🧭 Overview
After installing the Search Atlas pixel on your website, you may notice that the platform has not yet detected it — even if a third-party tool confirms the pixel is present in your page header. This is expected behavior. Detection depends on the site auditor completing a full crawl of your site, which can take up to 24 hours.
This article explains why the delay occurs, what to expect during that window, and how to confirm your pixel is correctly installed in the meantime.
⏱️ Why the Pixel Is Not Detected Immediately
Search Atlas detects your site pixel by crawling your website during the site auditor process — it does not perform a real-time check at the moment of installation. Because of this, there is a natural delay between when you install the pixel and when the platform confirms detection. This delay is normal and does not mean your pixel is broken or missing.
- The site auditor runs a full crawl of your domain to collect data, including pixel presence, page health, and technical SEO signals.
- Crawl queue and site size affect how long the process takes. Larger sites or high-demand periods may push completion toward the full 24-hour window.
- Your pixel can be correctly installed and fully functional even while the platform still shows it as undetected.
📋 What to Expect After Installing Your Pixel
After installing your pixel, allow up to 24 hours for the site auditor to complete its crawl and update the detection status in the platform. You do not need to reinstall the pixel or take any action during this window. Allow the full 24-hour period to pass before treating the delay as an issue.
If the pixel is still not detected after 24 hours, proceed to the verification steps below.
🤖 OTTO Status Update Expectations
If you are using OTTO, Search Atlas's OTTO SEO automation, its status reflects data from the most recently completed site audit. This means:
- OTTO will not show your pixel as active until the site auditor has finished processing and confirmed detection.
- Any OTTO recommendations or automations that depend on pixel data will update automatically once the audit completes — you do not need to re-trigger anything manually.
✅ How to Verify Your Pixel Is Correctly Installed While Waiting
While the site auditor processes your site, use the following steps to confirm your pixel is in place so you can be confident the detection update will succeed once the crawl finishes:
- Open your website in a browser and view the page source (right-click → View Page Source).
- Search for your Search Atlas pixel code in the
<head>section of the page. - If the pixel code is present in the header, your installation is correct. No further action is needed — wait for the site auditor to complete its crawl.
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.