# **🔍 Understanding the Problem**

If your sites appear disconnected in OTTO SEO every time you log in — even though the OTTO Pixel is already installed — you are not alone. This is a known issue that usually stems from a small number of common causes: the pixel code being partially removed by a plugin or theme update, caching layers serving stale page versions without the pixel, or the pixel being placed in a location that causes it to load inconsistently. Working through the steps below will identify and fix the root cause so you do not need to reconnect your sites repeatedly.

# **✅ Step 1 — Verify the Pixel Is Still Present on Your Site**

Plugin updates, theme changes, and site migrations can silently remove the OTTO Pixel code. Before anything else, confirm the pixel is still live on your website.

1. Open your website in a browser and press **Ctrl + U** (Windows) or **Cmd + Option + U** (Mac) to view the page source.
2. Press **Ctrl + F** (or **Cmd + F**) and search for **ottoseo** or the pixel script snippet you originally installed.
3. If the code is missing, navigate to **Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → SEO Automation** (URL: **/seo-automation-v3**), open the affected site, and reinstall the pixel following the on-screen instructions.
4. Repeat this check for every site showing as disconnected.

# **🗂️ Step 2 — Clear All Caching Layers**

Caching plugins, server-side caches, and CDN caches can serve an older version of your page that does not include the pixel, causing OTTO SEO to register the site as disconnected. Clear every cache layer in the following order:

1. **WordPress caching plugin** — Go to your cache plugin dashboard (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) and click **Clear All Cache**.
2. **Hosting server cache** — Log in to your hosting control panel and flush the server-side or object cache if available.
3. **CDN cache** — If you use Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, or a similar service, log in and purge the cache for the affected domain.
4. After clearing all caches, reload your website and re-verify the pixel is present using the source-view method in Step 1.

# **📍 Step 3 — Check Pixel Placement**

The OTTO Pixel must load on every page, consistently. Placement in the wrong location can cause intermittent detection failures.

- The pixel should be placed inside the **<head>** section of your site's HTML, before the closing **</head>** tag.
- If you are using a tag manager such as Google Tag Manager, ensure the tag is set to fire on **All Pages** and is not blocked by any exception rules.
- Avoid placing the pixel inside page builders, widgets, or footer areas that only render on certain templates — these locations cause inconsistent loading.
- If your theme or plugin provides a dedicated **Header Scripts** field, use that field to paste the pixel code directly.

# **🔄 Step 4 — Reconnect and Monitor Your Sites**

Once you have confirmed the pixel is present, caches are cleared, and placement is correct, reconnect your sites in OTTO SEO and monitor them over the next 24–48 hours.

1. Go to **Left sidebar → OTTO SEO → SEO Automation** (URL: **/seo-automation-v3**).
2. Select the disconnected site and follow the prompts to reconnect it.
3. Log out of Search Atlas and log back in after a few hours to confirm the connection status remains active.
4. If a site disconnects again after this process, note the exact time and any changes made to the site (updates, new plugins, cache activity) — this information will help our support team diagnose the issue faster.

# **🛡️ Step 5 — Prevent Future Disconnections**

Taking a few preventative measures will significantly reduce the chance of this happening again.

- **Test after every site update:** Any time you update your theme, plugins, or CMS, re-verify the pixel is still in place using the source-view check.
- **Exclude the pixel script from minification:** Some optimisation plugins minify or combine scripts in ways that break the pixel. Add the pixel script URL to your plugin's exclusion list.
- **Disable aggressive script blocking:** Security plugins with JavaScript blocking features can interfere with the pixel. Whitelist the OTTO Pixel script domain in your security plugin settings.
- **Use a child theme:** If your pixel is added directly to a parent theme's header file, a theme update will overwrite it. Always add custom code through a child theme or a dedicated header scripts plugin.

# **💬 Still Experiencing Disconnections?**

If you have completed all of the steps above and your sites continue to disconnect intermittently, our team can investigate your specific site configuration. 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.