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    Troubleshooting

    This page covers the most common problems users run into and how Rank Pilot AI SEO handles them under the hood, so you know what a message actually means and what to do about it.

    Google Search Console Connection Fails With a 403

    If connecting Google Search Console fails and Google returns a 403 error, this is a permissions response from Google, not a fault in Rank Pilot. It almost always means the Google account you authenticated with does not have owner or full-user access to that specific Search Console property.

    What to do:

    • In Google Search Console, check which Google account(s) have Owner or Full access to the property, and sign in with one of those accounts when connecting.
    • If you're not sure who owns the property, ask whoever originally set it up in Search Console to add your account as a user.
    • Your existing Rank Pilot setup is not affected by a failed attempt — both the Connectivity page's connect button and the OAuth callback screen (/gsc-callback) explicitly reassure that a failed or errored exchange leaves your saved setup unchanged, so it's safe to retry.
    • Try the connection again after access has been granted; there's no need to re-enter your verification code unless it has also changed.

    Verification Code Won't Save or Doesn't Match

    Google site verification (via the HTML tag method) requires a <meta name="google-site-verification" content="..."> tag to be present on your site's homepage. Common issues and fixes:

    • Pasting the wrong thing: the verification helper (and the onboarding modal) both accept a raw code, the full <meta> tag, or Google's google-site-verification=TOKEN value — paste whatever Google gave you and the app extracts just the token automatically. If saving still fails, check for accidental extra spaces or quote marks copied along with the code.
    • Tag not detected on a live check: the Connectivity page's verification helper includes a "check live" action that fetches your actual site and confirms the tag is present and matches what's saved. If this fails, confirm the tag was published to your site's live <head> (not just saved in a draft or a page builder that hasn't been republished), and that there's no caching layer serving an old version of the page.
    • Code appears saved but Google still won't verify: make sure you're verifying the same property format in Search Console (e.g. the exact domain or URL-prefix property) that matches the site the tag was added to.

    "You're Offline" Notice Appears

    Rank Pilot shows an offline banner when it detects a genuinely lost connection — it deliberately double-checks with a real network request first, since browsers can report "offline" incorrectly on flaky wifi or VPNs. While the banner is showing, expect the following to be unavailable until you reconnect: saving changes and data syncing, AI tools, audits and rank tracking, Autopilot, CMS publishing and reports, and login, signup and billing actions. The banner clears itself and confirms you're back online automatically once connectivity is restored — no action is needed beyond reconnecting to the internet.

    Feature Buttons Are Locked or Greyed Out

    Some tools and Autopilot rules are gated by plan. If you click into a feature and see an upgrade prompt instead of the tool itself, or a card showing a lock icon and a plan name (e.g. "Growth", "Pro", "Enterprise"), this means the feature requires a higher plan than the one currently active on the account. This is expected behaviour, not an error:

    • A modal or inline message will explain which plan unlocks the feature, with a link through to plans and upgrade options.
    • Some pages show the feature blurred in the background rather than blocking it outright, with an "upgrade" button overlaid — this is intentional, to preview what the feature looks like.
    • If you believe your plan should already include the feature, check the Billing page (/billing) to confirm your current plan and subscription status before contacting support.

    Checkout or Billing Issues

    If a checkout doesn't complete or a payment seems stuck:

    • After completing a checkout, you should land on a checkout return page (/checkout/return) confirming success. If you're returned here without a clear success state, the payment may not have completed — check your card provider for a pending or failed charge before retrying.
    • Avoid starting a second checkout while one is still processing, to prevent duplicate charges.
    • If a plan upgrade doesn't appear to take effect immediately on the Billing page, refresh the page or log out and back in; subscription status is fetched fresh on load.
    • For managed services checkouts, use the dedicated managed services flow rather than the standard subscription checkout, as they are billed and provisioned separately.

    Still Stuck?

    If a problem doesn't match any of the above — particularly persistent errors after retrying, or data that looks incorrect rather than simply locked or disconnected — use the in-app contact/support option so the details (website, error message, and steps taken) can be reviewed directly.