--- title: "Surfer Dashboard Explained" description: "This guide will walk you through every element of the Surfer sidebar and help you navigate your AI visibility and SEO tools with ease." url: https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11687720-surfer-dashboard-explained collection: "Getting Started" updated: 2026-10-31 language: en alternates: [fr, de] --- # Surfer Dashboard Explained This guide will walk you through every element of the Surfer sidebar and help you navigate your AI visibility and SEO tools with ease. > **Info:** If you have access to the Default Workspace, you may see a slightly different layout of the left menu bar. No worries, it holds the same functionalities! > > If you have a hard time locating a feature, try using the search bar at the top, or contact us via chat, and we’ll figure it out together! ## 🏠 Dashboard The **Dashboard** tab gives you a quick overview of what’s happening in your account: - Discover new product updates, like AI Writer improvements or discounts. - See a summary of your **Recent Work**, including Topical Maps, Audit, SERP Analyzer, and Content Editor queries. - Easily jump back into writing or researching with one click. * * * ## 🔥 Recommendations > > Recommendations tell you what to do next, based on your Surfer data. You'll find three tabs: > > > > - **Optimize** — your quick wins: pages just outside the top 10 that small improvements can push up fast. Select **Optimize** next to a page to open it in the Content Editor. > > > > - **Content Ideas** — topics to write about to close SEO and AI visibility gaps, each with a suggested title. > > > > - **Mentions** — sources AI models cite often that mention your brand negatively, with mixed sentiment, or not at all. Use them to plan outreach. > > > > > > The number next to Recommendations in the left menu shows how many are waiting for you. [Learn more about AI Tracker recommendations »](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11667466.md) * * * ## 📈 Activity Log Tracks content-related actions taken by workspace members, including: - Creating Content Editor documents - Optimizing pages from the Content Audit Admins can view activity across the entire team; regular members see only their own. [Learn more »](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944172-workspaces-in-surfer.md) * * * ## ✍ Content Editor Here you’ll access your writing tools: - **Content Editor**: Create SEO-optimized articles from scratch or import existing ones. - **AI Writer**: Generate full articles based on keyword and template input (available via Content Editor). - Organize and manage all your content queries in folders and tag them as needed. * * * ## 🌐 SEO The **SEO** section is your command center for your domain and ranking efforts: - **Performance** — Tracks your site’s search performance, including clicks, impressions, and average position in a given time. - **Content Audit** — Analyzes your pages to find optimization opportunities and low-hanging SEO improvements. - **Topical Map** — Organizes keywords and pages into topic clusters to guide your content strategy. * * * ## 🤖 AI Visibility The **AI visibility** tab includes tools to track and improve your AI visibility, such as the AI Tracker: - **Overview** — A summary of your AI visibility performance across tracked prompts and sources. - **Sources** — Shows which AI platforms and sources mention or cite your domain. - **Competitors** — Compares your AI visibility with competing domains. - **Prompts** — Displays the prompts used to track how your brand appears in AI answers. - **Fanout Queries** — Shows the expanded queries generated from your prompts to track broader AI coverage. * * * ## 🧰 Tools The **Tools** section gives you access to all remaining Surfer features: - [**Audit**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/5700351-getting-started-with-audit.md) – Review and fix content on existing pages. - [**Topic Research**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11834856-topic-research.md) – Discover subtopics and content gaps for better authority. - [**Keyword Research**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11891594-keyword-research.md) – Analyze keyword metrics and intent. - [**SERP Analyzer**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/7831167-getting-started-with-serp-analyzer.md) – Deep-dive into SERPs for a specific keyword. - [**Rank Tracker**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/10044845-rank-tracker.md) – Monitor keyword positions over time. - [**AI Tracker**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11667466-ai-tracker.md) (BETA) – Track LLM positioning of your brand for key queries. - [**AI Humanizer**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/9396434-surfer-s-humanizer-and-ai-detector.md) – Review & rewrite AI-generated text to sound more human with just one click. * * * ## 🗂 **Workspace selector** The Workspace selector is located in the **top-left corner of the Surfer app** and lets you switch between different workspaces: - Use it to **access separate projects, sites, and data** organized by brands. - You can also **create a new workspace** directly from this menu. * * * ## 🔍 Search bar Use the **Search bar** at the top of the screen to find anything across the app: - Quickly navigate to tools, purchase options, team members, and more. - It works just like a command center—type what you need and go. * * * ## 📥 Inbox The **Inbox** is where you’ll find personalized alerts related to your connected sites: - Notifications like **“Rank drop detected”** if one of your pages loses visibility for 7+ days. - Helpful nudges to revisit or re-optimize underperforming content. * * * ## ❓ Help Clicking the **Help icon** pops up a support chat widget: - Live chat with the Surfer support team. We’re here for you! - Access a history of your past conversations and tickets. - Share feedback about our tools. * * * ## 👤 Profile Section Clicking your **profile icon** allows you to: - Switch between different Surfer **organizations** you belong to. - Log out of the Surfer app. - Access organization-specific settings: - Organization settings (General, Members). - Billing (Your plan, Invoices, Usage, Billing details). - Tool-specific settings (Content Editor, Custom Voices). - Integrations like **Search Console** and **WordPress**. - Your personal account settings (Profile, Notifications, Masterclass). * * * > **Success:** If you're ever lost, just remember: the sidebar is your roadmap. Everything you need, from optimization tools to project tracking, is right there. Need a helping hand still? Check out the search bar at the top, or start a chat with our dedicated support team! ⏩ Next **-** [**Surfer Cheat Sheet**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11407302-surfer-cheat-sheet.md) ⏩