Troubleshooting: Data, Reports & Audits

📊 Google Ads Data Differences Across Search Atlas Tools

🔍 Overview If your Google Ads data appears incomplete or missing in Site Metrics or Site Explorer but displays correctly in Report Builder, you are not alone. This discrepancy is partly expected behavior and partly a known technical issue. This article explains how each tool handles Google Ads data, what counts as normal, and what steps to take if something is genuinely wrong. ⚙️ How Each Tool Handles Google Ads Data Search Atlas surfaces Google Ads data differently depending on the tool you are using. Understanding the methodology behind each tool is the first step to diagnosing any gap you notice. - Site Metrics (Left sidebar → Site Metrics): This tool uses a sampling methodology. It pulls data from the top 100 results for any given query or domain. Because it works with a sampled dataset rather than your full account, Google Ads metrics such as paid keywords, CPC, and ad spend estimates may appear partial or lower than expected. This is expected behavior, not a bug. - Site Explorer (within Site Metrics): Site Explorer follows the same top-100 sampling logic as Site Metrics. Paid data shown here reflects what is visible within that sample window, so coverage will always be narrower than your full account data. - Report Builder (Left sidebar → Reports): Report Builder connects directly to your linked Google Ads account via a native integration. It pulls data in full, without sampling limits. This is why the numbers here are more complete and accurate than what you see in Site Metrics or Site Explorer. ✅ What Is Expected Behavior The following scenarios are normal and do not indicate a bug or account problem: - Google Ads paid keyword counts are lower in Site Metrics than in Report Builder. - CPC or impression data is missing for some keywords in Site Explorer but visible in Report Builder. - Metrics vary between tools when your domain has a large paid keyword portfolio that exceeds the top-100 sample. - Google Search Console (GSC) performance data in Report Builder appears more granular than organic metrics shown in Site Metrics, because GSC data is pulled directly from your connected property. If your data differences match any of the above, no action is required. The tools are working as designed. 🚨 When Something Is Actually Wrong There is a known technical issue where a project saving or account-linking problem can cause Google Ads data to appear blocked or entirely absent in Site Metrics and Site Explorer, even when your Report Builder data looks healthy. Signs that you may be experiencing this bug rather than expected sampling differences include: - Google Ads data was previously visible in Site Metrics but has completely disappeared. - No paid data shows at all in Site Explorer, not just reduced numbers. - Your project appears unsaved, resets settings, or throws an error when you try to load it. - Report Builder shows healthy data, but Site Metrics shows zero paid results for the same domain. 🛠️ Troubleshooting Steps Work through these steps in order before escalating to the support team. 1. Confirm your Google Ads account is connected. Go to your account settings and verify that your Google Ads integration is active and authorized. A disconnected or expired token will affect data across all tools. 2. Check whether the issue is sampling or a true gap. In Report Builder (Left sidebar → Reports), open a report that includes your Google Ads data. If that data looks correct and complete, the difference you see in Site Metrics is likely sampling behavior, not a bug. 3. Reload your Site Metrics project. Go to Left sidebar → Site Metrics, select your project, and reload the page. If the project fails to load or resets your settings, this points to the project-saving bug described above. 4. Create a new project as a test. In Site Metrics, create a new project for the same domain. Check whether Google Ads data populates correctly. If it does, your original project may be corrupted and needs to be rebuilt or escalated. 5. Clear your browser cache and try a different browser. Session or cache issues can occasionally cause display problems that look like missing data. 6. Wait 24 hours if data was recently connected. New Google Ads integrations can take up to 24 hours to fully sync across all tools in the platform. 📋 Quick Reference: Expected vs. Bug - Lower paid keyword counts in Site Metrics than Report Builder → Expected. Sampling limit of top 100 results. - Some CPC data missing in Site Explorer → Expected. Same sampling methodology applies. - Zero Google Ads data in Site Metrics, healthy data in Report Builder → Likely a bug. Follow troubleshooting steps above. - Project not saving or resetting in Site Metrics → Known bug. Escalate to support. - GSC data more detailed in Report Builder than Site Metrics → Expected. Direct integration vs. sampled data. 🆘 When to Escalate Self-serve resolution covers most sampling-related questions. Escalate to the support team if: - Your Site Metrics project fails to save or repeatedly resets. - Google Ads data is completely absent in Site Metrics after confirming your integration is active. - The new-project test in the troubleshooting steps also shows no Google Ads data. - You have completed all troubleshooting steps and the issue persists. 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 Ad Reports Stuck on Loading

🔍 Overview If your ad reports have been showing a spinning loading icon for 24 hours or more — with no data appearing even after disconnecting and reconnecting your ad account — the most common cause is incomplete business setup in Search Atlas. Your ad account connection alone is not enough; the platform also needs a fully configured business profile before it can pull and display report data. ⚙️ Why This Happens Search Atlas links your ad data to a specific business project. If that business project is missing key setup details, the system cannot complete the data request and the report remains stuck in a loading state. Disconnecting and reconnecting your ad account will not resolve this issue because the root cause is the missing business configuration, not the ad account connection itself. 🛠️ How to Fix It Follow the steps below to complete your business setup and unblock your ad reports. 1. Locate your business project. Navigate to your business projects and open the project that is connected to your ad account. 2. Review your business profile details. Check that all required business information is filled in and saved. Look for any sections with empty fields and complete them. 3. Return to your ad reports. After completing your business setup, navigate back to your ad reports and reload the page. Allow some time for the data to begin populating. ✅ Tips to Avoid This Issue To avoid this issue in the future, make sure every new business project has a complete business profile before you connect an ad account. Ensuring your business details are fully filled in upfront allows the platform to immediately match your ad data to the correct project. 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. Additional Notes At least one campaign must be created and activated inside OTTO Ads — a campaign must exist and be active for report metrics to populate. This is a second requirement beyond just a completed business profile.

📊 Fix Ad Reports Stuck Loading in OTTO Ads

🔍 Overview If your ad reports have been showing a spinning loading icon for more than a few minutes — or appear completely blank even after disconnecting and reconnecting your ad account — the most common cause is incomplete business or campaign setup inside OTTO Ads. Your ad account connection alone is not enough for reports to populate. OTTO Ads also needs an active business profile and at least one configured campaign to generate and display data. ⚠️ What Causes This Issue Ad reports in OTTO Ads pull data based on two requirements being met simultaneously: - A connected ad account (Google Ads or Meta Ads) - A completed business setup with at least one active campaign configured inside OTTO Ads If the second requirement is missing, the report has nothing to read from. This causes the loading spinner to run indefinitely and no data to appear — even if your ad account credentials are valid and the connection status shows as successful. Disconnecting and reconnecting your ad account will not resolve this issue because the account connection itself is not the problem. The missing piece is the business and campaign configuration inside the platform. ✅ How to Fix It: Complete Your Business Setup Follow these steps to check and complete your OTTO Ads business and campaign setup: 1. From the left sidebar, navigate to Ads. 2. Check whether a business profile has been created. If you see a prompt to set up a business or if the business section appears empty, complete the business setup form before continuing. 3. Once your business profile is in place, confirm that at least one campaign has been created and activated. A campaign must exist and be active for report metrics to populate. 4. After confirming both are in place, navigate to your ad reports and allow some time for data to load after initial setup, as the system needs time to sync metrics from your connected ad account. 5. If reports are still not loading, try refreshing your browser and check again. 🚫 What Will Not Fix This Issue The following actions are commonly attempted but will not resolve a loading or blank report caused by missing setup: - Disconnecting and reconnecting your ad account - Waiting longer without completing business or campaign setup - Creating a new report without first completing the business and campaign configuration 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 Missing Logo Error in Creative Assets

🔍 What Is This Issue? When trying to publish a campaign, you may encounter a persistent error that prevents the campaign from going live. In many cases, this error is triggered because the logo file is not present in your Creative Assets — even if the logo already exists in your Brand Vault. This mismatch causes the publish action to fail. 📋 Why Does This Happen? Your Brand Vault and your Creative Assets are two separate areas of the platform. A file saved in your Brand Vault does not automatically appear in Creative Assets. If a logo was added to Brand Vault but was never explicitly added to Creative Assets, the campaign will not be able to reference it, resulting in a publish error. This is a known sync limitation that has been investigated and improved, but re-adding the file manually is the reliable fix if you encounter this issue. ✅ How to Fix It 1. Identify the error: If your campaign fails to publish and you see a persistent error message, suspect a missing asset in Creative Assets — particularly your logo file. 2. Check your Creative Assets: Navigate to the Creative Assets section of your campaign. Review whether your logo file is listed there. 3. Check your Brand Vault: Confirm that the logo file exists in your Brand Vault. If it is there but not in Creative Assets, this confirms the issue. 4. Re-add the logo to Creative Assets: Manually add the logo file directly to Creative Assets. You can typically do this by uploading the file again or selecting it through the available asset options within the Creative Assets section of your campaign. 5. Attempt to publish again: Once the logo is present in Creative Assets, retry publishing your campaign. The error should be resolved. 💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue - Whenever you set up a new campaign, verify that all required brand assets — especially your logo — are present in Creative Assets, not just in your Brand Vault. - If you see a vague publish error, always check whether any required files are missing from Creative Assets before investigating other causes. - After adding new assets to your Brand Vault, manually add them to Creative Assets for any campaigns where they are needed. 🚀 Still Seeing the Error? If re-adding the logo to Creative Assets does not resolve the publish error, or if the logo file does not appear as an option when you try to add it, there may be a deeper sync issue that requires investigation. 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 Google Ads Data Not Showing in Atlas

🔍 Overview If your Google Ads account is linked to Search Atlas but no data appears — such as campaign performance metrics — this guide walks you through the troubleshooting steps our support team uses to resolve the issue. Follow each step in order before moving on to the next. ✅ Step 1: Confirm You Have Standard or Admin Access To let Search Atlas create and edit campaigns and ads, the Google account used to connect Google Ads needs Standard or Admin access in Google Ads. Read-only (or email-only) access cannot make changes. - Log in to Google Ads directly and verify the account role assigned to the Google account you used for the integration. - If the role is below Standard, ask your Google Ads account owner to upgrade the permissions, then retry the steps below. 🔄 Step 2: Disconnect and Reconnect the Integration in a Private Browser Browser cache and cookies can interfere with OAuth authentication, causing the integration to appear active while silently failing in the background. Reconnecting through a private browser clears this interference. 1. Open an incognito or private browsing window in your browser (Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N / Cmd+Shift+N; Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P). 2. Log in to Search Atlas in the private window. 3. Navigate to your integrations settings and disconnect the Google Ads account. 4. Wait 30 seconds, then reconnect the Google Ads account by following the on-screen prompts and granting all requested permissions. 5. After reconnecting, allow a few minutes for data to populate, then check your campaign performance data. 📊 Step 3: Check Campaign Performance Data Once the integration is reconnected, verify that data is now visible by reviewing your campaigns performance section within the platform. If metrics such as impressions, clicks, and campaign names are loading correctly, the issue is resolved. ⚠️ Step 4: If the Issue Affects Multiple Accounts or Websites If the data gap affects more than one linked account or website, the root cause may be a backend configuration issue that cannot be resolved through reconnecting alone. This type of issue requires investigation by our engineering team. In this case, please do the following before contacting support: - Note which specific accounts and websites are affected. - Record a short screen recording that shows the linked account and the missing data — this helps our team diagnose the problem faster. - Have the recording ready to share when you open a support chat. 💡 Common Reasons Google Ads Data May Not Appear - Insufficient permissions: For creating or editing campaigns, the connecting Google account needs Standard or Admin access in Google Ads. - Cached authentication: Browser cookies caused the OAuth token to be saved in a broken state. - Account mismatch: The Google account used to connect does not match the account that owns the Google Ads campaigns. - Backend sync issue: In some cases, a platform-side fix is required — particularly when the issue persists after reconnecting correctly. 🛠️ Still Seeing No Data? If you have completed all the steps above and Google Ads data is still not appearing, our specialized team can investigate and apply a backend fix. 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 'Why This Ad Works' Error in Discover

🧩 What Is the 'Why This Ad Works' Feature? The Why This Ad Works feature appears inside the Discover section of Ad Studio. When you browse competitor or inspiration ads, you can click this option to get an AI-generated breakdown explaining what makes that specific ad effective — covering elements like copy, creative strategy, audience targeting signals, and more. ⚠️ Understanding the 'Couldn't Run That — Try Again' Error Some customers see a Couldn't run that — try again error message when clicking Why This Ad Works on ads in the Discover section. This error appears consistently across multiple ads rather than on just one, which indicates it is not caused by a single problematic ad. This issue has been identified as a bug affecting the AI analysis function within the Discover ad preview experience. Our engineering team has investigated and resolved the underlying cause. If you are still seeing this error, the steps below will help you get back on track. 🛠️ Steps to Resolve the Error 1. Refresh your browser. Close and reopen your browser tab, then navigate back to the Discover section inside Ad Studio. 2. Clear your browser cache. Cached data can sometimes cause features to behave unexpectedly. Clear your cache and cookies, then reload the platform. 3. Try a different browser. If the error persists, open Search Atlas in an alternative browser (for example, switch from Chrome to Firefox or Edge) to rule out a browser-specific conflict. 4. Try a different ad. Click Why This Ad Works on several different ads in Discover. If the feature works on some ads but not others, note which ads trigger the error. 5. Check for a platform update. The fix for this issue has been deployed. If you have had the platform open for a long time without refreshing, you may be running an older version. A full page refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) forces the latest version to load. 📍 How to Access the Discover Section If you are unsure where to find this feature, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your Search Atlas account. 2. Navigate to Ad Studio from the left sidebar. 3. Select Discover from the Ad Studio sub-navigation. 4. Browse the available ads and click on any ad card. 5. In the ad preview panel, click Why does this ad work? to trigger the AI analysis. 💡 What to Expect When It Works Correctly When the feature is functioning as expected, clicking Why does this ad work? will display an AI-generated explanation directly within the ad preview panel. The analysis typically covers: - The messaging strategy and tone used in the ad copy - Visual and creative elements that drive engagement - Audience relevance signals and emotional hooks - Structural or formatting choices that support performance This insight is designed to help you understand proven ad strategies so you can apply similar techniques to your own campaigns. 🔄 If the Error Continues If you have followed all the steps above and the Couldn't run that — try again error is still appearing, the issue may need to be reviewed by our team directly. Please note the browser you are using, any specific ads that trigger the error, and roughly when the problem started — this information will help us investigate faster. 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 Atlas Brain Hallucinations and OTTO Ads Issues

🔍 What Is an Atlas Brain Hallucination? Atlas Brain is Search Atlas's AI assistant. Like all large language models, it can occasionally generate content that looks accurate but contains fabricated details — such as pages, reports, or campaign data that do not actually exist on your site. This is known as a hallucination. Common examples include: - A website redesign report referencing pages that were never created - Keyword or traffic data that does not match your actual analytics - Campaign summaries describing ad groups or assets that do not exist in your account Atlas Brain hallucinations are a known AI limitation. They do not reflect changes made to your site or ad accounts — no content is published, no pages are created, and no settings are changed without your explicit action. ⚙️ Why Your OTTO Ads Campaigns May Be Paused OTTO Ads campaigns can pause when the Google Ads account linked to OTTO becomes disconnected or mismatched. When the Google Ads account is no longer properly connected to OTTO, OTTO Ads will automatically pause affected campaigns to prevent uncontrolled spend. If your campaigns are paused, check whether your Google Ads account is still correctly connected to the platform. A mismatch or disconnection between the account linked in Search Atlas and your actual Google Ads account is the most common root cause. 💳 Are You Still Being Charged While Campaigns Are Paused? Your Search Atlas subscription fee covers access to the platform and its tools — it is not Google Ads spend. These are two separate charges: - Search Atlas subscription: Billed by Search Atlas on your regular billing cycle, regardless of whether campaigns are active or paused. - Google Ads spend: Billed directly by Google. When OTTO Ads campaigns are paused, Google stops serving those ads and you stop accruing ad spend with Google for those campaigns. You will not be charged Google Ads spend for paused campaigns. If you see unexpected charges on your Google Ads account, those originate from Google and should be reviewed in your Google Ads billing dashboard. 🛠️ How to Reconnect Your Google Ads Account To restore your OTTO Ads campaigns, ensure the correct Google Ads account is connected to the platform. Navigate to your account's integrations or connected accounts area and verify that the Google Ads account shown matches the account you intend to use with OTTO Ads. If the connection appears broken or points to the wrong account, disconnect it and reconnect the correct Google Ads account. Once the correct account is linked, your OTTO Ads campaigns should be able to resume. 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.