🔍 Overview
If your Search Atlas WordPress plugin is showing an authentication error, a login screen after a successful sync, or an API key verification failure, this guide walks you through the most common causes and fixes. Follow the steps in order before reaching out to support.
⚠️ Common Symptoms
- Authentication failed or timed out after authorizing the plugin
- The plugin dashboard shows a login page even though sync completed successfully
- The error message: "The API key could not be verified"
- A 500 error appears in the API key authentication popup
🛠️ Step 1 — Regenerate Your API Key
An expired or invalid API key is the most frequent cause of authentication failures. To generate a fresh key:
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Navigate to Settings → API Keys.
- Click Generate New Key and copy the key immediately — it will not be shown again.
- In your WordPress admin panel, go to Search Atlas → Settings.
- Paste the new API key and click Save.
Important: If you previously had an old key saved in the plugin, make sure to fully replace it rather than appending to it.
🔄 Step 2 — Re-Authorize the Plugin
Sometimes the plugin loses its connection after a timeout or a platform update. Manually re-authorizing resets the session:
- In your WordPress admin panel, go to Search Atlas → Settings.
- Click Disconnect or Log Out if the option is available.
- Clear any cached credentials by deactivating the plugin, then reactivating it from the Plugins page.
- Re-enter your API key and complete the authorization flow.
🌐 Step 3 — Check for Server or Hosting Conflicts
Some hosting environments block outbound API requests or enforce aggressive caching, which can interrupt authentication. Try the following:
- Disable caching plugins temporarily (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache) and attempt authentication again.
- Check your firewall or WAF rules — ensure requests to Search Atlas API endpoints are not blocked. Ask your hosting provider if outbound HTTPS calls are restricted.
- Confirm your PHP version is 7.4 or higher, as older versions can cause unexpected failures during API handshakes.
- Increase PHP timeout limits if your server has a very low execution time setting (under 30 seconds). The authentication handshake may time out before completing.
🔁 Step 4 — Update or Reinstall the Plugin
Running an outdated version of the Search Atlas plugin can cause compatibility issues with the current API. To update:
- In your WordPress admin panel, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
- Check if an update is available for Search Atlas and click Update Now.
- If no update is available but issues persist, deactivate and delete the plugin, then reinstall the latest version from your Search Atlas account or the WordPress plugin directory.
- After reinstalling, re-enter your API key and re-authorize.
🖥️ Step 5 — Clear Browser and WordPress Cache
A cached login state can cause the plugin dashboard to show a login page even after a successful sync. This is a display issue, not an authentication failure:
- Clear your browser cache and cookies, then reload the WordPress admin panel.
- If you use a caching plugin, purge all cached pages.
- Try opening the plugin in a private or incognito browser window to rule out session conflicts.
✅ When Everything Looks Correct but Still Fails
If you have completed all the steps above and authentication still fails — especially if a 500 error appears in the authentication popup or regenerating the API key does not resolve the issue — this may indicate a platform-side bug that requires investigation by our engineering team.
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.
When you reach out, please share the following to speed up the resolution:
- Your Search Atlas account email
- The exact error message or screenshot
- Your WordPress version and PHP version
- Your hosting provider name
- Steps you have already tried from this guide