🔍 What Is the OTTO Pixel?
The OTTO pixel is a small piece of code that connects your website to Search Atlas. Once it is on your site, OTTO can read your pages and apply SEO improvements. If the pixel is not detected, OTTO cannot make changes, and your project will show OTTO not found, with the short status Not Installed and the diagnostic title OTTO not detected.
✅ How to Check Whether Your Website Is Connected
- Log in to Search Atlas and open your OTTO project for the website.
- Look at the pixel or installation status in the project dashboard.
- If the short status says Installed, or the status says OTTO SEO is Engaged, the pixel is installed. Connected or Connected (verified) only means the WordPress plugin received its credentials. It does not by itself mean the pixel is live on your website.
- If the status says OTTO not found, the short label says Not Installed, or the diagnostic title says OTTO not detected, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Make sure you are checking the project for the correct website. A project for one hostname will not detect a pixel on a different hostname, although www and non-www versions of the same hostname are treated as the same site.
⚙️ Why the Pixel Might Show as Not Installed
These are the most common reasons:
- The code was not saved or published. The pixel was pasted in but the changes were never published.
- Wrong location. The code needs to be placed in the head section of your site, so it loads on every page.
- Wrong script domain. If the status says Wrong Domain, the OTTO script was found but is being loaded from a domain Search Atlas does not recognize. This is not caused by your page using www while the project uses the non-www address, or the reverse.
- Caching. A caching plugin, CDN, or hosting cache is still serving an older version of your site without the pixel.
- Detection timing. A new installation is rechecked automatically about every 15 minutes during the first 2 hours. You do not have to wait for that schedule. Open the OTTO installation flow and click Check now or Scan to check immediately.
- Blocked scripts. A security plugin, firewall, or script optimizer may be blocking or delaying the code.
- Installed on the wrong site. The code was added to a staging or test site instead of the live one.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: Fix a Pixel Detection Problem
- Copy the pixel again. Open your OTTO project in Search Atlas and copy the installation code fresh. Do not edit it.
- Add it to your site. Paste it into the head section of your website, or use your platform's header or custom code area. Many website builders and WordPress plugins offer a place for this.
- Save and publish. Make sure your changes are live and not saved as a draft.
- Clear your caches. Clear any caching plugin, CDN, or hosting cache so the updated page is served.
- Check your domain. Confirm the hostname in your project is the hostname of the live site. A www and non-www difference is acceptable, but a different hostname, preview address, or unpublished address will not match.
- Run the check again. In the OTTO installation flow, click Check now or Scan. Search Atlas also rechecks a new installation automatically about every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours. Refreshing the project page after a few minutes does not by itself update the status.
- Test in a private window. Open your live site in a private or incognito browser window to rule out saved data in your regular browser.
If you are not comfortable editing your site, send the pixel code and these steps to your web developer. It usually takes only a few minutes to add.
🧩 Tips for Common Website Platforms
- WordPress: Use a header and footer code plugin, or your theme's custom code option, and clear your cache plugin afterward.
- Website builders: Look for a custom code or header code setting in your site's settings. Some plans limit this feature.
- Tag managers: If you use one, publish the container after adding the pixel.
- Custom sites: Ask your developer to add the code to the shared header template so it appears on every page.
💳 Billing, Cancellation, and Refund Requests
If you are unable to get the pixel working and are thinking about cancelling, we recommend contacting our team first. Many detection issues can be fixed quickly with a little help, and our team can look at your specific setup.
If you would still like to cancel or request a refund, let us know right away and include:
- The email address on your Search Atlas account
- The website domain you were trying to connect
- A short description of what happened, such as the pixel showing Not Installed
- Whether you want to cancel, request a refund, or both
Refund requests are reviewed by our team, and eligibility depends on your account and billing details. Our team can confirm what is possible for your situation. If your request is urgent, say so in your first message so it can be prioritized.
💡 How to Avoid Problems in the Future
- Install the pixel soon after you sign up so you can confirm the connection early.
- Check the pixel status after any website redesign, migration, or theme change.
- Keep a copy of your pixel code somewhere safe.
- Tell your developer or agency that the pixel must stay in place.
🙋 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 instantly connected with a member of our team.