When Search Atlas optimizes your pages through OTTO, it applies changes via JavaScript using the OTTO pixel script. This script is injected into the <head> tag of your site and makes updates directly in the browser at render time. Because of this approach, your underlying source code is never modified — meaning you will not see OTTO's changes if you right-click and view the raw page source.
Despite this, Google can still read and index all changes OTTO applies. When Googlebot crawls your site, it executes JavaScript before reading the fully rendered HTML, just as a modern browser would. This means updates to the following elements are visible to Google during indexing:
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- Headings (H1, H2, etc.)
- Internal and external links
- Image alt text
- Meta tags and canonical tags
To verify what Google has actually indexed for your pages, check your pages in Google Search Console (GSC). Connecting GSC to Search Atlas is also recommended, as it provides deeper insights into how your optimizations are performing.
If you want to confirm that OTTO's changes are being applied correctly before Google re-crawls your pages, open your browser's Developer Tools and navigate to the Elements panel. This panel shows the fully JavaScript-rendered version of your page, so any changes OTTO has applied will appear there. You can also install the Detailed SEO Extension, run it on your page, and confirm whether your updated titles, headings, meta tags, and other elements are live.
One important benefit of OTTO's dynamic overlay approach is that your original backend code — for example, your WordPress templates and database — is never touched. Your source code remains completely unaffected regardless of your subscription status, which helps maintain the overall integrity and stability of your site.
If you have additional questions about how OTTO applies changes to your specific site setup, feel free to chat with a human teammate directly through the in-app live chat widget.