# **🔍 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**

1. Go to **Left sidebar → Site Metrics**.
2. Click **Add New Site** in the top-right area of the page.
3. Enter your full website URL (e.g., **https://example.com**) and click **Continue**.
4. When prompted to connect a data source, select **Google Search Console**.
5. Sign in with your Google account and grant Search Atlas the requested read permissions.
6. From the dropdown, select the GSC property that matches your website.
7. 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.