The GoHighLevel Problem: Why Your Landing Page Looks Like Everyone Else's

This Might Be Controversial. I Don't Care.

I'm going to say something that most contractor marketing agencies don't want you to hear:

If your marketing agency is using GoHighLevel to build your landing pages, you need to have a serious conversation with them.

Now, before the GHL fanboys come for me—I use GoHighLevel. It's in my tech stack right now. For CRM, automation, and communication workflows, it's genuinely excellent.

But for landing pages and intake forms? The ones homeowners actually see and interact with?

It's killing your brand.

Let me show you why.

The Template Economy Nobody Talks About

Go to Etsy right now and search "GoHighLevel roofing template."

I'll wait.

You'll find dozens of listings. "Plug and play roofing funnel!" "5-page GHL website ready to go!" "One-click import!" Prices range from $27 to $97.

Now here's what your marketing agency isn't telling you:

That "custom funnel" they charged you $2,000-$5,000 to set up? There's a very good chance it started as one of those $47 templates.

They import it. Swap your logo. Change the colors. Plug in your phone number. Done in 15 minutes. "Custom funnel."

The same template is being used by other contractors in your market. Right now. Same layout. Same form. Same thank you page. Same everything—except the logo.

This is the same problem with shared leads—when you're not differentiated, you're commoditized. See: Exclusive vs Shared Leads

HighLevel themselves boast about having "170+ templates" available. That sounds like a feature until you realize what it actually means: every agency is picking from the same pool of pre-built options. The "roofing" template that works for you is the same one working for your competitor three zip codes over.

The GoHighLevel "Tell"

Here's the thing about GHL pages—there are tells. Visual fingerprints that scream "template" to anyone paying attention.

And homeowners are paying attention. Maybe not consciously. But subconsciously, they're registering that your page feels... cheap. Familiar. Like they've seen it before.

Because they have.

The Multi-Step Form Animation. You know the one. That distinctive slide where questions move in from the right. It's smooth enough, but it's also unmistakable. Once you've seen it on three or four contractor sites, you recognize it instantly. It's the GHL shuffle.

The Radio Buttons. GHL's form builder has a specific look for radio buttons and checkboxes. The styling options are limited. One user on HighLevel's own ideas forum put it bluntly: "Radio button text isn't formattable and appears on a slate grey background as text in white which doesn't look great and needs customisation badly."

They're right. It doesn't look great. And you can't really fix it without custom code.

The Spacing Issues. Another user complaint from GHL's support forum: "No way to control spacing or padding between elements." And: "Basic formatting like spacing/margin must be hacked around."

This is why GHL pages have that characteristic cramped-but-also-weirdly-spaced look. The platform simply doesn't give you fine control over visual rhythm.

The Font Limitations. GHL offers font options, but they're the same fonts everyone else is using. When you're limited to the same typography as every other contractor running GHL, your pages start to blur together.

The Load Time. This one hurts the most. GHL pages are notoriously slow. There are entire Fiverr gigs—dozens of them—dedicated specifically to "GoHighLevel page speed optimization." Why? Because out of the box, GHL pages often fail Core Web Vitals.

One GHL user on their ideas forum said it best: "I can't in good conscience resell this to anyone."

It's Not Just Ugly. It's Losing You Money.

Every second your page takes to load costs you leads. Studies show 53% of users abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. A 1-second delay can drop conversions by 7%.

But beyond speed, there's something more insidious happening.

When your landing page looks like everyone else's—when it has that unmistakable template feel—you've already lost the positioning battle.

You're not the premium contractor anymore. You're not the one who pays attention to details. You're just another company using the same funnel as the guy down the street.

And when homeowners can't tell you apart, they default to the only differentiator left: price.

That's a race to the bottom. And even if you win, you lose.

More on why competing on price destroys margins: What Should a Contractor Lead Cost?

"But My Agency Said It's Custom..."

I hear this all the time. And look, maybe they did some customization. Changed colors. Moved some elements around. Added your testimonials.

But here's what they almost certainly didn't do:

The reason agencies don't do this? It takes actual work. Real design time. Thoughtful development.

Importing a GHL snapshot takes 15 minutes. Building something custom takes weeks.

Guess which one has better margins for the agency?

The Form Problem Goes Deep

Let me get specific about GHL's form and survey builder, because this is where homeowners actually interact with your brand.

From HighLevel's own user feedback forum:

• "Setting up a survey in GHL requires you to hop from one screen to another, and then another."
• "If you're hoping to jazz up the design of your survey to make it more eye-catching, you're in for a surprise—you need a completely different tool for that and some extra code."
• "Checkboxes and radio buttons are not properly aligned to the corresponding text."
• "While Go High Level is a stellar funnel builder, their forms and survey tool falls short when it comes to basic features that are focused on conversion."

That last one is key. GHL is a funnel builder that happens to have forms. It's not a form builder that's optimized for conversion.

This matters even more with Facebook leads, where you're interrupting someone's scroll and need to capture attention fast. See: Facebook Ads vs Google Ads for Contractors

And when your form feels clunky—when the spacing is off, when the animations feel dated, when the styling screams "template"—homeowners notice. They might not articulate it, but they feel it.

That feeling translates directly to trust. Or lack of it.

What Your Landing Page Actually Says About You

Your landing page is often the very first interaction a homeowner has with your company.

Before they see your trucks. Before they meet your sales team. Before they see your craftsmanship.

This is especially true for Facebook leads—homeowners who weren't even searching for a contractor until your ad caught their attention. See: Why Your Best Customers Aren't on Google Yet

That first click is your handshake.

What does a template GHL page communicate?

"We cut corners. We go with whatever's easiest. We look like everyone else because we are like everyone else."

Is that the message you want to send?

Because premium contractors—the ones charging premium prices—don't shake hands with a limp grip. They don't show up in dirty trucks. And they don't send homeowners to template landing pages that look like everyone else's.

Every touchpoint matters. The landing page matters. The form matters. The thank you page matters. The booking experience matters.

When any of these feel template-y, the whole illusion of being a premium company starts to crack.

The Fix Isn't Complicated (But It Is Intentional)

I'm not saying you need to spend $50,000 on a custom website. I'm saying you need to work with someone who actually builds things—not someone who imports snapshots.

For a complete overview of lead generation options: The Complete Guide to Lead Generation for Contractors

Questions to ask your current (or next) marketing partner:

Full framework for evaluating marketing partners: How to Hire a Marketing Partner

This Isn't Anti-GoHighLevel. It's Anti-Lazy.

Let me be clear: GoHighLevel is genuinely good software for what it's designed to do. CRM. Automation. Communication workflows. Pipeline management. Excellent.

The problem isn't the platform. The problem is agencies using the platform as a crutch to avoid real work.

They sell you on "custom funnels" and deliver $47 Etsy templates.

They charge $1,500-$3,000/month to "manage" a funnel that took 15 minutes to set up.

They let you look like everyone else because it's easier for them.

And when you leave? You start over from zero because everything was built in their GHL account, not yours.

The template game worked five years ago. Everyone was impressed by a decent landing page because most contractors had terrible websites or nothing at all.

That era is over.

Now every contractor has a "professional-looking" landing page because every contractor's agency is using the same templates. The bar has been raised. Standing out requires actual differentiation.

The Bottom Line

Your landing page is your handshake. Your first impression. Your chance to show homeowners that you're the premium choice—before they ever talk to your team.

When that handshake is a template—when homeowners have seen that same form, that same animation, that same layout on three other contractor sites—you've already lost the positioning battle.

You're not premium anymore. You're just another contractor. And the only thing left to compete on is price.

Don't let your marketing agency use GoHighLevel for your landing pages.

Not because GHL is bad software. Because your brand deserves better than a $47 template.

Related: Why the first 5 minutes matter more than your price