Running a Site Audit should be simple, you enter your domain, launch the crawl, and get a full breakdown of technical issues and SEO opportunities. But if your site is protected by a CDN or firewall (like Cloudflare or a WordPress security plugin), Search Atlas may be blocked from accessing your pages. When that happens, audits fail not because something is wrong with Search Atlas, but because your security layer is doing its job. This guide walks you through the exact whitelisting steps so the Search Atlas Site Audit crawler can safely reach your site and complete a successful crawl.
š„Cloudflare whitelisting
š„Cloudflare whitelisting
Follow these steps to proceed with whitelisting:
Step 1 ā Login to your Cloudflare account
Step 2 ā Click Firewall icon and then on the Tools tab
Step 3 ā List Search Atlasās crawl IP address under the IP Access Rules
Step 4 ā Enter the IP Addresses above
Step 5 ā Choose the action āWhitelistā
Step 6 ā Select the domain that you want our crawler to have access to
Step 7 ā Click āAddā
After performing the above steps, Search Atlas will have access to your website for monitoring.
For help and a better understanding of Cloudflareās IP Access Rules, see Cloudflareās support documentation.
š Using a Different CDN or Firewall?
š Using a Different CDN or Firewall?
If youāre not using Cloudflare, donāt worry, the process is essentially the same.
Most CDNs, hosting firewalls, and security layers (including Sucuri, StackPath, AWS WAF, LiteSpeed, ModSecurity, hosting-level firewalls, or custom server firewalls) work similarly:
They block unknown automated traffic by default.
To allow Search Atlas to complete a Site Audit, you simply need to:
Log into your CDN, firewall, or hosting control panel
Locate the section labeled:
Firewall Rules
Security Settings
IP Access Rules
Allowlist / Whitelist
Bot Protection
Add all Search Atlas crawler IP addresses listed in this article
Set the action to:
Allow
Whitelist
Bypass
Trusted
Save changes
If your system supports IP ranges or bulk uploads, you may add them accordingly. Otherwise, paste them individually.
š§± WordFence
š§± WordFence
You can whitelist the Search Atlas site crawler via WordFence. To do so, follow the below steps:
Step 1 ā On the WordPress menu go to WordFence ā Firewall ā All Firewall
options
Step 2 ā Paste the IP addresses listed above on the box āAllowlisted IP addresses that bypass all rulesā
Step 3 ā Save changes
š« Stop Bad Bots
š« Stop Bad Bots
To whitelist the crawler via Stop Bad Bots, follow the below steps:
Step 1 ā On the WordPress menu go to Block Bad Bots ā Settings
Step 2 ā Select the Whitelist tab
Step 3 ā Paste the IP addresses above on the box āIP whitelistā
Step 4 ā Click, āSave changesā
š³ Blackhole for Bad Bots
š³ Blackhole for Bad Bots
If you have the Blackhole WordPress plugin installed, whitelist the crawler in WordPress by doing the following:
Step 1 ā On the WordPress menu go to Blackhole ā Settings
Step 2 ā Paste the IP addresses above on the box āWhitelist IPsā
Step 3 ā Save changes
š” Shield Security
š” Shield Security
Have Shield Security for WordPress? Follow the below instructions to create a new IP rule and allow our site crawler access to your website.
Step 1 ā On the WordPress menu go to Shield Security ā IP Rules
Step 2 ā Use the gear icon for additional options and select āCreate New IP Ruleā option
Step 3 ā Use the form to add the IP adresses to the bypass/whitelist
Step 4 ā Click āCreate New IP Ruleā
Step 5 ā Add the IP Addresses above to the āIP Address or IP Rangeā text box.
Step 6 ā Give the IP rule a label
Step 7 ā Select āAdd to Bypass Listā
Step 8 ā Check the box, āI fully understand the significance of this actionā
Step 9 ā Click āCreate New IP Ruleā
š” Live & Updated Search Atlas Crawler IP List
š” Live & Updated Search Atlas Crawler IP List
Access the most current IP addresses for whitelisting here:
š§ Important Notes
š§ Important Notes
Make sure you whitelist at the network/firewall level, not just inside your CMS.
If you use multiple security layers (for example, hosting firewall + WordPress plugin), you may need to whitelist in both places.
After whitelisting, clear your cache and re-run the audit.
š Not Sure Where to Add the Rule?
š Not Sure Where to Add the Rule?
If youāre unsure where your site security is configured:
Contact your hosting provider and send them this article.
Ask them to whitelist the Search Atlas Site Audit crawler IP list.
Or reach out to our support team via the chat inside your dashboard (MonāFri, 9amā6pm PST).
Once the Search Atlas crawler IPs are allowlisted, your audits can run consistently without interruptions, even if your site remains protected by Cloudflare, Wordfence, or other security tools. Whitelisting doesnāt weaken your defenses; it simply tells your firewall that Search Atlas is a trusted scanner for your own domain. After completing the steps above, rerun your Site Audit and you should see full crawl coverage and reliable monitoring going forward.