Why the Sync Gap Happens
OTTO deploys SEO fixes to your website outside of Squarespace's visual editor. Because Squarespace's builder manages its own content separately, it may not reflect changes that OTTO has applied. This creates a sync gap: your live site may be correct, but the Squarespace editor appears unchanged.
This is expected behavior and does not mean the changes failed. To confirm what is actually live on your site, always verify by viewing the published page directly in your browser rather than relying on the Squarespace editor view.
Common Conflict Scenarios
Understanding when conflicts occur helps you choose the right approach before making changes.
- Meta descriptions: OTTO applies an optimized meta description to your page. If you later edit the meta description inside Squarespace's editor settings and save, Squarespace may overwrite OTTO's value.
- Image alt text: OTTO writes alt text to your images. If you replace or re-upload the same image inside Squarespace, OTTO's alt text may be lost.
- Page titles: Squarespace controls title tags through its CMS fields. OTTO can override these, but a Squarespace save event on the same page may restore the original title tag.
- Schema markup: OTTO-injected structured data lives outside Squarespace's awareness. However, duplicate schema can occur if structured data is also added manually inside Squarespace.
Important: The specific conflict scenarios listed above are general patterns based on how Squarespace and OTTO interact. Your exact situation may differ. If you are unsure which scenario applies to you, please reach out to our support team so an agent can review your account directly.
Best Practices: Choosing Your Deployment Method
Use the following guidance as a starting point when deciding whether to let OTTO manage a fix or handle it natively inside Squarespace. Because this topic requires hands-on review of your specific site and OTTO configuration, our support team can confirm the right approach for your setup.
- Let OTTO manage: Schema markup, canonical tags, robots directives, bulk alt text across many images, and technical meta tags where Squarespace provides no native control.
- Use Squarespace natively: Page titles and meta descriptions on pages you actively edit and republish often. Entering these directly in Squarespace's editor fields prevents Squarespace from overwriting OTTO's values after every save.
- Coordinate both: If OTTO has already deployed a meta description or title and you want to keep it, copy OTTO's exact value into the corresponding Squarespace editor field. This aligns both systems and removes the conflict.
- Avoid duplication: Do not add the same structured data or meta tags manually inside Squarespace if OTTO is already managing them, as this can result in duplicate tags on your live page.
Verifying Your Live Site
To confirm which values are actually live on your published site, use the following methods:
- Open the published page in an incognito or private browser window to bypass any cached versions.
- Right-click the page and select View Page Source to inspect the raw HTML and confirm the meta tags, alt attributes, and structured data that are actually being served.
If the live page source does not reflect what OTTO deployed, or if you are unsure how to interpret the results, please escalate to our support team. To help us investigate quickly, have the following ready: your project name, the specific page URL where the conflict is occurring, the exact field or tag that appears incorrect, and a screenshot or copy of what you see in both the Squarespace editor and the live page source.
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.