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Install OTTO Pixel on Cloudflare and Custom CMS

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Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Sep 30, 2026

🧭 Overview

The OTTO pixel allows Search Atlas to crawl and optimize your site automatically. If your site is protected by Cloudflare, its bot protection may block Search Atlas bots by default — preventing the pixel from working correctly. This article walks you through how to whitelist Search Atlas bots in Cloudflare and how to install the OTTO pixel on a custom CMS using Google Tag Manager (GTM).

⚠️ Why Cloudflare May Block the OTTO Pixel

Cloudflare's bot management and firewall features are designed to block unrecognized automated traffic. Search Atlas crawlers may be blocked before the pixel can fire, which can result in the pixel appearing unverified inside OTTO even after installation.

✅ Step 1 — Whitelist Search Atlas Bots in Cloudflare

To allow Search Atlas crawlers through Cloudflare's firewall, you need to create a firewall rule (or WAF custom rule) that bypasses bot protection for Search Atlas user agents and/or IP ranges.

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard and select the domain where OTTO is installed.
  2. Locate the firewall or WAF rules section for your plan — the exact menu path may vary depending on your Cloudflare plan version.
  3. Create a new custom rule named something like Allow Search Atlas Bots.
  4. Configure the rule to match Search Atlas traffic by user agent and/or by any IP addresses that Search Atlas has provided to you, then set the action to allow or bypass bot protection for matching requests.
  5. Save and deploy the rule.

If your Cloudflare plan includes additional bot protection features, you may also need to review those settings to ensure verified or allowlisted bots are not being challenged. Refer to Cloudflare's official documentation for the exact steps that apply to your plan.

📦 Step 2 — Install the OTTO Pixel via Google Tag Manager

If your CMS does not allow direct theme file editing (e.g., some hosted or headless platforms), use Google Tag Manager to deploy the OTTO pixel.

  1. Log in to Search Atlas and locate your unique OTTO pixel code snippet within your OTTO settings area.
  2. Log in to Google Tag Manager and open the container for your site.
  3. Create a new tag using the Custom HTML tag type.
  4. Paste the OTTO pixel code snippet into the HTML field.
  5. Set the trigger so the pixel fires on every page load (e.g., an All Pages trigger).
  6. Name the tag and publish your GTM container to make the pixel live.

🔍 Step 3 — Verify the Pixel Is Working

After completing both steps, return to Search Atlas and check whether the OTTO pixel status updates to verified. If the pixel remains unverified, confirm that your Cloudflare allowlist rule is active and that GTM has been published with the correct trigger 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.