Troubleshooting: Authentication & Connection

🔍 Investigate Google Connection Drops

🔎 What causes recurring disconnections? Search Atlas connects to Google using authorization tokens. A connection may appear valid but stop working when Google expires or revokes a token, permissions change, access is removed, or Google temporarily returns an authentication error. GBP connections can be affected by profile ownership, manager permissions, duplicate locations, or intermittent Google API responses. These issues may occur at any time, including weekends, and do not necessarily mean your credentials are incorrect. ✅ Check the connection status 1. For Google Search Console, open the relevant project in Search Atlas and review its integration or connection status. 2. For Google Business Profile, open the affected GBP project in Search Atlas. 3. Note which property or location is disconnected, the time it happened, and any displayed error message. 4. Check whether the issue affects one property or multiple properties connected to the same Google account. 🔐 Confirm Google access - Sign in to the Google account that owns or manages the affected property. - Confirm that the account still has the required Search Console or Business Profile permissions. - Check that the property or location has not been deleted, transferred, renamed, or duplicated in Google. - For GBP, verify that the account has appropriate access to each affected location, not only to the business group. 🔄 Reconnect the affected service 1. Disconnect only the affected Google connection when the platform provides that option. 2. Reconnect it using the Google account with confirmed access. 3. Approve all requested permissions and select the correct properties or locations. 4. Return to the project and confirm that data loads successfully. Reconnect only once when possible. Repeated reconnect attempts can make it harder to identify whether the issue is caused by permissions, a specific property, or a temporary Google response. 🧪 Collect details for investigation If the connection disconnects again, record the exact time, your time zone, affected properties or locations, Google account used, and the full error message. Screenshots of the connection status and any failed synchronization are also useful. Also note whether the issue happens after a password change, permission update, account switch, location transfer, or other Google Business Profile change. This information helps determine whether the failure is token-related, property-specific, or part of a broader service issue. 🛠️ How recurring issues are handled Some disconnections are caused by recoverable Google authentication responses rather than a permanent loss of access. Search Atlas may need to investigate server logs, token handling, affected profile types, and synchronization behavior to identify the underlying cause. When escalating, please have your project name, affected Google account, exact error message, and the timestamp of the disconnection ready. 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.

🔗 Resolve Recurring Google Disconnections

🔍 Why Google integrations disconnect Recurring Google integration disconnections can occur when the platform deactivates the integration. This is a platform-side issue and does not necessarily indicate a problem with your Google account or permissions. 🛠️ If your integration keeps disconnecting Record the affected project, Google integration type, approximate disconnect times, and any error message shown. Share these details with our team so they can investigate the platform deactivation and determine the appropriate resolution. If the integration continues disconnecting after you attempt to reconnect it, do not repeatedly remove and add the integration. Report the recurring issue with the affected project and integration details so it can be investigated. 💬 Get help from our team 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.

🔄 Fix Twitter/X Account Stuck in Login Loop

🔍 What This Article Covers Some users experienced an issue where connecting a Twitter/X account in Search Atlas would repeatedly reload the login screen without ever completing the connection. This article explains what caused the issue and what to do if you still see it. ⚙️ What Was Causing the Problem This was a platform-level bug — not an issue with your Twitter/X credentials or account settings. The root cause involved two separate technical problems: - A restricted API field was returning a 403 error from Twitter/X during the authentication handshake, causing the connection to fail silently. - A stale authentication error was not being cleared after you attempted to reconnect, so every retry failed even if your credentials were valid. Both issues have been fully resolved by the Search Atlas engineering team and the fixes are live in production. ✅ Steps to Connect Your Twitter/X Account Now 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to the social media integrations section of the platform. 3. Locate the Twitter/X integration and begin the connection process. 4. When the Twitter/X login screen appears, enter your credentials and authorise access as prompted. 5. If you had previously attempted to connect and seen the loop, use the reconnect or retry option — this now correctly clears any stale authentication state and starts a fresh connection. 6. Once authorised, your Twitter/X account should link successfully and you will be returned to the platform. 🛠️ If the Loop Still Appears The engineering fixes have been confirmed live, and the issue is resolved for the vast majority of users. However, if you are still experiencing the login loop, try the following before reaching out: - Clear your browser cache and cookies, then attempt the connection again in a fresh browser session. - Try a different browser or an incognito/private window to rule out a local session conflict. - Disconnect any existing partial connection to Twitter/X in your account settings before attempting to reconnect. If none of the above resolves the issue, it is important to let our team know so we can investigate further on your specific account. 💬 Still Need 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.

📸 Connect and Troubleshoot Your Instagram Account

📋 Before You Connect: Account Requirements Instagram connections in Search Atlas are powered by the Meta API, which enforces a few hard prerequisites. Check all of the following before attempting to connect: - Business or Creator account type: Instagram Personal accounts cannot be linked to any third-party platform. Open the Instagram app and go to Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account to convert before proceeding. - Instagram linked to a Facebook Page: Meta requires your Instagram Business or Creator account to be connected to a Facebook Page. In the Instagram app, go to Settings → Account → Linked Accounts and connect a Facebook Page. - Admin access on the Facebook Page: The Facebook account you use to authorise the connection must hold Admin-level permissions on that linked Page. Ask the Page owner to upgrade your role if needed. 🔗 How to Connect Instagram in Search Atlas 1. Click Local in the left sidebar. 2. Select Posts from the sub-menu. 3. Click Connect Account and choose Instagram from the platform list. 4. A Meta authorisation pop-up will open. Log in with the Facebook account linked to your Instagram Business or Creator account. 5. Grant all requested permissions — Search Atlas requires these to publish and schedule posts on your behalf. 6. Select the correct Instagram account from the list and confirm the connection. Once connected, your Instagram account will appear in the Posts section and you can begin creating and scheduling content immediately. ⚠️ Common Reasons Instagram Won't Connect - Personal account type: This is the most frequent cause. Meta's API blocks Personal accounts entirely. Convert to Business or Creator as described above, then retry. - Instagram not linked to a Facebook Page: Without an active Page link, the Meta API cannot verify ownership. Add the link inside the Instagram app, then restart the connection flow in Search Atlas. - Insufficient Facebook Page permissions: If you are not an Admin on the linked Page, the authorisation will fail silently or mid-flow. Confirm your role with the Page owner. - Pop-up blocker active: The Meta authorisation window opens as a browser pop-up. If nothing appears after clicking Connect, disable your browser's pop-up blocker for the Search Atlas domain and try again. - Previously revoked Meta permissions: If Search Atlas was removed from your connected Facebook apps, you must fully re-authorise. In Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy → Settings → Security and Login → Apps and Websites, remove any Search Atlas entry, then reconnect from scratch in the platform. - Expired access token: Meta tokens can expire after 60–90 days. A previously connected account showing as disconnected simply needs to be reconnected using the same steps above. 🔄 Reconnecting a Disconnected Account If an Instagram account that was working before is now showing as disconnected or returning an error: 1. Go to Local → Posts in the left sidebar. 2. Locate the affected Instagram account and click Reconnect, or remove it and re-add it using the Connect Account flow. 3. Complete the Meta authorisation as described above. If the reconnection fails immediately, verify that the Instagram account is still set to Business or Creator type and that the Facebook Page link is still active inside the Instagram app — both settings can be changed accidentally. 💬 Still Need 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.

🔒 Fix Cloudflare Access Errors for Team Members

🧭 Overview If a team member you have invited to Search Atlas is blocked at the login page and sees a Cloudflare security error, this article explains what to do. Access issues at the login page can occur for a variety of reasons, and the steps below will help the affected team member get back in. ⚠️ What Triggers This Error Login page blocks can happen when a team member's browser, network, or session state interferes with the platform's security layer. Common contributing factors include cached browser data from a previous failed session, browser extensions, VPN or network restrictions, or a pending invitation that has not yet been accepted. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Fix 1. Close the blocked browser tab completely. Do not attempt to reload the error page. 2. Open a new browser tab and navigate to the Search Atlas login page. 3. If the invitation is still pending, ask the team member to first accept the invitation email before attempting to log in. 4. Log in using the team member's credentials. 🧹 Clear Browser Cache and Cookies A browser may have cached a previous blocked or failed request, causing the error to persist. To clear this: 1. Open the browser's settings menu. 2. Navigate to Privacy and Security (the exact label varies by browser). 3. Select Clear browsing data or Clear cache and cookies. 4. Choose a time range of Last 7 days or All time. 5. Confirm and clear the data. 6. Close and reopen the browser, then navigate to the Search Atlas login page. 🔄 Try a Different Browser or Device If clearing the cache does not resolve the issue, ask the team member to try accessing the platform from a different browser or device. This helps rule out a local browser configuration as the cause. 🌐 Check Network or VPN Settings If the team member is on a corporate network or using a VPN, the network may be restricting access to the platform. Ask them to try on a different network connection or temporarily disable the VPN to test whether this is the cause. 📋 What to Have Ready When Escalating If the steps above do not resolve the issue, please have the following information ready before reaching out to support: - The team member's email address - The exact error message or screenshot shown on the blocked page - The browser and device the team member is using - Whether the invitation email has been accepted - Whether the issue occurs on multiple browsers or devices 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.