🔍 Overview

Accidentally deleting an OTTO project or needing to change the domain connected to a project are two of the most disruptive situations you can run into in Search Atlas. This article explains what happens in each scenario, what you can realistically expect, and how to get help quickly if you need a project restored.

⚠️ What Happens When You Delete an OTTO Project

Deleting an OTTO project removes it from your workspace. This action is not reversible from within the platform on your own. However, project restoration is possible — it requires escalation to the Search Atlas engineering team and is handled on a case-by-case basis.

Important things to know before requesting a restoration:

• Restoration does not require you to upgrade your account.
• Restoration does not affect your other existing OTTO projects or their edits.
• The engineering team will need to investigate the project on their end — this may take time depending on review cycles.
• Once confirmed, the project can be fully restored to its prior state.

📋 How to Request an OTTO Project Restoration

Because restoration cannot be completed from within the platform, you will need to contact the support team directly. Follow these steps to make the process as fast as possible:

1. Open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform.

2. Type human teammate to be connected with a member of our support team.

3. Provide the following information in your message:

   • The domain name of the deleted OTTO project (for example, prescott.com).
   • Your account email or username.
   • A brief description of how the deletion occurred and when.
   • Confirmation that you have not made changes to your account since the deletion, if applicable.

4. The support agent will escalate your request to the engineering team for investigation and restoration.

Once the engineering team confirms the project can be restored, they will complete the restoration and notify you through the support chat.

🌐 How Domain Changes Work for OTTO Projects

A common reason customers accidentally delete a project is because they are trying to change the domain associated with it — for example, switching from a root domain to a www. version, or moving to a different domain entirely.

Currently, the platform does not support modifying the domain on an existing OTTO project directly. If you need to use a different domain or subdomain (such as www.yourdomain.com instead of yourdomain.com), the correct workflow is:

1. Go to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation).
2. Create a new OTTO project using the correct domain from the start.
3. Do not delete the original project until you are confident the new one is set up correctly.

This approach avoids accidental data loss and ensures your original project remains intact while the new one is configured.

💡 Tips to Avoid Accidental Deletion

• Before deleting any project, confirm you are acting on the correct one — double-check the domain name displayed on the project card.
• If your goal is to change or update a domain, create the new project first and verify it before removing anything.
• If you are unsure whether deletion is the right action, reach out to support before proceeding.

🚀 What Is Coming in Future Updates

The Search Atlas team is actively working on improvements in this area. Planned developments include the ability to support subdomain and staging domain deployments within existing OTTO projects. This will reduce the need to create entirely new projects when a domain variation is required. These features are not yet available, but they are in active development.

💬 Still 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.