🔍 Overview
If you are running an agency with multiple client sites but only a limited number of user seats, you do not need to give every client a user seat to let them view their own project data. Search Atlas separates user seats (for your internal team members) from client project access (for external clients who only need to see their own reports). This means you can serve an unlimited number of clients without upgrading your seat count.
👥 Understanding the Two Access Models
Before taking any action, it helps to understand the difference between the two access types available in Search Atlas.
- User seats are for people inside your agency — team members who need to log in, edit campaigns, manage settings, and work across multiple client projects. Every internal user consumes one seat from your plan.
- Client project access is for external clients who only need to view the data for their own project. Clients can be given visibility into their own project data without being added as a user, meaning they do not consume any of your plan's seat allocation.
📊 How to Share Project Data With Clients
Search Atlas supports a way to give clients visibility into their project performance without assigning them a user seat. To find out exactly how client-facing access is configured for your account and plan, please reach out to our team — they can confirm the current sharing options available to you and walk you through the correct steps for your setup.
When you contact support, have the following information ready:
- The name of the client project(s) you want to share
- Whether you need the client to have view-only access or any level of editing access
- Your current plan and how many user seats you have remaining
⚙️ When Should You Use User Seats Instead?
Reserve your user seats for people who need hands-on access to the platform itself. Typical examples include:
- SEO managers or account managers on your internal team
- Contractors or freelancers who actively build and manage campaigns
- A client who specifically needs to log in and edit their own campaign settings — this is the exception, not the standard client access model
If a client only needs to review rankings, traffic, or other reporting metrics, client project access is the appropriate solution and keeps your seat allocation free for your team.
❌ What Not to Do
Do not add clients as regular users on your plan simply to give them read-only visibility into their own project. Doing so consumes a user seat unnecessarily and can push your account toward its seat limit, potentially requiring a plan upgrade before it is needed.
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.