## **🔍 Understanding the Sync Status Discrepancy**

It can be confusing when your WordPress dashboard shows the Search Atlas plugin as active and synced, yet the OTTO SEO panel reports it as **not installed correctly**. These two status indicators pull data from different sources, so they can fall out of sync. The WordPress side confirms the plugin is installed and running on your server, while OTTO verifies a live, authenticated connection to your specific website property inside Search Atlas.

The most common causes of this mismatch are:

- The plugin was installed on the wrong WordPress site (e.g., a staging or subdomain URL that does not match your OTTO website property)
- The Search Atlas pixel or API key inside the plugin settings was not saved correctly
- A caching layer or security plugin is blocking the pixel verification request
- The plugin was updated or reactivated after the initial connection, resetting the authentication token
- Your website's server returned an error during OTTO's last verification check

## **✅ Step-by-Step: Verify Your Plugin Configuration**

1. **Confirm the correct website URL.** In Search Atlas, go to your OTTO dashboard and note the exact domain associated with your website property (including or excluding **www** must match precisely).
2. **Check the plugin is active on that domain.** Log into the WordPress admin for that specific domain. Go to **Plugins** and confirm the Search Atlas plugin status shows **Active**.
3. **Re-enter your API key.** Inside WordPress, navigate to **Search Atlas → Settings**. Copy your API key fresh from your Search Atlas account settings and paste it into the plugin field. Click **Save Changes**.
4. **Trigger a manual re-sync.** After saving, look for a **Sync Now** or **Verify Connection** button within the plugin settings and click it. Wait 30–60 seconds for the handshake to complete.
5. **Return to OTTO and refresh.** Go back to your OTTO SEO dashboard in Search Atlas, refresh the page, and check whether the installation status has updated to **Connected**.

## **🛡️ Resolve Caching & Security Plugin Conflicts**

Security plugins such as Wordfence or iThemes Security, and caching plugins such as WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache, can sometimes block the outbound pixel request or serve a cached version of your site that does not include the Search Atlas pixel. Try the following:

- **Clear all site caches** — purge server cache, CDN cache (e.g., Cloudflare), and any WordPress caching plugin cache.
- **Temporarily whitelist Search Atlas** — in your security plugin, add Search Atlas domains to your allowlist, then re-run the sync.
- **Disable then re-enable the plugin** — deactivate the Search Atlas plugin in WordPress, save, then reactivate it. This forces the pixel script to be re-injected into your page templates.
- **Check for JavaScript errors** — open your website in a browser, right-click and select **Inspect → Console**, and look for any script-blocking errors related to the Search Atlas pixel.

## **🔑 Locate Your API Key in Search Atlas**

If you are unsure where to find your API key, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Search Atlas account.
2. Click your **profile icon** in the top-right corner and select **Account Settings**.
3. Navigate to the **Integrations** or **API Keys** tab.
4. Copy the key and paste it into the Search Atlas WordPress plugin settings as described above.

**Important:** Each website property in Search Atlas may use a unique key. Make sure you copy the key associated with the exact domain you are configuring — do not reuse a key from a different property.

## **🔄 When to Re-install the Plugin**

If the steps above do not resolve the issue, a clean re-installation often clears any corrupted configuration data:

1. In WordPress, go to **Plugins → Installed Plugins**, deactivate the Search Atlas plugin, then click **Delete**.
2. Go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**, upload the Search Atlas plugin .zip file provided by Search Atlas, and install it.
3. Activate the plugin and immediately enter your API key in **Search Atlas → Settings** before navigating away.
4. Save your settings, trigger the sync, and verify the connection status in OTTO.

## **💡 Tips to Keep Your Plugin Synced**

- Avoid installing the plugin on staging environments using the same API key as your live site — this can cause verification conflicts.
- After any WordPress core update or theme change, revisit the plugin settings to confirm the pixel is still rendering on your pages.
- If you migrate your site to a new host or domain, disconnect the old property in Search Atlas and create a new one with the updated URL before re-syncing.

## **🙋 Still Seeing a Sync Error?**

If you have followed every step above and your plugin still shows as not installed correctly in OTTO, our team can investigate the server-level handshake logs on your behalf. 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.