Understanding Your Dashboard

Time to read: 5 minutes

Overview

Your dashboard is the first thing you see when you log into CertLister. It gives you a quick overview of your credential statistics and trends.

This guide explains what the dashboard shows and how to use it effectively.

Dashboard Layout

Your dashboard has 2 main sections:

1. Statistics Cards (top row) - 5 key metrics
2. Analytics Charts (bottom row) - 2 trend visualizations

Section 1: Statistics Cards

The top row shows 5 key metrics at a glance. Each card is clickable to view filtered details.

Total Credentials

What it shows:

• Total number of credentials you've issued
• All credentials, regardless of status

Example: "125"

What it's useful for:

• Tracking growth over time
• Knowing your credential volume
• Monitoring usage against your plan limit (Free tier: 50 credentials)

Click to: View all credentials

Active Credentials

What it shows:

• Credentials that are currently valid
• Excludes expired and revoked credentials

Example: "118"

What it's useful for:

• Seeing how many valid credentials are in circulation
• Compliance reporting

How it updates:

• Automatically when credentials expire (based on expiry date)
• When you manually revoke credentials

Click to: View only active credentials

Expired Credentials

What it shows:

• Credentials past their expiration date
• Credentials that were active but are no longer valid

Example: "7"

What it's useful for:

• Identifying credentials that need renewal
• Compliance tracking
• Planning recertification training

Click to: View only expired credentials

Categories

What it shows:

• Total number of credential categories you've created
• Helps organize different types of certifications

Example: "5"

What it's useful for:

• Tracking how many credential types you manage
• Deciding if you need to consolidate or add categories

Common categories:

• Safety Training
• Professional Development
• Compliance Certifications
• Technical Skills

Click to: Manage categories

Verifications

What it shows:

• Number of times recipients or third parties looked up a credential on your public verify page in the last 30 days

Example: "42"

What it's useful for:

• Gauging how actively your credentials are being checked
• Spotting unusual verification activity
• Understanding recipient engagement after issuance

Note: This card does not link to a filtered view. Detailed verification logs (who verified what and when) are available on the Pro plan under Reports → Verification in the sidebar.

Section 2: Analytics Charts

Two charts provide visual insights into your credential data.

Plan note: Analytics charts require a Basic or Pro plan. On the Free plan, the chart area shows an upgrade prompt instead.

Credentials Trend Chart

What it shows:

• Area chart showing credential activity over time
• Switch between Issued (historical issuance) and Expiring (upcoming expirations) using the toggle at the top of the chart

Controls:

• Issued / Expiring toggle — switches the chart between two views: credentials issued per month (past-anchored) and credentials expiring per month (future-anchored)
• Date range presets — 3M, 6M, 12M, 2Y, or a custom date range via month picker
• Refresh button — reloads data for the current view and range
• Interactive tooltips on hover

What it's useful for:

• Seeing issuance growth trends and identifying peak periods
• Planning ahead for renewal crunches (Expiring mode shows which months have the most credentials expiring)
• Spotting gaps where no credentials were issued

Category Distribution Chart

What it shows:

• Pie chart showing credentials by category
• Percentage breakdown of credential types

What it's useful for:

• Understanding which credential types are most common
• Balancing training programs
• Resource allocation

Navigating from the Dashboard

The Left Sidebar

The left sidebar is always visible and provides access to all navigation:

• Overview - Returns you to this page
• Categories - Organize credential types
• Credentials - View and manage all credentials
• Design Studio - Create and edit credential designs (drag-and-drop canvas)
• Bulk Generator - Generate PDFs in bulk for credentials that don't have one yet (Basic & Pro)
• Reports - Credential activity, verification trends, email delivery, team stats
• Portal Settings - Configure your verify portal, embed widget, and branding
• Settings - Organization settings, profile, billing

User Menu

Click your name or profile icon at the bottom of the sidebar:

• Profile - Update your name and email
• Settings - Organization and account settings
• Log Out - Sign out of your account

Understanding Credential Statuses

Credentials on your dashboard have three possible statuses:

Active (Green)

What it means:

• Credential is currently valid
• Not expired or revoked
• Appears in public verification as valid

Shows as active when:

• No expiration date set
• Expiration date is in the future

Expired (Yellow/Orange)

What it means:

• Expiration date has passed
• No longer valid for compliance
• Shows as "Expired" in public verification

What happens:

• Status automatically changes daily at 2 AM UTC on and after the expiration date
• Recipient should renew or recertify

Revoked (Red)

What it means:

• Credential manually revoked by administrator
• Invalid even if expiration date hasn't passed
• Shows as "Revoked" in public verification

Common reasons to revoke:

• Fraudulent credential
• Recipient violated terms
• Credential issued in error
• Certification suspended

Clickable Stats Cards

Most statistics cards are clickable and navigate to a filtered view:

Total Credentials → All Credentials page

Active Credentials → Credentials filtered by "Active" status

Expired Credentials → Credentials filtered by "Expired" status

Categories → Categories management page

Verifications → Not clickable — see Reports → Verification in the sidebar for detailed logs

Tip: Use these shortcuts to quickly access relevant data instead of manually filtering.

Dashboard Refresh

Dashboard data updates automatically when you:

• Create a new credential
• Edit a credential
• Delete a credential
• Credential expires (status changes overnight)

Manual refresh:

• Click the refresh icon in the dashboard header
• Or refresh your browser page (F5 or Cmd+R)

Tips for Using Your Dashboard Effectively

Check Daily

Morning routine (2 minutes):

1. Review stats - any unexpected changes?
2. Look at trend chart - normal issuance pattern?
3. Check category distribution - balanced?

Monitor Growth

Weekly task:

• Compare "Total Credentials" to previous week
• Increasing? Your programs are growing
• Plateaued? Consider marketing or new programs

Track Expirations

Monthly task:

• Check "Expired Credentials" count
• Navigate to expired credentials
• Contact holders for renewal
• Plan recertification training

Keep Categories Organized

Quarterly task:

• Review category distribution chart
• Merge similar categories if needed
• Delete unused categories
• Keep it simple (5-15 categories is ideal)

Mobile Dashboard

CertLister works on phones and tablets.

Mobile view differences:

• Statistics stack vertically (one card per row)
• Charts adjust to screen width
• Touch-friendly navigation

Tip: Bookmark app.certlister.com on your phone for quick access.

Troubleshooting

Stats show wrong numbers

Problem: Numbers seem incorrect or outdated.

Solutions:

1. Refresh your browser (Ctrl+R or Cmd+R)
2. Clear browser cache and cookies
3. Log out and log back in
4. Wait a few minutes (data may be updating)

"No data to display"

Problem: Dashboard shows empty state.

Reasons:

• You just created your account (no credentials yet)
• All credentials were deleted
• Data is still loading

Solution:

• Create your first credential
• Wait for data to load completely
• Check your internet connection

Charts not loading

Problem: Statistics cards show but charts are blank.

Reasons:

• Slow internet connection
• Browser compatibility issue
• JavaScript disabled

Solutions:

• Refresh the page
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Check that JavaScript is enabled in browser settings
• Clear browser cache

Stats don't match credential count

Problem: Numbers don't add up (Active + Expired ≠ Total).

Reason: You may have revoked credentials, which are counted in Total but not in Active or Expired.

Solution: This is correct behavior. Total includes all statuses (Active + Expired + Revoked).

What the Dashboard Doesn't Show

To keep the dashboard focused, some information is not displayed:

Not on dashboard:

• Full list of all credentials (use Credentials page)
• Individual credential details (click through to view)
• Verification logs (use Reports → Verification)
• Team member activity (if multi-user organization)
• Billing information (use Settings → Billing)

Next Steps

Now that you understand the dashboard, here's what to do next:

1. Create Your First Credential

Learn how to issue credentials step-by-step.

2. Set Up Categories

Organize your credentials by type.

3. Explore the Credentials Page

View, search, filter, and export your credentials.