🔍 What Is an OTTO Site Overage?
Each Search Atlas plan includes a set number of OTTO SEO sites. If you activate OTTO on more sites than your plan allows, the additional sites are counted as overages and billed at a per-site rate on top of your base subscription.
For example, if your plan includes 17 OTTO sites and you are currently running OTTO on 22 sites, you are using 5 overage sites. Those 5 extra sites are charged at the applicable per-site add-on rate, which may result in a significant monthly cost increase.
📊 How Overage Charges Are Calculated
Overage billing is based on the total number of sites where OTTO SEO is actively enabled, compared to the number of sites included in your current plan tier. Key points to understand:
- Overage sites are any active OTTO sites that exceed your plan's included allowance.
- Charges are applied to your subscription on a recurring monthly basis.
- Overage rates are set per additional site and may vary depending on your plan tier.
- Overages are calculated at the time of billing, based on your active site count at that point.
⚙️ Your Options for Managing OTTO Site Overages
If you are being charged for overage sites, there are several ways to bring your costs under control:
- Free up OTTO site slots. Navigate to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) (or go to /seo-automation-v3) and review which sites have OTTO enabled. Note that simply disengaging OTTO on a site does not free the slot or reduce your bill — to free a slot, delete the project (freed right away) or use Deep Freeze (freed after 14 days). To stop a top-up charge, cancel the top-up in Billing → Services.
- Upgrade to a higher plan tier. If you genuinely need OTTO running on more sites, upgrading to a plan with a larger OTTO site allowance may be more cost-effective than paying per-site overage rates. Our team can help you compare the total cost of upgrading versus continuing on overages.
- Request a pricing review. In some cases, our team may be able to work with you on adjusted pricing, especially if you are managing a large number of sites or have specific business needs. This is handled case by case and requires a conversation with our team.
🛠️ How to Check Your Current OTTO Site Usage
To see exactly how many OTTO sites you currently have active:
- Go to Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) or navigate directly to /seo-automation-v3.
- Review the list of sites displayed. Any site showing an active OTTO status counts toward your total.
- Compare your active site count to the number of OTTO sites included in your plan. You can find your plan details under Avatar (top-right) → Billing (Plans & Top-ups).
- To bring your count within your plan limit, delete projects you no longer need (slot freed right away) or use Deep Freeze (slot freed after 14 days); disengaging OTTO alone will not free the slot.
💡 Should You Switch Providers to Avoid Overage Costs?
Before making that decision, we encourage you to speak with our team. There may be options available — such as a plan adjustment, a bundle pricing discussion, or a restructured add-on arrangement — that make staying with Search Atlas more cost-effective than it first appears. Overage billing is designed to give you flexibility, not to lock you into unexpected costs, and our team is empowered to explore solutions with you directly.
🚀 Next Steps
If you want to discuss your specific situation, review pricing options, or request an adjustment to your OTTO site billing, our team is ready to 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.