## **🧭 Overview**

When you activate OTTO through the Search Atlas WordPress plugin, OTTO automatically injects its JavaScript onto your site. If you previously added the OTTO pixel script manually — or if you have an older version of the plugin installed — both scripts can run at the same time. This duplicate causes a persistent **OTTO JavaScript has been detected** warning inside the OTTO SEO dashboard. This article walks you through the correct setup process and shows you how to eliminate the conflict.

## **⚙️ Step 1: Install or Confirm the Search Atlas WordPress Plugin**

1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel.
2. Go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin** and upload the Search Atlas plugin .zip file provided by Search Atlas.
3. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
4. If the plugin is already installed, go to **Plugins → Installed Plugins** and confirm it is active and updated to the latest version.
5. Navigate to the plugin settings and connect it to your Search Atlas account using your API key. Your API key is available under your Search Atlas account settings.

## **🗑️ Step 2: Remove Any Manually Added OTTO Pixel Scripts**

If you previously connected OTTO by pasting a JavaScript snippet directly into your site, that manual script must be removed. Leaving it in place will cause the duplicate detection warning.

**Check these common locations for the old script:**

- **Theme header or footer files:** In your WordPress admin, go to **Appearance → Theme File Editor** and open **header.php** or **footer.php**. Look for any script tag referencing Search Atlas or OTTO and delete it.
- **Functions.php:** Open **functions.php** in the Theme File Editor and remove any `wp_enqueue_script` or inline script block related to OTTO.
- **Third-party script manager plugins:** If you use a plugin such as Insert Headers and Footers, WPCode, or similar, open that plugin and delete any saved OTTO script snippets.
- **Google Tag Manager:** If you deployed the OTTO pixel through GTM, log in to your GTM workspace, find the OTTO tag, and either pause or delete it.

After removing every instance of the manual script, save all changes.

## **✅ Step 3: Verify OTTO Activation in Search Atlas**

1. Log in to Search Atlas and go to **OTTO SEO** using the left sidebar.
2. Select the website you are working on.
3. Confirm that OTTO is activated and that the WordPress plugin is shown as the connected deployment method.
4. If OTTO is not yet activated, click **Activate OTTO** and follow the on-screen prompts. The plugin will handle script injection automatically once activated.

## **🧹 Step 4: Purge All Caches**

Even after removing the old script, cached versions of your pages may still serve the duplicate code. You must clear every cache layer before the warning will disappear.

**Clear caches in this order:**

1. **WordPress caching plugin:** Go to your caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, WP Super Cache) and click **Clear All Cache** or the equivalent option.
2. **Cloudflare or CDN cache:** If your site runs behind Cloudflare or another CDN, log in and purge the full cache for your domain.
3. **Server-level cache:** If your host provides a server cache (such as Nginx FastCGI cache or a hosting panel cache), clear it through your hosting control panel.
4. **Browser cache:** In your browser, open DevTools (**F12**), go to the **Network** tab, check **Disable cache**, and reload your site. Alternatively, do a hard refresh with **Ctrl + Shift + R** (Windows) or **Cmd + Shift + R** (Mac).

## **🔍 Step 5: Confirm the Warning Is Resolved**

1. Return to **OTTO SEO** in Search Atlas.
2. Refresh the page and check whether the **OTTO JavaScript has been detected** warning is still displayed.
3. If the warning is gone, your setup is complete and OTTO is running correctly through the plugin.
4. If the warning persists, open your browser's DevTools, go to the **Sources** or **Network** tab, and search for duplicate OTTO or Search Atlas script references loading on your site. Identify which file or plugin is still serving the old script and repeat Step 2 for that source.

## **⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid**

- **Keeping both connection methods active at the same time.** Use either the WordPress plugin or the manual pixel — never both.
- **Forgetting to clear the CDN cache.** A Cloudflare or CDN cache can serve stale pages for hours. Always purge the CDN after making script changes.
- **Editing theme files without a child theme.** Changes to parent theme files are overwritten on theme updates. Use a child theme or a code snippet plugin to ensure your edits persist.
- **Leaving old GTM tags active.** GTM tags are easy to overlook. Double-check your GTM workspace even if you believe you removed the pixel locally.

## **💬 Need More Help?**

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.