🔍 Overview
If you have already connected one WordPress site to OTTO and are now adding a second, the tracking code will not automatically carry over. Each site requires its own unique tracking code, and that code must be installed in the correct location for OTTO to detect it. This article walks you through the general steps to get your second WordPress site verified successfully.
⚙️ Why OTTO Isn't Detecting Your Second Site
The most common reasons OTTO fails to detect the tracking code on a second WordPress site are:
- Using the wrong tracking code — Every site connected to OTTO gets a unique code. Copying the code from your first site and pasting it into your second site will not work.
- Installing into the wrong location — The code must be placed in the
<head>section of the page, not the body or footer. - Caching preventing detection — WordPress caching plugins may serve an old version of your page, hiding the newly added code from OTTO's verification check.
- Code stripped by a theme or plugin — Some WordPress themes and security plugins filter or remove custom scripts added to the header.
🚀 Step-by-Step: Install the Tracking Code on Your Second Site
- In the Search Atlas platform, locate the section where your OTTO tracking code is displayed for the second site.
- Select your second website from the site selector. Make sure you are not viewing your first site.
- Find the OTTO tracking code for your second site and copy it in full — it is unique to this site and different from the code used on your first site.
- Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard of your second site.
- Navigate to Appearance → Theme File Editor (or use a dedicated header plugin if available).
- Open your theme's header.php file and paste the tracking code immediately before the closing
</head>tag. If you are using a header plugin, paste it into the header scripts field. - Save your changes.
- Return to Search Atlas and check whether OTTO can now detect the code for your second site.
💡 Recommended: Use a Header Plugin
Editing header.php directly risks losing the code if you update your theme. Using a dedicated header plugin is safer and easier to manage, as it provides a dedicated field for header scripts that survives theme updates.
🧹 Clear Your Cache After Installation
After saving the tracking code, clear your WordPress cache using your caching plugin if you have one installed. Serving a cached version of your page may prevent OTTO from detecting the newly added code. Once the cache is cleared, return to Search Atlas to confirm detection.
📋 If You Still Need Help
If OTTO is still not detecting your tracking code after following these steps, please have the following ready before reaching out: your site URL, the WordPress plugins currently active on the site, and a description of where you placed the tracking code.
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.