🧭 Overview
Each WordPress site you manage in Search Atlas requires its own OTTO tracking code installation. If the code is detected on your first site but not your second, the issue is likely related to placement scope, caching, or a missing site-specific snippet. This article outlines what to check when setting up OTTO on an additional WordPress site.
⚠️ Why Your Second Site May Not Be Detected
Even if you followed the same steps as your first site, these are common reasons OTTO may fail to detect the tracking code on an additional WordPress site:
- Wrong placement scope: The code was added to a single page or post template instead of a global, site-wide location.
- Cached pages: Your WordPress cache is serving an older version of the page that does not yet include the tracking code.
- Wrong tracking code used: Each site in Search Atlas has a unique tracking snippet. You must copy the code for the specific site you are configuring, not reuse the snippet from your first site.
- Theme or plugin conflict: Some themes or header plugins do not inject code into every page type, leaving certain URLs unverifiable.
- Code placed inside a conditional block: If the snippet is wrapped in a condition (for example, only loading on the homepage), OTTO cannot confirm site-wide installation.
📋 Before You Begin
Make sure you have the following ready for each additional site:
- Admin access to the WordPress dashboard for the site you are configuring.
- The correct OTTO tracking code for that specific site (retrieved from Search Atlas — see steps below).
- A method to inject code site-wide, such as a header injection plugin or direct access to your active theme's header template file.
🪄 Step 1 — Retrieve the Correct Tracking Code for Your Site
- Log in to Search Atlas and open the OTTO section of the platform.
- Locate the site you want to configure — make sure you have selected the correct site before copying any code.
- Find the tracking code snippet for that site and copy it. Do not reuse the snippet from any other site — each snippet is unique to its domain.
📌 Step 2 — Install the Code Site-Wide on WordPress
The tracking code must appear on every page of your site, not just the homepage. Use one of the following general approaches:
Option A — Using a Header Injection Plugin (Recommended)
- Install and activate a header injection plugin of your choice in your WordPress admin.
- Locate the plugin's settings and paste the OTTO tracking code into the appropriate header scripts field.
- Save your changes.
Option B — Editing Your Theme's Header Template Directly
- Access your active theme's header template file through your WordPress admin or via FTP/file manager.
- Paste the OTTO tracking code before the closing
</head>tag. - Save your changes.
🔄 Step 3 — Clear Your Cache
After installing the code, clear any WordPress caching plugins, server-level caches, and CDN caches associated with the site. Cached pages may prevent OTTO from detecting the newly added snippet until the cache is refreshed.
✅ Step 4 — Verify Detection in Search Atlas
Return to Search Atlas, locate the site you just configured, and trigger a new detection check. If the code is still not detected after clearing your cache, review the placement method to confirm the snippet is loading on all page types and is not wrapped in any conditional logic.
📞 Need Help?
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.