💡 Why a payout can stay on hold
A publisher payout is held when one or more articles tied to that balance are unavailable. An article is treated as unavailable when it no longer loads, was removed, returns an error, or no longer shows the agreed dofollow link. Live articles on other URLs do not release the held portion. Only the earnings linked to unavailable articles are paused. Earnings from articles that are still live and meet the placement rules stay eligible for the normal payout cycle.
📊 What the hold covers
The hold is limited to the pending amount connected to the affected articles. It is not a freeze of your entire publisher balance unless every pending article in that payout is unavailable. Search Atlas does not email a custom list of URLs or a one-off total outside the platform. The payout record in your account is the source for both the affected articles and the exact amount on hold.
- Held amount: pending earnings for articles marked unavailable.
- Not held: earnings for active articles whose pages and dofollow links are still in place.
- Status label: look for a hold or unavailable state on the payout or article row.
🔍 How to see the URLs and the amount
- Sign in to Search Atlas and open the publisher or payouts area of your account.
- Open the payout that shows a pending or on-hold balance.
- Review the line items. Unavailable articles are marked separately from active ones.
- Note each article URL listed on a held line and the amount next to it.
- Add those held line amounts to confirm the exact total on hold. Do not include lines marked active.
If a URL is missing from the held lines, that article is not part of this hold. A working dofollow link on a different article does not move a held line back to payable by itself.
🛠️ How to clear the hold
Restore each unavailable article so the original page loads publicly and the agreed dofollow link is present on that URL. After the page is back, allow the next platform check to confirm the article. When the status changes from unavailable to active, the related amount leaves the hold and returns to the normal payout queue. Rebuilding the page on a new URL, removing the link, or switching the link to nofollow will not release the original hold.
- Use the same URL that appears on the held line.
- Keep the dofollow link exactly as agreed for that placement.
- Do not unpublish the page again before the payout is released.
⚙️ What to expect after the articles are restored
Restoration does not trigger an instant transfer. The held amount follows the standard payout schedule once the articles pass review. If a page fails the next check, the amount stays on hold and the article remains in the unavailable list. Check the same payout screen for an updated status rather than requesting a manual total.
🚀 How to avoid another hold
- Keep placed articles online for the full term of the agreement.
- Do not change the link to nofollow, redirect the URL, or block crawlers.
- Fix 404s, soft 404s, and server errors as soon as they appear.
- Review held lines before you expect a payout so only active articles are in the payable balance.
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.