OTTO Deep Freeze is a free continuity feature from Search Atlas that keeps your SEO optimizations active — even if you cancel your subscription. It's designed to ensure long-term benefits by maintaining previously deployed fixes on your website, powered by the OTTO Pixel.
🔧 How Deep Freeze Works
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Preserves deployed fixes
Once activated, all SEO changes implemented by OTTO remain live, as long as the OTTO Pixel stays installed. For deployments to remain active, the OTTO Pixel must be properly integrated via a supported method (e.g., Cloudflare Worker or CMS Connector). ⚠️ Website Studio sites are not compatible with OTTO Deep Freeze. Sites built in Search Atlas Website Studio cannot use a Cloudflare Worker or CMS Connector, and manually installing the OTTO Pixel script tag will not keep fixes active. Because none of the supported integration methods are available for Website Studio-hosted sites, Deep Freeze (and OTTO deployments generally) do not function on that site type. If your site is built in Website Studio, contact support before activating OTTO or relying on Deep Freeze. -
Releases site slot after 14 days
After 14 days, the site slot used by the frozen project is released, allowing you to add a new website to your OTTO account without it counting against your plan limit. "Released" means the slot becomes available again — it does not add extra slots to your plan. Your deployed fixes continue working during and after this period. The 14-day countdown begins on the date you activate Deep Freeze. You can confirm your freeze date in OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs (see the navigation path below). If your slot has not been released after 14 days, contact support with your project name and freeze date.⚠️ Important: The 14-day countdown only applies when Deep Freeze is fully and properly activated. If your OTTO project was never fully activated before freezing (for example, a stuck Celery task, an error state, or a pixel that was never detected), the slot may not release on schedule. Before expecting the 14-day countdown to apply, verify that your project status shows Frozen — not Error or Pending. If the slot is still held after 14 days, contact support with your project name and freeze date.
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Accessible via a shareable read-only link
A shareable read-only link is generated automatically for your frozen project, allowing you (or clients) to view deployed optimizations. To find it, go to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation), locate your frozen project under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs, and copy the link from the Shareable Link field. Anyone with the link can open it (no Search Atlas login required) and view the list of deployed optimizations for the frozen project in read-only mode — they cannot deploy, undeploy, or edit fixes through the link. The link remains valid for as long as the project remains frozen in your account. Deploying new fixes isn't possible in Deep Freeze mode. -
Change management without crawling
In Deep Freeze mode, you can undeploy (turn off) existing fixes or re-deploy previously deployed ones, but you cannot create new fixes or trigger a new site crawl.
🛠 How to Enable Deep Freeze
- Go to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation).
- Select the sites you want to freeze and use the Freeze sites bulk action (available under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs).
- Confirm your choice—you'll get a 14-day grace period before the quota is released. After confirming, you'll see a confirmation message, the project status will change to indicate Deep Freeze is active, and the shareable read-only link will appear under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs in OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation).
- After that, you can continue to enjoy optimization without an active subscription.
- Manually downgrade your plan after the slot is released. After your slot is released (14 days post-freeze), you must log in to your billing settings and manually downgrade your plan if you wish to reduce your subscription cost. The slot release does not trigger an automatic plan change.
⚠️ Important: Deep Freeze does NOT automatically downgrade your plan or reduce your billing. The site slot is released after 14 days, but you must manually downgrade your subscription after the slot is freed to avoid continued charges.
📍 Where to find your freeze date: Go to OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) and check the Active/Deep Frozen tabs. The freeze activation date is displayed alongside the Shareable Link field under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs. Use this date to calculate when your 14-day slot release should occur.
🔍 Verify Pixel Detection After Enabling
After enabling Deep Freeze, verify that the OTTO Pixel is correctly detected using the connection diagnostic tool in your OTTO project settings. A successful Cloudflare Worker deployment does not always guarantee the pixel is detected. If detection fails, contact support before cancelling your subscription.
🐞 Known issue — Cloudflare Worker deployed but pixel undetected: If you have configured a Cloudflare Worker but OTTO still shows the pixel as undetected, this may be due to a known detection issue where the worker deploys successfully but the Pixel/UUID is not recognized — causing Deep Freeze to silently fail. Contact support with your domain name and Cloudflare connection details so the team can verify the worker is serving the pixel correctly before you rely on Deep Freeze.
🚪 Cancellation and Deep Freeze
Cancelling your Search Atlas subscription activates Deep Freeze on your OTTO projects but does NOT automatically delete the projects, uninstall the OTTO Pixel, or remove any on-page integrations. You must manually uninstall the pixel and remove integrations if you want all Search Atlas code removed from your site.
🆚 Deep Freeze vs. Full Removal
Deep Freeze ≠ Deletion. Freezing a site is not the same as deleting it. Cancelling your subscription or removing a website from the dashboard does NOT automatically delete the OTTO project — it only freezes it, which means the site slot remains in use for 14 days before being released, and the project continues to consume quota until then. After activating Deep Freeze, your site slot remains in use for 14 days before it is released. To immediately free up a slot, a support agent must manually remove the frozen project. Cancelling your subscription does not automatically delete OTTO projects or uninstall on-page integrations.
If you want the project fully removed and the quota immediately freed, you must explicitly delete the project — not just freeze it or cancel your subscription. The in-dashboard option only allows freezing, not complete removal. To fully delete a frozen project, please contact Search Atlas support with your project name and request full deletion.
⏱ When to Use Deep Freeze
Scenario
Why It Matters
You're canceling Search Atlas
Keep the SEO gains you've earned
Budget constraints
Pause subscription, retain optimizations
Client deliverables
Ensure long-term site improvements remain live
✅ Benefits at a Glance
- Forever access: Your SEO fixes stay in place—no need to reapply, as long as the Pixel remains properly integrated.
- Quota management: Open up space for new clients or projects after the 14-day slot release.
- Reviewable history: Stay informed on what's working via the shareable read-only project link.
- Flexibility: Make edits or rollbacks at any time via the saved project link—though new fixes and crawls are not available in Deep Freeze.
- Billing reminder: Remember that Deep Freeze does not downgrade your plan—manual action in your billing settings is required to reduce charges.
📌 Note on legacy V2 fix types: Frozen projects may still contain legacy OTTO V2 fix types such as CloudStack, Wildfire, and Press Release. These legacy types are no longer supported following OTTO V2 deprecation, so while they may still appear in your read-only link history, they will not function as active optimizations. Standard supported fix types deployed before freezing remain preserved and active as long as the Pixel is properly integrated. If you have questions about which fixes in your frozen project are still working, contact support.
💬 What Users Say
A recent FAQ confirms that Deep Freeze keeps optimizations indefinitely, provided the Pixel remains live—even after canceling the plan.
🧾 TL;DR – Deep Freeze FAQ
- Does SEO work vanish after canceling?
No—if you activate Deep Freeze, changes remain live as long as the Pixel is properly integrated (via Cloudflare Worker or CMS Connector). Note: Website Studio sites are not compatible with these methods and cannot use Deep Freeze. - Is it free?
Yes—Deep Freeze itself is free, separate from the subscription cancellation. - Can you still make changes?
Yes, but only existing fixes can be modified—not new deployments. - Will my plan downgrade automatically?
No. Deep Freeze does not change your subscription. You must manually downgrade in your billing settings after the 14-day slot release to avoid continued charges. - Can I fully delete a frozen project myself?
No. The in-dashboard option only allows freezing. To fully remove a project and immediately free the quota, contact Search Atlas support. - Is Deep Freeze the same as deleting my project?
No. Cancelling your subscription or removing a website from the dashboard only freezes the project — it does not delete it. After activating Deep Freeze, your site slot remains in use for 14 days before it is released. To immediately free up a slot, contact support so an agent can manually remove the frozen project. - When exactly does my slot get released?
The 14-day countdown begins on the date you activate Deep Freeze, provided the project is fully activated and shows status Frozen (not Error or Pending). You can confirm your freeze date in OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) under the Active/Deep Frozen tabs. If your slot has not been released after 14 days, contact support with your project name and freeze date.
Conclusion: With OTTO Deep Freeze, your SEO optimizations are here to stay—even if you step away. It's an ideal solution for gaining permanent value from your work, budgeting flexibly, or managing SEO deliverables smartly.
Let me know if you'd like a walkthrough of enabling Deep Freeze or seeing it in action on your site!