are busy, and that is normal. We send short, specific requests so each one takes only a few minutes to answer.
It depends on how quickly access arrives. A business with clean accounts and ready photos can finish fast. A business with lost logins and no photos needs more time. We tell you what is blocking progress and who can unblock it.
Before anything starts, check the pricing details to confirm before onboarding begins, so scope and cost are settled. If you want to know how this step fits in the larger plan for our region, read about the Los Angeles agency page that explains onboarding and service areas.
What Happens When It Is Done
When the checklist is complete, we move to build and launch. Your website work, Local Map Pack SEO, Local Services Ads and paid ads in the plan all begin from the same set of facts and the same tracking.
If you have questions about what to send, schedule the intro call that leads into onboarding or call (818) 299-3505. We would rather answer a small question early than fix a big mistake later.