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GHL Handles STOP for SMS. It Does Not Handle HELP. That's a Compliance Problem.

June 2026

Every SMS you send from GoHighLevel has "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" appended automatically. GHL handles the opt-out. A contact replies STOP, they get removed. Done.

But CTIA and 10DLC regulations require two keywords, not one. STOP and HELP. When a contact texts HELP, they're supposed to get a response with your business name, a phone number, an email, and how to get support.

GHL does not do this. There is no setting for it. There is no toggle. If a contact texts HELP to your number right now, they get silence.

That's a compliance gap, and it's on you to close it.

What GHL Handles Automatically

GHL does a few things out of the box for SMS compliance:

  • STOP keyword: Auto-appended to outbound messages. When a contact replies STOP, GHL marks them as opted out and stops sending.
  • Sender identification: Your business phone number is attached to every message.
  • Opt-out processing: Contacts who reply STOP are removed from future sends without any workflow needed.

This covers about half of what CTIA requires. The other half is your problem.

What GHL Does Not Handle

HELP keyword response. Mandatory under CTIA. GHL has no built-in mechanism for it. You have to build a workflow in every sub-account that uses SMS.

Review request classification. If you send a customer a text asking them to leave a Google review, that's a marketing message. Not transactional. We learned this the hard way. Under A2P 10DLC, review requests commercially benefit your business. They need to be registered under a marketing campaign, or structured within a post-service workflow that's labeled as marketing. Sending review requests on a transactional-only campaign is a violation.

CAN-SPAM physical address. Every marketing email from GHL needs a valid physical mailing address in the footer. This isn't configured in the email template. It's in GHL Settings > Business Profile. If that field is blank, every marketing email from that sub-account is non-compliant. A PO Box works.

How to Build the HELP Workflow

This takes about 5 minutes per sub-account. There's no way to do it globally. Every sub-account needs its own.

Step 1: Create a new workflow. Name it something like "SMS HELP Keyword Response."

Step 2: Set the trigger to Customer Replied.

Step 3: Add a Condition branch. The condition: message body Contains the word HELP. Set it to case-insensitive.

Step 4: On the "Yes" branch, add a Send SMS action. The message should include:

  • Your business name
  • A phone number the contact can call
  • An email address for support
  • Your support hours
  • What to expect (e.g., "We typically respond within 1 business day")

Here's a template:

Thanks for reaching out to [Business Name]. For support, call us at [phone] or email [email]. Our hours are [hours]. We'll get back to you within [timeframe]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Step 5: Publish the workflow. Test it by texting HELP to the business number from a personal phone.

That's it. Five minutes. But if you manage 10 sub-accounts, that's 10 workflows you need to build and maintain. GHL gives you no shortcut here.

The Review Request Trap

This one catches a lot of GHL users. You finish a job for a customer. Your workflow sends them a text: "Thanks for choosing us! Would you mind leaving us a review on Google?"

That feels transactional. You just finished the work. You're following up.

It's not transactional. It's marketing. The review commercially benefits your business. CTIA and the carriers classify it that way regardless of when you send it.

If your A2P 10DLC registration only covers transactional messages, those review request texts are being sent on the wrong campaign type. Register a separate marketing campaign for review requests, or restructure your registration to include marketing.

One more thing about review requests: the Reputation Settings toggle in GHL controls auto-sending only. Toggle ON means GHL sends review requests automatically after an appointment or invoice. Toggle OFF means only your workflows trigger them. The workflow action itself always works regardless of that toggle. Don't confuse the toggle with the workflow capability.

Pre-Submission Checklist for A2P First-Pass Approval

We got All-American AC Pros through TCR on the first attempt with no revision requests. Here's what was green before we submitted:

  1. Opt-in form: 8/8. Clear disclosure of what messages they'll receive, frequency, and how to opt out. Consent checkbox is not pre-checked.
  2. Privacy policy: 7/7. Published on the website, linked from the opt-in form, covers SMS data collection and usage.
  3. Terms of service: 7/7. Published, linked, covers messaging terms.

All three GHL compliance review areas showed passing scores before we hit submit. The key: never submit to TCR until all three areas are green. A rejection costs you time and sometimes requires a cooling-off period before resubmission.

The One Setting Nobody Checks

GHL Settings > Business Profile > Physical Address.

If this field is empty, every marketing email from that sub-account violates CAN-SPAM. The address doesn't appear in your email template editor. It gets pulled from Business Profile and injected into the footer at send time. If there's nothing to pull, nothing appears.

A PO Box is acceptable under CAN-SPAM. A virtual office address works too. But the field can't be blank.

We've audited sub-accounts that had been sending marketing emails for months with no physical address in the footer. Nobody noticed because the emails looked fine in the template preview. The preview doesn't show the footer address field. You only see the gap in the actual delivered email.

One More Thing About SMS Images

If you attach an image to an SMS in GHL, the recipient doesn't see an inline picture. GHL sends a URL link that the recipient taps to view the image. It's not embedded MMS. This matters for review request messages and promotional texts where you want a visual. The recipient experience is a clickable link, not a photo in their message thread.

FAQ

Does GHL automatically respond to the HELP keyword?

No. GHL handles STOP automatically but has no built-in HELP response. You need to build a workflow with a Customer Replied trigger, a condition checking for the word HELP, and a Send SMS action with your business info. This must be done in every sub-account.

Are review request texts considered marketing or transactional under 10DLC?

Marketing. Asking a customer to leave a Google review commercially benefits your business, regardless of timing. Register review request messages under a marketing campaign, not a transactional one.

Where do I set the CAN-SPAM physical address in GHL?

Go to Settings > Business Profile. The physical address field there gets injected into your marketing email footers at send time. It's not in the email template editor. If it's blank, your emails are non-compliant. A PO Box or virtual office address works.

What scores should I hit before submitting to A2P 10DLC TCR?

Get all three compliance review areas to passing scores: opt-in form, privacy policy, and terms of service. Don't submit until all three are green. A first-attempt pass saves you the resubmission wait and potential cooling-off period.

We set up and manage GoHighLevel for service businesses. If you want help getting your SMS compliance right before your next A2P submission, let's talk. Learn more about our GHL work and automation services.