# **🔍 What Is Happening?**

When Wordfence Security is active on your WordPress site, it can silently block the OTTO pixel script from loading — even if your Search Atlas account is authenticated and synced successfully. This causes the OTTO activation panel to display an **"OTTO not found"** error, because Wordfence intercepts the pixel request before it reaches your site.

This is one of the most common reasons OTTO appears connected in Search Atlas but remains undetected on your website.

# **⚙️ Before You Begin**

Confirm the following before making any changes to Wordfence:

- You are logged in to your WordPress admin dashboard with administrator access.
- The Wordfence Security plugin is installed and active.
- In Search Atlas, your site shows a successful account authentication and sync status under **SEO Automation** (Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → SEO Automation).
- The OTTO status still reads **"OTTO not found"** despite the successful sync.

# **🛠️ How to Whitelist the OTTO Pixel in Wordfence**

Follow these steps to allow the OTTO pixel through Wordfence's firewall:

1. Log in to your **WordPress Admin Dashboard**.
2. In the left sidebar, click **Wordfence**, then select **Firewall**.
3. Click the **Allowlisted URLs** tab (sometimes labelled **Whitelisted URLs** depending on your Wordfence version).
4. Click **Add URL to Allowlist**.
5. In the URL field, enter the OTTO pixel endpoint. Use the exact URL provided in your Search Atlas OTTO installation instructions. It typically follows the pattern: **yourdomain.com/?otto\_pixel=1** — copy it directly from the Search Atlas platform to avoid typos.
6. Leave the **Parameter** fields blank unless Wordfence specifically prompts you to add one.
7. Click **Save**.

After saving, Wordfence will stop blocking requests matching that URL pattern.

# **✅ Verify the Pixel Is Now Detected**

1. Return to Search Atlas and navigate to **OTTO SEO** in the left sidebar, then open **SEO Automation**.
2. Locate your site and open the OTTO activation panel.
3. Click **Re-check** or **Refresh Status** to trigger a new pixel detection scan.
4. The status should update from **"OTTO not found"** to **"OTTO Active"** within a few seconds.

If the status does not update immediately, wait two to three minutes and refresh the page. Detection can occasionally take a short time after the allowlist rule is saved.

# **💡 Additional Wordfence Settings to Check**

If whitelisting the URL alone does not resolve the issue, check these additional Wordfence settings:

- **Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules:** Wordfence's WAF may have a rule blocking inline scripts. Under **Wordfence → Firewall → All Firewall Options**, temporarily set the WAF to **Learning Mode**, trigger the OTTO pixel, then review the blocked requests log to identify and allowlist the specific rule.
- **Brute Force Protection:** If your site limits external requests aggressively, check **Wordfence → Login Security** and confirm that OTTO's server IP range is not blocked. Search Atlas uses fixed outbound IPs — contact support (see below) if you need the current IP list.
- **Live Traffic blocking:** Go to **Wordfence → Tools → Live Traffic** and filter by **Blocked** to see if OTTO pixel requests appear. If they do, click the request and choose **Allowlist this IP** or **Allowlist this URL**.

# **🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid**

- **Do not deactivate Wordfence entirely** as a test — this exposes your site to security risks and is unnecessary.
- **Do not confuse authentication errors with pixel errors.** A successful sync in Search Atlas means your API credentials are correct, but it does not confirm the pixel script is loading on your front end.
- **Copy the pixel URL exactly** from the Search Atlas platform. A single character difference will prevent the allowlist rule from matching.

# **💬 Still Seeing 'OTTO Not Found'?**

If you have followed all the steps above and the error persists, your hosting provider or a secondary security plugin (such as Sucuri, iThemes Security, or Cloudflare WAF) may also be blocking the pixel. 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.