# **🔍 Overview**

If your website is self-hosted — for example, on a provider like home.pl, a custom VPS, or any shared hosting environment — you can still connect it to OTTO SEO in Search Atlas. Instead of relying on Cloudflare, a WordPress plugin, or other third-party integrations, you simply add the **OTTO tracking pixel** directly to your HTML. This method works on any website where you can edit the source code.

# **⚙️ Before You Begin**

Make sure you have the following ready before starting:

- Access to your website's HTML files (via FTP, SFTP, your hosting control panel's file manager, or a code editor)
- The ability to edit your site's main template file or every page's **<head>** section
- Your OTTO project already created inside Search Atlas (see the OTTO SEO section)

# **🚀 Step 1 — Find Your OTTO Pixel Code**

1. Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to **OTTO SEO** using the left sidebar.
2. Open your OTTO project or create a new one for your website.
3. Within your OTTO project, find the pixel code snippet provided for your project.
4. Copy the pixel code snippet.

# **📄 Step 2 — Add the Pixel to Your HTML**

The pixel must be placed inside the **<head>** section of every page you want OTTO to monitor. The most reliable way to do this on a self-hosted site is to edit your global template or layout file — the single file that wraps all pages on your site.

1. Connect to your hosting via FTP/SFTP or open the **File Manager** in your hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel, DirectAdmin, or your provider's custom panel).
2. Locate your main template file. This is commonly the file that contains the shared **<head>** section rendered on every page of your site.
3. Open the file in a text editor.
4. Paste the OTTO pixel code snippet immediately before the closing **</head>** tag.
5. Save the file and upload it back to your server if you edited it locally.

# **✅ Step 3 — Verify the Connection**

1. Return to Search Atlas and go to **OTTO SEO** in the left sidebar.
2. Open your OTTO project and follow the on-screen instructions to confirm the pixel has been detected on your site.
3. If the connection is confirmed, your website is now connected and OTTO will begin crawl monitoring.

If the connection is not confirmed immediately, wait 1–2 minutes and try again. Browser caches or server propagation delays can sometimes cause a brief lag.

# **💡 Tips for Common Issues**

- If your site uses a PHP-based custom build, add the pixel snippet to the PHP file that outputs the shared **<head>** section.
- Make sure the pixel code is pasted in the **<head>** section and not in the **<body>** section, as placement in the body may prevent proper detection.
- If you manage multiple pages without a shared template, you will need to add the pixel code to each page's **<head>** section individually.

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.