## **What Is OTTO Deep Freeze?** OTTO Deep Freeze is a feature within Search Atlas that protects the SEO optimizations OTTO has applied to your site. When active, it locks in the on-page and technical changes OTTO has deployed, helping ensure those improvements remain in place on your live site and are not overwritten by CMS updates, theme changes, or other site edits. Deep Freeze is designed to preserve the state of OTTO's applied optimizations. If a conflicting change is detected on your site, Deep Freeze works to re-apply or maintain the protected settings so your SEO work is not lost. **Note:** The specific optimizations covered by Deep Freeze depend on which OTTO tasks have been deployed on your account. If you have questions about which changes are protected, our support team can review your account directly. ## **Subscription Requirements for Deep Freeze** Deep Freeze is tied to an active paid Search Atlas subscription. Key points to be aware of: - Deep Freeze remains active only while your subscription is current and in good standing. - There is no standalone Deep Freeze plan — it is included as part of your active subscription tier. - If your subscription lapses, expires, or is cancelled, Deep Freeze protection will no longer be enforced, meaning future site changes could overwrite OTTO's applied optimizations. - Renewing or reactivating your subscription will restore Deep Freeze protection going forward. If you are unsure whether your current plan includes Deep Freeze, contact our support team for clarification specific to your account. ## **What Happens If You Cancel?** When you cancel your Search Atlas subscription, the following generally applies: - **Projects enter Deep Freeze automatically:** 24 hours after your account becomes unsubscribed, all OTTO projects are placed into Deep Freeze (autopilot off, read-only). Projects are not deleted and stay engaged, so the OTTO pixel keeps serving the fixes that were already deployed. Deployed changes stop being served only if the pixel is removed, the project is disengaged, or the project is deleted. - **OTTO processing stops:** OTTO stops crawling and making new changes after cancellation. - **Hyperdrive credits are not refunded:** Any unused credits at the time of cancellation are forfeited. - **Your data is retained temporarily:** Project data and settings are typically retained for a grace period, but you should export any reports or configurations you need before cancelling. If maintaining your SEO optimizations is a priority, we recommend reaching out to our support team **before** cancelling so a teammate can explain what to expect for your specific account and help you preserve your work where possible. ## **What Are Hyperdrive Credits?** Hyperdrive credits are a quota resource used by OTTO to process and deploy SEO tasks across your site. Here is how they generally work: - **Credits are consumed per task:** Each SEO action OTTO deploys — such as updating a meta tag, fixing a heading structure, or applying a schema — uses a certain number of credits. - **Credits reset on a billing cycle:** Your credit balance refreshes at the start of each billing period. Unused credits do not roll over. - **Low credits slow processing:** If your credit balance runs low, OTTO may pause or queue lower-priority tasks until credits are replenished at your next reset. - **Credit allocation depends on your plan tier:** Higher-tier plans include larger credit pools, allowing OTTO to process more tasks per cycle. You can generally monitor your credit balance from within the OTTO dashboard on your account. If you notice tasks not processing or receive a low-credit warning, check your current balance first before escalating. When contacting support about hyperdrive credits, have the following ready: - Your project name or domain - A description of what you observed (e.g., tasks not processing, a low-credit warning) - Any error messages or timestamps you encountered ## **How to Upgrade Your Trial to a Higher Tier** If you are on a free or paid trial and want to move to a higher subscription tier, here is what to know: - **Upgrades are available at any point during your trial:** You do not need to wait for the trial to expire to move to a paid plan. - **Your OTTO data carries over:** Projects, applied optimizations, and settings configured during your trial are preserved when you upgrade. - **Trial credits are typically replaced:** When you upgrade, your credit allocation updates to match your new plan tier. - **Deep Freeze activates on paid plans:** If your trial tier did not include Deep Freeze, upgrading to a qualifying paid plan will enable it for your projects. To upgrade your trial to a higher tier, you can do this yourself directly in the platform. Click the account menu (person icon, top-right), go to **Billing** → **Plans & Top-ups**, and in the Subscription section click **Change Plan**. If your subscription is still in trial, the plan switches without charging you, your existing trial end date is preserved, and your quotas are reallocated to the new plan immediately. If you have any questions about the upgrade, contact our support team with the following ready: - Your current plan or trial type - The tier you are interested in upgrading to - Any questions about how the upgrade affects your current trial credits or Deep Freeze settings ## **Quota Management** Quota management in OTTO governs how tasks, credits, and processing capacity are allocated across your projects. Understanding quota helps you get the most out of OTTO without running into processing delays: - **Credits are shared across projects:** If you have multiple sites connected to OTTO, all projects draw from the same credit pool on your account. - **Prioritize high-impact tasks:** If credits are limited, focus OTTO on your highest-priority projects or task types to make the most of your available quota. - **Upgrading your plan increases quota:** If you consistently run low on credits before your reset date, upgrading to a higher plan tier is the most direct way to increase your allocation. - **Pausing OTTO on a project preserves credits:** If you want to stop credit consumption on a specific project temporarily, pausing OTTO on that project will prevent further credits from being used. If you have questions about your specific quota limits or need a one-time credit adjustment, contact support with your project name, current plan, and a description of your usage pattern. 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.