🔍 Overview
If your OTTO site scan shows "OTTO not found" even though the OTTO pixel script is present in your website's source code, the most common cause is a homepage redirect. When OTTO's crawler follows a redirect from your root domain to a different URL (such as a subdomain, a subfolder, or a campaign page), it may land on a page where the pixel is not installed — causing the scan to fail.
This article explains why this happens, how to confirm it is the cause, and what steps you can take to get your site scanning successfully.
⚙️ Why This Happens
When OTTO scans your site, it starts by fetching your homepage. If your homepage redirects to another URL, OTTO follows that redirect and checks the final destination page for its pixel. Common redirect scenarios that trigger this issue include:
- Your root domain (e.g., example.com) redirects to a subdomain (e.g., www.example.com or services.example.com)
- Your homepage redirects to a country or language subfolder (e.g., example.com/en/)
- A WordPress or server configuration causes OTTO's fetch to land on an unexpected page
- The pixel is installed only on the root domain page, not on the redirect destination
In these cases, OTTO may report it cannot reach the homepage or detect the pixel, even though a standard browser visit works fine.
✅ How to Confirm a Redirect Is the Cause
- Open a browser and navigate to the domain you registered in OTTO.
- Note the URL shown in your browser's address bar after the page fully loads. If it differs from the domain you entered in OTTO, a redirect is occurring.
- Right-click the final page and select View Page Source. Search for the OTTO pixel script. If the pixel is absent on the redirect destination, that confirms the problem.
🛠️ Steps to Fix the Issue
- Install the OTTO pixel on the redirect destination. Identify the final URL your homepage redirects to and ensure the OTTO pixel script is present in the
<head>section of that page. This is the most reliable fix in most cases. - Verify the pixel on all key pages. If your site uses multiple redirects or regional subfolders, confirm the pixel is present across all pages you want OTTO to manage.
- Check your redirect settings. If your site runs on WordPress or another CMS, review any redirect plugins or server configuration settings that may be causing unexpected redirect behavior.
- Re-run the OTTO scan. After installing or confirming the pixel on the redirect destination, trigger a new scan in OTTO to verify the pixel is now detected successfully.
📋 When to Escalate
If you have confirmed the pixel is present on the redirect destination but OTTO still reports it as not found, please contact support. When reaching out, have the following ready:
- The exact domain you registered in OTTO
- The final URL your homepage redirects to
- Confirmation of where the pixel is installed (e.g., a link to the page source)
- Any error messages or scan results shown in OTTO
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.