Quick Start Checklist

Overview

This checklist takes you from a new account to issuing real credentials. Each task links to the full help article. For the whole picture, see what CertLister does, feature by feature.

Total time: about 1 hour Skill level: Beginner-friendly

Phase 1: Account (10 minutes)

Task 1: Create your account

1. Sign up at app.certlister.com/auth/register, with email and password or Continue with Google
2. Name your organization on the first setup screen — it appears on every credential you issue
3. Add team size, industry, and website, or click Skip for now and fill them in later from Settings → Organization

Full guide: Create your account

Task 2: Issue a credential to yourself

Your dashboard shows an Issue your first credential card. Click Issue a credential and send one to your own email address. It takes about a minute, and you land on the verification page — the same page anyone you send a credential to will see.

Phase 2: Categories (15 minutes)

Task 3: Review the two starter categories

Every new account starts with two categories, Professional Development and Technical Training. Both are set to email the recipient on issue, attach a PDF made from the Editorial design, send an expiry reminder, and expire credentials after 12 months.

Go to Categories, then rename them, change their settings, or delete the ones you don't need.

Task 4: Plan your categories

Make one category per type of credential you issue. Most organizations need between 3 and 15.

Task 5: Create your categories

1. Go to Categories
2. Click New category
3. Enter a name and the default credential title
4. Choose a design and turn on the emails and PDF settings you want
5. Click Create category

Full guide: Categories

Phase 3: Credentials (20 minutes)

Task 6: Issue your first real credential

1. Go to Credentials and click New credential — or fill in the quick issue row at the top of the list
2. Choose the category, then enter the recipient's name and email, the credential title, and the issue date
3. Click Issue credential

Full guide: Issue your first credential

Task 7: Choose a design

1. Go to Design Studio in the left sidebar
2. Open Templates to browse the backgrounds — every template is available on every plan
3. Add your logo and adjust the text, then save the design
4. Set it as the default design on your categories

Full guide: Design Studio

Task 8: Practice editing a credential

1. On the Credentials page, click the pencil icon on a row
2. Change something, such as a typo in the name
3. Click Update

Phase 4: Verification (10 minutes)

Task 9: Test public verification

1. Copy a credential number from the Credentials page
2. Open a private browser window
3. Go to your verification page — its address is shown at the top of Verification Page (for example certlister.com/verify/your-organization/)
4. Search for the credential number and check the recipient name, title, dates, and status

Task 10: Tell people how to verify

• Emails: the issuance email includes a link to the credential's verification page
• PDFs: add a QR code to your design in the Design Studio
• Your website: embed the verification widget from Verification Page → Embed

Full guide: Verify page and embedding

Phase 5: Bulk import (optional, 20 minutes)

Skip this if you create credentials one at a time.

1. Go to Credentials → Import CSV
2. Click Download template to get a CSV with the right columns
3. Fill in a small test batch (5–10 rows) and upload it
4. Map the columns, review the validation results, and import

Full guide: Bulk import credentials from CSV

Phase 6: Settings (10 minutes)

Task 11: Check your organization profile

Go to Settings → Organization and check your logo, organization name, and contact details.

Task 12: Set up emails and reminders

• Settings → Email — reply-to address, subject, intro text, and footer for the emails recipients get
• Settings → Notifications — the expiry reminder schedule and the emails you receive

Task 13: Secure your account

• Settings → Profile — turn on two-factor authentication
• Settings → Team — make sure only the right people have the Admin role

Ongoing tasks

• Weekly: check the Expiring soon figure on the dashboard and plan renewals
• Monthly: export your credentials as a backup (Credentials → Export CSV) and look at verification activity in Reports
• Quarterly: review your team list and remove people who have left

Common Questions

Q: How long does setup take?

A: About an hour for the full checklist. The minimum — Tasks 1, 2, 5, 6, and 9 — takes under 30 minutes.

Q: Can I skip steps?

A: Yes. Skip bulk import if you create credentials one at a time, and skip team setup if you work alone.

Q: When should I upgrade from Free to Basic or Pro?

A: Upgrade when you:

• Issue more than 10 credentials a month (the Free plan's allowance)
• Need to invite team members (Basic includes up to 5 users)
• Want unlimited credentials (Pro)

See Plans & Billing.