client-onboarding-checklist

Agency Client Onboarding Checklist

Purpose

Provide a structured, repeatable onboarding workflow for agencies taking on new advertising clients. A thorough onboarding prevents the most common causes of client churn: misaligned expectations, missed tracking issues, and slow time-to-results.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke when user mentions:

• New client: "I'm onboarding a new client"
• Account takeover: "Taking over an ad account from another agency"
• Onboarding process: "What should I check when starting with a new client?"
• Audit: "Need to audit a client's ad accounts"
• Kickoff: "What should I cover in a kickoff meeting?"
• Reporting: "How should I structure client reports?"
• 30/60/90 plan: "What does the first 90 days look like?"
• Transition: "Client is moving from in-house to our agency"

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Phase 1: Discovery (Days 1-5)

Objective

Understand the business, goals, audience, and competitive landscape deeply enough to build a strategy. Do NOT touch the ad accounts yet.

Discovery Meeting Agenda (90 minutes)

Time	Topic	Questions to Ask
0-15 min	Business overview	Revenue, margins, growth targets, product/service mix
15-30 min	Target audience	Who buys? Demographics, psychographics, buying triggers
30-45 min	Current marketing	What's working? What's been tried? What failed?
45-60 min	Competitive landscape	Who are the top 3 competitors? How do they differentiate?
60-75 min	Goals & KPIs	Revenue target, ROAS target, CPA target, timeline
75-90 min	Access & logistics	Account access, brand guidelines, approval process, reporting cadence

Discovery Checklist

#	Item	Status	Notes
1	Business model documented (B2C/B2B/D2C, margins, AOV)	☐
2	Revenue targets and timeline confirmed	☐	Monthly/quarterly goals
3	Target audience personas (2-3 max) defined	☐	Age, location, interests, pain points
4	Competitive landscape mapped (top 3-5 competitors)	☐	Spend estimates, positioning
5	Current ad spend by platform documented	☐
6	Historical performance baseline captured	☐	Last 90 days minimum
7	Seasonal patterns identified	☐	Peak periods, slow periods
8	Brand guidelines received	☐	Logo, colors, tone of voice, dos/don'ts
9	Existing creative assets inventoried	☐	Images, videos, copy bank
10	Approval workflow agreed upon	☐	Who approves ads? Turnaround time?
11	Reporting cadence agreed	☐	Weekly email, monthly call, quarterly review
12	Success metrics and KPIs agreed in writing	☐	Signed off by both sides

Access Requests

Platform/Tool	Access Type	Who Provides	Priority
Meta Business Manager	Admin or Advertiser	Client	Day 1
Google Ads	Standard or Admin	Client	Day 1
Google Analytics 4	Editor or Admin	Client	Day 1
Google Search Console	Full user	Client	Day 1
Google Tag Manager	Publish access	Client	Day 1
TikTok Ads	Advertiser	Client	Day 1
LinkedIn Campaign Manager	Account Manager	Client	Day 1
Ad Superpowers	Connect accounts	Agency	Day 1-2
Shopify / E-commerce	Analytics access	Client	Day 2
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)	Reporting access	Client	Day 2-3
Email platform (Klaviyo, etc.)	View access	Client	Day 3

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Phase 2: Audit (Days 3-8)

Objective

Assess the current state of tracking, account structure, creative, and performance. Identify quick wins and critical issues.

Tracking Audit Checklist

Use gtm_audit to get a comprehensive GTM container audit, then verify:

#	Check	Tool	Status	Severity if Missing
1	Google Analytics 4 properly installed	gtm_audit	☐	Critical
2	GA4 key events configured (purchase, lead, etc.)	ga4_run_report	☐	Critical
3	Meta Pixel firing on all pages	gtm_audit	☐	Critical
4	Meta Conversions API (CAPI) active	Meta Events Manager	☐	Critical (mandatory for signal quality)
5	Google Ads conversion tracking active	google_ads_run_gaql	☐	Critical
6	Enhanced conversions enabled (Google)	Google Ads UI	☐	High
7	TikTok Pixel installed (if using TikTok)	gtm_audit	☐	Critical for TikTok
8	LinkedIn Insight Tag installed (if using LinkedIn)	gtm_audit	☐	Critical for LinkedIn
9	UTM tagging consistent across platforms	ga4_run_report (source/medium)	☐	High
10	Cross-domain tracking configured (if needed)	GA4 settings	☐	Medium
11	E-commerce data layer complete	GTM preview mode	☐	High for e-commerce
12	No duplicate tags or conflicting pixels	gtm_audit	☐	Medium
13	Cookie consent implemented (GDPR)	Site inspection	☐	Legal requirement
14	Server-side tracking evaluated	GTM Server container	☐	Medium

Account Structure Audit

Meta Ads — Use meta_get_insights at campaign, adset, and ad levels:

Check	What to Look For	Red Flag
Campaign count	How many active campaigns?	> 10 campaigns (fragmentation)
Ad set count per campaign	How many ad sets?	> 5 per campaign (audience splitting)
Audience overlap	Are ad sets competing?	Same audience in multiple ad sets
Budget distribution	Where is spend concentrated?	> 80% in one campaign
Learning phase	Are ad sets exiting learning?	Majority stuck in learning
Creative volume	How many active ads?	< 3 per ad set (insufficient testing)
Naming convention	Is there a system?	Random names = no system

Google Ads — Use google_ads_run_gaql:

-- Account structure overview
SELECT
  campaign.name,
  campaign.status,
  campaign.advertising_channel_type,
  campaign.bidding_strategy_type,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.cost_micros
FROM campaign
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND campaign.status = 'ENABLED'
ORDER BY metrics.cost_micros DESC

Check	What to Look For	Red Flag
Campaign types	Search, Shopping, PMax, Display, Video	Missing Search or Shopping for e-commerce
Keyword match types	Broad, Phrase, Exact mix	All broad match with no negatives
Negative keywords	Negative keyword lists	None or minimal negatives
Quality scores	Average quality score	< 5/10 on high-spend keywords
Search terms	Irrelevant queries	> 20% spend on irrelevant terms
Ad extensions	Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets	Missing basic extensions
Conversion actions	What's being tracked	Multiple or wrong conversion actions

Creative Audit

Dimension	What to Assess	Tool
Creative volume	Number of active creatives per platform	meta_get_insights (ad level)
Creative age	How old are current creatives?	Platform UI / date filters
Format diversity	Image vs video vs carousel	meta_get_insights (ad level)
Message consistency	Do ads match landing page?	Manual review
A/B testing history	Have they been testing?	Experiment logs
Creative fatigue	Frequency vs performance trends	meta_get_insights (date breakdown)

Competitive Research

Research Area	Method	Output
Meta Ad Library	facebook.com/ads/library	Competitor creative, messaging, offers
Google Ads Auction Insights	google_ads_run_gaql (auction insights)	Impression share, overlap rate
SEMrush / SpyFu	Third-party tools	Competitor keyword strategy
TikTok Creative Center	ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter	Trending formats, competitor ads
LinkedIn Ad Library	linkedin.com/ad-library	B2B competitor messaging

Audit Report Deliverable

Present findings as:

AUDIT SUMMARY FOR [CLIENT NAME]
Date: [Date]
Prepared by: [Agency Name]

CRITICAL ISSUES (Fix immediately):
1. [Issue] — Impact: [what's broken] — Fix: [action]
2. ...

HIGH PRIORITY (Fix within 2 weeks):
1. [Issue] — Impact: [lost efficiency] — Fix: [action]
2. ...

QUICK WINS (Easy improvements):
1. [Opportunity] — Expected impact: [X% improvement]
2. ...

PERFORMANCE BASELINE:
| Metric | Last 30 Days | Last 90 Days | Benchmark |
| Spend | €X | €X | N/A |
| Conversions | X | X | N/A |
| CPA | €X | €X | €X (industry avg) |
| ROAS | Xx | Xx | Xx (industry avg) |

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Phase 3: Strategy (Days 6-10)

Objective

Define the channel mix, budget allocation, audience strategy, and creative brief for the first 90 days.

Channel Mix Decision

Use the channel-selection-framework skill for detailed guidance. Quick decision:

Business Type	Primary Channel	Secondary Channel	Budget Split
E-commerce (<€5K/mo)	Meta Ads	Google Shopping	60/40
E-commerce (€5-25K/mo)	Meta + Google	TikTok	40/40/20
E-commerce (>€25K/mo)	Meta + Google + TikTok	YouTube, Pinterest	35/35/20/10
Lead gen (B2C)	Meta + Google Search	TikTok	50/40/10
Lead gen (B2B)	LinkedIn + Google Search	Meta	40/40/20
Local business	Google Search	Meta	70/30
SaaS	Google Search + LinkedIn	Meta	40/35/25

Budget Allocation Framework

Total monthly budget: €X

Step 1: Platform split (see table above)
Step 2: Funnel split per platform
  - Prospecting: 40-60% of platform budget
  - Retargeting: 30-40% of platform budget
  - Retention: 10-20% of platform budget
Step 3: Campaign-level allocation within each bucket
Step 4: Reserve 10-15% for testing

Strategy Document Template

[CLIENT NAME] — ADVERTISING STRATEGY
Period: [Start Date] to [End Date]
Prepared by: [Agency]

1. OBJECTIVES
   - Primary goal: [Revenue / Leads / Awareness]
   - Target: [Specific number with timeline]
   - Budget: [Monthly, with platform breakdown]

2. AUDIENCE STRATEGY
   - Primary audience: [Description, size estimate]
   - Secondary audience: [Description, size estimate]
   - Retargeting audiences: [Windows, exclusions]

3. CHANNEL STRATEGY
   - [Platform 1]: Role, budget, campaign types
   - [Platform 2]: Role, budget, campaign types
   - [Platform 3]: Role, budget, campaign types

4. CREATIVE STRATEGY
   - Formats: [Image, video, carousel, UGC]
   - Messages: [Key value props, offers, CTAs]
   - Volume: [X creatives per month, X tests per month]

5. MEASUREMENT PLAN
   - Primary KPI: [ROAS / CPA / MER]
   - Secondary KPIs: [CTR, CVR, AOV]
   - Attribution model: [Last click, data-driven, MER]
   - Reporting: [Weekly email, monthly deck, quarterly review]

6. 90-DAY ROADMAP
   - Month 1: [Foundation, fix tracking, launch campaigns]
   - Month 2: [Optimize, test, scale winners]
   - Month 3: [Scale, expand, introduce new channels/audiences]

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Phase 4: Setup (Days 8-15)

Objective

Implement tracking fixes, build campaign structure, and prepare creatives for launch.

Tracking Implementation Checklist

#	Task	Tool	Owner	Status
1	Fix any critical tracking issues from audit	gtm_audit, GTM	Agency	☐
2	Set up UTM naming convention	Spreadsheet template	Agency	☐
3	Configure GA4 key events	GA4 Admin	Agency	☐
4	Verify Meta CAPI implementation	Meta Events Manager	Agency/Dev	☐
5	Set up enhanced conversions (Google)	GTM or Google Ads	Agency	☐
6	Create custom conversions per platform	Platform UIs	Agency	☐
7	Build retargeting audiences	Meta, Google, TikTok	Agency	☐
8	Set up dashboards (Looker Studio or similar)	Dashboard tool	Agency	☐

Campaign Build Checklist

#	Task	Platform	Priority
1	Create naming convention document	All	High
2	Build campaign structure per strategy	All	High
3	Set up audiences (prospecting + retargeting)	All	High
4	Upload and configure product catalog/feed	Meta, Google	High (e-commerce)
5	Create ad creatives (images, video, copy)	All	High
6	Set up ad extensions (Google)	Google	Medium
7	Build negative keyword lists (Google)	Google	Medium
8	Configure bid strategies per campaign	All	Medium
9	Set up automated rules (budget caps, alerts)	All	Medium
10	Peer review all campaigns before launch	Internal	High

Naming Convention Template

Platform_FunnelStage_Campaign_Targeting_GeoDate

Examples:
  META_TOF_Prospecting_BroadInterest_NL_2026Q2
  META_BOF_Retargeting_CartAbandoners_NL_2026Q2
  GOOGLE_MOF_Shopping_AllProducts_NL_2026Q2
  GOOGLE_BOF_Search_BrandTerms_NL_2026Q2
  TIKTOK_TOF_Prospecting_BroadInterest_NL_2026Q2

Ad Set Level:
  [Audience]_[Placement]_[Budget]

Ad Level:
  [Format]_[CreativeConcept]_[Version]_[Date]
  IMAGE_SocialProof_v1_20260415
  VIDEO_ProductDemo_v2_20260415

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Phase 5: Launch (Days 13-17)

Pre-Launch QA Checklist

#	Check	Verified
1	All tracking pixels firing correctly on landing pages	☐
2	Conversion events triggering on test purchases/leads	☐
3	UTM parameters passing correctly to GA4	☐
4	All ad copy proofread (no typos, correct pricing)	☐
5	Landing page URLs all working (no 404s)	☐
6	Mobile experience tested (ads + landing pages)	☐
7	Budget caps set correctly (daily/lifetime)	☐
8	Targeting reviewed (geo, age, placements correct)	☐
9	Ad account billing confirmed (payment method active)	☐
10	Client approval received on all creatives	☐
11	Campaign scheduling correct (start/end dates)	☐
12	Automated alerts set up (spend anomalies, disapprovals)	☐

Launch Day Monitoring Plan

Time	Action	What to Check
Hour 0-1	Verify delivery started	Impressions accumulating, no disapprovals
Hour 1-4	Monitor spend pacing	Not overspending or underspending
Hour 4-8	Check early signals	CTR reasonable, no obvious issues
End of Day 1	First status check	Spend, impressions, clicks — sanity check
Day 2	Delivery confirmation	All campaigns delivering, pixel events firing
Day 3-5	Early optimization	Pause clear losers, adjust budgets slightly
Day 7	First weekly report	Full performance review with client

Client Communication at Launch

SUBJECT: [Client Name] — Campaign Launch Confirmation

Hi [Client Name],

Your campaigns are now live across [platforms]. Here's what to expect:

WHAT'S LIVE:
- [Campaign 1]: [Brief description]
- [Campaign 2]: [Brief description]

WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Days 1-3: Platforms are in learning phase. Performance will fluctuate.
- Days 4-7: Early signals will emerge. We'll share first insights.
- Weeks 2-4: Algorithms optimize. This is when we start seeing real patterns.

IMPORTANT: Please don't make any changes directly in the ad accounts.
All optimizations will be managed by our team.

Your first weekly report will arrive on [day].

Best,
[Agency]

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Phase 6: Optimization (30/60/90 Day Plan)

Days 1-30: Foundation & Learning Phase

Week	Focus	Actions	MCP Tools
Week 1	Delivery verification	Confirm all campaigns delivering, fix disapprovals	meta_get_insights, google_ads_run_gaql
Week 2	Early optimization	Pause worst-performing ads, adjust audience/bids	meta_get_insights, google_ads_run_gaql
Week 3	Creative refresh	Add 2-3 new creatives based on early winners	Platform UIs
Week 4	Month-end review	Full performance analysis, identify trends	All platform tools + ga4_run_report

Month 1 Goals:

• All campaigns exiting learning phase
• Baseline metrics established
• Worst performers cut, winners identified
• First creative test completed

Days 31-60: Optimize & Test

Week	Focus	Actions	MCP Tools
Week 5	Scaling winners	Increase budget on top-performing campaigns	meta_get_insights, google_ads_run_gaql
Week 6	Audience expansion	Test new audiences, expand retargeting windows	meta_get_insights
Week 7	A/B testing	Launch first structured A/B test	Platform experiments
Week 8	Mid-quarter review	Comprehensive review, adjust strategy if needed	All tools + ga4_run_report

Month 2 Goals:

• At least 1 A/B test completed
• Budget reallocation based on performance data
• New audiences or platforms tested
• CPA/ROAS improving month-over-month

Days 61-90: Scale & Expand

Week	Focus	Actions	MCP Tools
Week 9	Scale systematically	Increase budgets 20% on proven campaigns	All platform tools
Week 10	New channel testing	Launch secondary platform if not yet active	New platform tools
Week 11	Advanced optimization	Implement bid strategy changes, audience layering	google_ads_run_gaql, meta_get_insights
Week 12	Quarterly review	Full presentation, strategy update for Q+1	All tools, workflow

Month 3 Goals:

• Hitting or approaching KPI targets
• Systematic testing cadence established
• Secondary platform validated
• Quarterly review delivered to client

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Communication Templates

Weekly Update Email

SUBJECT: [Client Name] Weekly Report — Week of [Date]

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY (vs previous week):
| Metric | This Week | Last Week | Change |
| Spend | €X | €X | +X% |
| Conversions | X | X | +X% |
| CPA | €X | €X | -X% |
| ROAS | Xx | Xx | +X% |

TOP PERFORMERS:
1. [Best campaign/ad] — [Why it's working]
2. [Second best] — [Why it's working]

ACTIONS TAKEN:
1. [What we changed this week]
2. [What we changed this week]

PLAN FOR NEXT WEEK:
1. [What we'll do]
2. [What we'll do]

QUESTIONS/NEEDS:
- [Any creative assets needed?]
- [Any approvals pending?]

Monthly Report Structure

[CLIENT NAME] — MONTHLY PERFORMANCE REPORT
Period: [Month Year]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Total spend: €X (+X% vs last month)
- Total conversions: X (+X% vs last month)
- Blended CPA: €X (target: €X)
- Blended ROAS: Xx (target: Xx)

PLATFORM BREAKDOWN
[Table with per-platform metrics]

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
- Best performing: [details]
- Worst performing: [details]
- Testing results: [details]

INSIGHTS & LEARNINGS
1. [Key insight from the data]
2. [Key insight from the data]

NEXT MONTH PLAN
1. [Priority 1]
2. [Priority 2]
3. [Priority 3]

BUDGET RECOMMENDATION
- [Maintain / Increase / Reallocate] based on [rationale]

Quarterly Business Review Agenda

Time	Topic	Content
0-10 min	Recap goals	Original KPIs vs actual
10-25 min	Performance review	90-day trends, platform comparison
25-35 min	Testing recap	What was tested, what was learned
35-45 min	Competitive update	Market changes, competitor activity
45-55 min	Strategy for next quarter	Updated targets, new opportunities
55-60 min	Q&A	Open discussion, concerns, ideas

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MCP Tool Usage by Onboarding Phase

Phase	Tool	Usage
Discovery	workflow(action="list")	Find relevant analysis workflows
Audit	gtm_audit	Comprehensive tracking audit
Audit	meta_get_insights	Meta account structure + performance baseline
Audit	google_ads_run_gaql	Google Ads structure + performance baseline
Audit	ga4_run_report	Website analytics baseline
Audit	gsc_search_analytics	Organic search baseline
Audit	tiktok_get_report	TikTok performance baseline
Audit	linkedin_get_analytics	LinkedIn performance baseline
Strategy	workflow(action="run")	Run analysis workflows for strategy input
Strategy	skill(action="search")	Find relevant expert skills
Setup	google_ads_run_keyword_planner	Keyword research for Google campaigns
Optimization	All insight tools	Ongoing performance monitoring