👋 Overview
When you add a new site to OTTO, the platform needs time to scan your website and prepare it for optimization. Many customers ask whether a site that has been processing for a few hours is stuck. In most cases, it is not. This article explains what is happening behind the scenes, what affects timing, and what to do if you think something is wrong.
⚙️ What Happens During Processing
After you add a site, OTTO works through several preparation steps before the site is ready to use:
- Discovering your pages: OTTO finds the pages on your site so it knows what it can work with.
- Analyzing your content and structure: OTTO reviews page content, titles, headings, links, and other on-page elements.
- Preparing recommendations: OTTO organizes what it found so your dashboard can show accurate insights.
Until these steps are complete, some sections of your dashboard may be empty or show a processing status. This is expected behavior for a new site.
⏳ Is 3 Hours Normal?
A processing time of a few hours is not automatically a sign of a problem. Processing time is not the same for every site, and it can be longer when several sites are added at around the same time. If you added two sites together and both still show as processing after about three hours, the best first step is to check for progress and review the factors below before taking any action.
As a general guide:
- Smaller sites with fewer pages usually finish sooner.
- Larger sites with many pages or complex structures usually take longer.
- Multiple new sites added at once may take longer than adding a single site.
🔍 What Can Affect Processing Time
- Number of pages: The more pages your site has, the more OTTO has to review.
- Site speed: If your website responds slowly, scanning takes longer.
- Security settings: Firewalls, bot protection, or security plugins can slow down or block OTTO from reaching your pages.
- Site complexity: Sites that rely heavily on scripts or dynamic content can take more time to analyze.
- Number of sites added at once: Adding several sites in a short period can extend the wait for each one.
✅ What You Can Do While You Wait
- Confirm the site URL is correct. Check that you entered the right domain, including the correct version (with or without www) and the correct protocol (http or https).
- Make sure your site is live. Open the site in a browser and confirm it loads normally and is not password protected or in maintenance mode.
- Review your security settings. If you use a firewall or security plugin, check that it is not blocking automated visitors.
- Refresh the page. Reload your dashboard to see whether the status or progress has changed.
- Give it more time. Check back later instead of making changes right away.
🚫 What to Avoid
- Do not repeatedly remove and re-add the site. This can restart the process and make the wait longer.
- Do not add many extra sites at once while your first sites are still processing.
- Do not make major changes to your site's structure during processing unless necessary.
🚩 When to Contact Support
It is a good idea to reach out if any of the following apply:
- Your site has shown no change in status for a full day (24 hours).
- You see an error message on the site or in the dashboard.
- You confirmed that your site is live and accessible, but processing still does not move forward.
- Only some pages or sections appear to be missing after processing finishes.
To help us resolve it faster, have the following ready:
- The full URL of each affected site
- The approximate time you added each site
- Any error message you saw, or a screenshot if possible
- Whether your site uses a firewall or security plugin
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.
💡 Quick Summary
- Processing a new site takes time, and a few hours is not necessarily a problem.
- Site size, speed, security settings, and the number of sites added at once all affect timing.
- Check that your URL is correct and your site is accessible, then wait and refresh.
- Avoid removing and re-adding the site, since that can restart the process.
- If there is no progress after a full day, or you see an error, contact us through the chat widget.