🔍 GSC Performance vs. a Full OTTO Project
Search Atlas gives you two distinct ways to work with your websites. A full OTTO project, managed at Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation), activates AI-powered on-page SEO automation and requires additional configuration. A GSC Performance-only site, managed at Left sidebar → Site Metrics, simply connects your Google Search Console property so you can monitor organic clicks, impressions, average position, and CTR—no automation required.
✅ What You Need Before You Start
- A Google account with access to the Google Search Console property for your website
- Owner or full user permissions on that GSC property
- An active Search Atlas account with at least one available site slot
➕ How to Add a Site for GSC Performance Only
- Go to Left sidebar → Site Metrics.
- Click Add New Site in the top-right area of the page.
- Enter your full website URL (e.g., https://example.com) and click Continue.
- When prompted to connect a data source, select Google Search Console.
- Sign in with your Google account and grant Search Atlas the requested read permissions.
- From the dropdown, select the GSC property that matches your website.
- Click Save to complete the connection.
Your site will now appear in the Left sidebar → Site Metrics list. Search Atlas will begin importing your GSC data—please allow up to 24 hours for the first full data sync to complete.
📊 What Data You Can View
Once the GSC property is connected, the following performance metrics become available for your site:
- Clicks — total organic clicks your pages received from Google Search
- Impressions — how many times your pages appeared in Google search results
- Average Position — your site's mean ranking across all tracked queries
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) — the share of impressions that resulted in a click
⚠️ Key Differences from an OTTO Project
Adding a site at Left sidebar → Site Metrics does not create an OTTO project. This means:
- OTTO SEO automation is not activated for the site
- The site will not appear under Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation)
- Crawl monitoring (available at Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → Site Audit → Crawl Monitoring) and automated on-page recommendations will not be enabled
- No OTTO credits are consumed
If you decide to upgrade this site to a full OTTO project in the future, navigate to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) and add the site there separately.
🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues
- GSC property not showing in the dropdown — confirm you are signed in with the Google account that has Owner or Full User access to that property in Google Search Console.
- No data appearing after 24 hours — verify the GSC property is receiving data directly in Google Search Console, then disconnect and reconnect the property in Left sidebar → Site Metrics.
- Site already exists error — the URL may already be added under a different workspace or user. Check Left sidebar → Site Metrics for an existing entry.
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.