🔎 What This Issue Looks Like
You have connected your WordPress site to your Search Atlas project, and the connection shows as active. But a report shows the OTTO SEO status as OTTO not found. In another project with the same settings, the same report may show OTTO SEO as Engaged (WP), which means OTTO was detected through your WordPress setup.
This can be confusing, because both projects look identical. The difference is usually in what the report can detect on your live website, not in whether WordPress is connected.
💡 Why This Happens
There are two separate things at work:
- The connection: This lets Search Atlas communicate with your WordPress site.
- OTTO detection: This is the report checking your live website to confirm OTTO is active and its changes are visible.
A connection can be healthy while detection fails. Common reasons include:
- The project domain does not exactly match the live site address (for example, www vs. non-www, or http vs. https).
- OTTO has not been enabled or deployed for that specific project.
- A caching plugin, CDN, or server cache is showing an older version of your pages.
- A security plugin or firewall is blocking the check.
- The report has not refreshed since the connection was made or fixed.
- The connection was made to a different or staging site than the one in the project.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Fix It
Work through these steps in order. Most cases are solved by the first four.
- Check the project domain. Open your project settings and confirm the domain matches your live site exactly, including https and www. If your site redirects from one version to another, use the final version that appears in the browser.
- Check the WordPress connection. Go to the project's integrations or connection settings and confirm WordPress shows as connected. If you are unsure, disconnect and reconnect it, then confirm the connection is made to the correct site.
- Confirm OTTO is enabled for this project. Open the OTTO SEO section for the project and make sure it is turned on and set up. Each project is managed separately, so enabling OTTO in one project does not enable it in another.
- Clear all caches. Clear the cache in your WordPress caching plugin, then clear any CDN cache (such as Cloudflare) and any server-level cache from your hosting provider. Then open your site in a private browser window to check that it loads normally.
- Review security settings. If you use a security plugin or firewall, check that it is not blocking Search Atlas or the OTTO connection. Temporarily relaxing a rule, or allowing the request, can help you confirm whether this is the cause.
- Refresh or re-run the report. After making changes, refresh the report or generate a new one. Status labels may not update until a new check runs, so allow some time before testing again.
⚖️ Compare With the Project That Works
If one project shows Engaged (WP) and the other shows OTTO not found, comparing them side by side often reveals the difference. Check these items in both projects:
- The exact domain entered in the project (www, https, trailing paths).
- Whether OTTO is turned on for the project.
- The WordPress site that is connected to each project.
- The caching, CDN, and security setup on each website.
- The date and time of the most recent report.
If the working project has a setting the other one does not, match them and refresh the report.
✅ How to Confirm It Is Fixed
- The report shows OTTO SEO as detected, such as Engaged (WP), instead of OTTO not found.
- The WordPress connection still shows as active in your project.
- Your live pages load normally with no errors after clearing caches.
🚀 Tips to Prevent This Issue
- Always enter the project domain exactly as it appears in your browser.
- Clear your site cache after connecting WordPress or changing OTTO settings.
- Set up each new project fully, including the connection and OTTO activation.
- Re-check the connection after moving hosts, changing domains, or switching security plugins.
- Wait for the report to refresh before deciding something is still broken.
💬 Still Seeing OTTO Not Found?
If you have tried the steps above and the status has not changed, our team can look at your project directly. Please have your project domain and the name of the report ready, and mention whether another project shows the correct status.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.