🗺️ Overview
When you manage clients through Search Atlas, you may start by giving them direct access via a team-member seat on your main account. As your agency grows, you can transition those clients into your white-labeled portal — giving them a branded experience while keeping all their historical data intact. This article explains exactly how that transition works and what your clients will see after the move.
📋 What Data Is Preserved During the Transition
Before you begin, it helps to know what carries over automatically and what requires your attention.
- Project data: All SEO projects, tracked keywords, backlink data, and site audit results are preserved and tied to the project — not the login method.
- Reports: Any reports built or saved under your client's projects remain accessible. You can find these in the left sidebar under Reports (or navigate directly to /report-builder/projects-list).
- OTTO configurations: Any OTTO SEO settings and deployed optimisations stay linked to the project and are not affected by a portal transition.
- Historical snapshots: Ranking history, traffic trends, and audit snapshots are all retained within the project record.
No data is deleted when you reassign access. The transition only changes how your client logs in and what interface they see — not the underlying project data.
⚙️ Step-by-Step: How to Transition a Client
- Log in to your Search Atlas account and go to Settings via the avatar menu in the top-right corner, then select Team Members (or navigate to /settings).
- Locate the client's current seat. Identify the team member entry that corresponds to your client's direct seat. Note their email address and which projects they currently have access to.
- Set up your white-label portal (if not done already). Ensure your branded portal is active and configured with your agency's logo, colours, and domain. This is managed inside the white-label settings of your Search Atlas account.
- Create a new client account inside the white-label portal. Use the same email address your client already uses, or a new one they prefer. When you add them through the white-label portal, it creates a separate login tied to your branded environment.
- Assign the correct projects to the new portal account. In your white-label portal settings, connect the existing Search Atlas projects to the new client account. This is the critical step that ensures your client sees their data immediately after logging in.
- Send the client their new portal login link. Share your white-label portal URL and instruct them to use their credentials to log in. They will land directly on their assigned projects with all historical data visible.
- Remove the old OTTO Starter seat. Once your client has confirmed they can access everything through the white-label portal, return to Settings → Team Members and remove their previous direct seat to free up that licence.
👁️ What Your Client Will See After Logging In
After a successful transition, your client will log in to your branded portal and immediately see:
- All previously tracked projects with full keyword ranking history
- Saved and scheduled reports under Reports
- OTTO SEO status and any deployed site improvements
- Backlink data and site audit results with historical comparisons
From their perspective, the experience is continuous — they simply now log in through your branded URL instead of a generic Search Atlas link. There is no data gap or reset.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Removing the old seat before assigning projects: Always confirm that projects are correctly assigned in the white-label portal before removing the original seat. If you remove access too early, the client may see an empty dashboard temporarily.
- Using a different email address without notifying the client: If you create the portal account under a new email, make sure the client knows which credentials to use. A mismatched email will show no data.
- Skipping the project assignment step: Creating a portal account without linking projects results in a blank workspace. Project assignment is mandatory for data visibility.
💬 Need Help With Your Transition?
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.