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Navigating GHL

This page covers the GHL interface — where things are, how to search, and how to set up your personal preferences.

The Left Sidebar

The sidebar is your main navigation. You'll use these sections daily:

Icon Section What's There
House Dashboard Summary stats, your home base
Person Contacts Individual people (162 records)
Building Businesses Companies and organizations (75 records)
Funnel Opportunities Your fundraising pipeline
Calendar Calendar Syncs with Google/Outlook
Checkmark Tasks Your to-do list across all contacts

Where you'll spend your time

Contacts and Businesses cover 90% of daily work. Everything else supports those two.

The Top Bar

Across the top of every page:

  • Search bar — Global search across contacts, companies, notes, tags, and everything else. Type any name, company, or keyword.
  • + button — Quick-add a new contact, company, task, or opportunity from anywhere.
  • Bell icon — Notifications for task reminders, assignments, and mentions.
  • Profile icon — Quick access to your settings.

The search bar finds records across the entire system:

  1. Click the search bar (or use the keyboard shortcut)
  2. Start typing a name, company, email, or keyword
  3. Results show contacts AND companies — click to open

Search also finds content inside notes, so if you remember discussing "healthcare PE" with someone, you can search for it.

Filtering Records

GHL Guide: Smart Lists

When viewing a list of contacts or companies:

  1. Click the Filters button (top of the list)
  2. Choose a filter type — tag, custom field, date range, etc.
  3. Select your criteria
  4. Results update immediately

Save as Smart List: If you use a filter combination regularly (e.g., "Tier 1 LP Targets that are Active"), save it as a Smart List. It appears in your sidebar for one-click access.

Setting Up Your Profile

Before you start working, spend five minutes on setup.

Profile Basics

Click the gear icon (bottom-left) → My Profile:

  • Name and photo — Shows up next to your notes and tasks so the team knows who did what
  • Email — Make sure your work email is correct for notifications
  • Phone — Optional, but useful for mobile alerts

Notifications

Click the Notifications tab:

  • Task reminders — Keep these ON so you don't miss follow-ups
  • Email vs. Push — Email for non-urgent updates, Push for time-sensitive items
  • Daily digest — Get a morning summary instead of real-time pings (your choice)

Calendar Integration

Google Calendar Setup | Outlook Calendar Setup

Click the Calendar or Integrations tab:

  1. Click Connect next to Google Calendar or Outlook
  2. Authorize access
  3. Set sync direction — Two-way is recommended (GHL events show in your calendar and vice versa)

Security

GHL Guide: User Settings | User Access & Permissions

  • Set up two-factor authentication (recommended)
  • Use a strong, unique password