# **🔍 Overview**

After upgrading your Search Atlas plan and configuring a whitelabel subdomain, you may see **OTTO Not Deployed** warnings on your projects and **Access Forbidden** errors when visiting your custom domain. This happens because a plan upgrade resets certain platform-level settings, and your DNS records or OTTO activation may need to be reapplied. Follow the steps below to resolve both issues.

# **⚙️ Step 1: Verify Your DNS Records Are Correctly Configured**

Before redeploying OTTO, confirm that your subdomain (for example, **dashboard.mindshiftdigital.co**) is pointing to Search Atlas correctly. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider and check that the following records exist:

- **Type:** CNAME
- **Host / Name:** your chosen subdomain prefix (e.g., **dashboard**)
- **Value / Points to:** the CNAME target provided in your Search Atlas whitelabel settings
- **TTL:** 3600 (or the lowest value your provider allows)

If you have an existing A record for the same subdomain, remove it before adding the CNAME. Conflicting records are the most common cause of **Access Forbidden** errors. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, but most providers update within 1–4 hours.

# **🌐 Step 2: Confirm Your Whitelabel Settings Inside Search Atlas**

Once DNS is pointing correctly, verify your whitelabel configuration inside the platform:

1. Click the **apps-grid icon** in the header and select **More Features**.
2. Open **Agency Hub** (Set up your Agency's White Label).
3. Confirm your custom subdomain is entered exactly as configured in your DNS (e.g., **dashboard.mindshiftdigital.co**).
4. If the field is blank or shows a previous domain, re-enter your subdomain and click **Save**.
5. Wait a few minutes, then visit your subdomain in a new browser tab to confirm the Access Forbidden error is resolved.

If you see a security certificate warning instead of an Access Forbidden error, SSL provisioning is still in progress. Wait up to 30 minutes and refresh.

# **🚀 Step 3: Redeploy OTTO on Each Affected Project**

A plan upgrade can deactivate OTTO across your projects. You will need to redeploy it manually for each project showing **OTTO Not Deployed**. Here is how:

1. Go to **OTTO SEO** in the left sidebar and open **SEO Automation** (or navigate to **/seo-automation-v3**).
2. Select the first project showing **OTTO Not Deployed**.
3. Click the **OTTO** tab or the **Deploy OTTO** button on the project dashboard.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to connect OTTO to the project's website. If the site uses WordPress, ensure the Search Atlas plugin is installed and the API key is current.
5. Once deployment completes, the status will change to **OTTO Active**.
6. Repeat these steps for every additional project that shows the Not Deployed status.

**Important:** If your OTTO pixel was previously installed via a third-party tag manager (such as Google Tag Manager), verify that the pixel snippet in your tag manager still matches the one shown in your current OTTO settings. Plan upgrades can generate a new pixel ID that must be re-pasted into your tag manager container and published.

# **🔎 Step 4: Clear Cache and Test**

After completing DNS verification and OTTO redeployment, take the following steps to confirm everything is working:

- Clear your browser cache or open an incognito window before testing your whitelabel subdomain.
- If your site uses a caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache), purge the cache from the plugin dashboard.
- Visit your whitelabel subdomain and confirm the Search Atlas interface loads without errors.
- Return to **OTTO SEO** in the left sidebar and open **All Sites (SEO Automation)** to confirm all projects display **OTTO Active**.

# **⚠️ Common Issues and Quick Fixes**

- **Access Forbidden after DNS update:** Double-check there are no duplicate or conflicting A records for the same subdomain at your registrar.
- **OTTO Not Deployed reappears after saving:** Ensure your WordPress plugin is updated to the latest version and the API key in the plugin settings matches your Search Atlas account.
- **SSL certificate error on subdomain:** Wait up to 30 minutes for auto-provisioning. If the error persists beyond an hour, the CNAME record may not be fully propagated yet.
- **Only one project redeployed but others still show Not Deployed:** OTTO must be redeployed per project — there is no bulk-deploy option. Repeat Step 3 for each project individually.

# **💬 Need More 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.