🔍 Why Search Atlas Shows Higher Keyword Volumes Than Other Tools
If you've compared Search Atlas keyword data with tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs, you may notice our volume figures are significantly higher — sometimes up to 5x. This is expected, and here's why.
Search Atlas aggregates keyword volume data from multiple data sources, including clickstream data, Google Search Console signals, and proprietary data partnerships. Most competitor tools rely on a single data source, which tends to undercount actual search activity — particularly for long-tail and localised keywords.
Our methodology is designed to give you a more complete picture of true search demand, not just a filtered subset. This means:
- Long-tail keywords that other tools report as zero or negligible volume often show measurable demand in Search Atlas.
- Localised and seasonal trends are captured more accurately.
- Volume figures reflect a broader aggregate of real user searches, not sampled panel data alone.
To explore keyword volume for your target topics, navigate to Left sidebar → Keywords → Keyword Magic. You can filter by country, search intent, and keyword difficulty to refine your research.
💳 Understanding Search Atlas Pricing Plans
Search Atlas offers tiered subscription plans designed to scale with your needs — from solo content creators to large agencies managing dozens of websites.
Each plan includes a core set of features such as Site Explorer, Rank Tracker, content tools, and a baseline number of managed sites. Key things to know about pricing:
- Managed sites: Each plan specifies how many websites you can actively track and optimise. If you manage multiple client sites, choose a plan that covers your full portfolio.
- Keyword tracking limits: The number of tracked keywords varies by plan tier. Monitor your usage in the platform to avoid hitting limits mid-campaign.
- User seats: Higher-tier plans support additional team members under the same account.
- Add-ons: Certain features — most notably OTTO SEO — are available as optional add-ons, allowing you to pay only for what you need.
To review your current plan details and usage, log into Search Atlas and go to the top-right avatar → Billing (Plans & Top-ups).
🤖 What Are OTTO Add-Ons and How Do They Work?
OTTO is Search Atlas's AI-powered SEO automation engine. Rather than bundling OTTO into every plan at a fixed cost, Search Atlas offers it as a flexible add-on — you activate OTTO on a per-site basis, so you only pay for the sites where you want automation running.
To access OTTO, navigate to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → SEO Automation (URL: /seo-automation-v3).
Here's how OTTO add-ons work in practice:
- Per-site activation: You purchase OTTO activations and assign them to specific websites in your account. One activation = one site running OTTO automation.
- What OTTO does: Once activated on a site, OTTO automatically identifies SEO issues, generates fixes, and deploys on-page optimisations — including schema markup, meta tags, internal linking, and more.
- Flexible scaling: You can add more OTTO activations as you onboard new client sites, without changing your base subscription plan.
- Monitoring progress: After activation, use the OTTO SEO dashboard to review deployed changes, approve recommendations, and track ranking improvements over time.
OTTO is particularly valuable for agencies managing multiple websites, as it dramatically reduces the manual work of implementing technical and on-page SEO at scale.
🔌 WordPress Integration and Managing Multiple Websites
Search Atlas offers a WordPress plugin that connects your WordPress sites directly to your Search Atlas account, enabling seamless content optimisation and OTTO deployment without leaving your CMS.
To get started with the WordPress integration:
- Install the Search Atlas plugin by uploading the plugin .zip provided by Search Atlas in your WordPress admin panel under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Once installed and activated, open the plugin settings and enter your Search Atlas API key, which you can find in your account settings inside the platform.
- Connect each WordPress site individually — each site requires its own plugin installation and API connection.
- Once connected, content optimisation suggestions and OTTO automations will sync between your Search Atlas dashboard and the WordPress site.
For agencies or users managing multiple WordPress websites, keep the following in mind:
- Each WordPress site must be added as a managed site within your Search Atlas account. Ensure your plan supports the number of sites you intend to connect.
- OTTO must be activated separately for each site where you want automated SEO deployment.
- Use Left sidebar → Site Metrics (Site Explorer) to monitor performance across all connected sites from a single dashboard view.
- The Keyword Gap tool (Left sidebar → Keywords → Keyword Gap) is useful for comparing keyword performance between multiple sites in your portfolio.
📋 Quick Reference Summary
- Higher keyword volumes: Search Atlas uses multi-source data aggregation for more accurate search demand figures.
- Pricing plans: Tiered plans cover different numbers of managed sites, tracked keywords, and user seats.
- OTTO add-ons: Per-site activations available under Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → SEO Automation; pay only for sites you want automated.
- WordPress plugin: Install on each site, connect via API key, and manage everything from your Search Atlas dashboard.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.