🗺️ How GSC Location Quota Works
When you connect a site to Google Search Console (GSC) in Search Atlas, each location you track for that site consumes one quota slot from your plan's GSC quota allowance. Most single-region selections — such as United States, United Kingdom, or Australia — use exactly one quota slot per site.
However, the World + Canada option is a combined selection that tracks two separate location datasets simultaneously. Because it pulls data for two regions at once, it counts as two quota slots per site, not one.
📋 GSC Quota Allocation by Plan
Each Search Atlas plan includes a fixed number of GSC quota slots. The exact quota limits vary by plan tier. To find out how many GSC quota slots your current plan includes, check your plan details inside the platform or reach out to our support team.
⚠️ Why a Small Number of Sites Can Exceed Your Quota
This is the most common source of confusion. Your plan may show a certain quota number, and you may have fewer active sites than that number — yet still hit your quota limit. Here is why:
If you selected World + Canada as the GSC location for any of your sites, each of those sites consumes 2 quota slots instead of 1. The calculation below shows how quickly this adds up:
- Example: 7 sites × World + Canada selected = 14 quota slots used
- If your plan quota limit is 10 slots, this would exceed your quota by 4 slots
Even a smaller combination can push you over the limit. For example, if your plan allows 10 slots, 5 sites with World + Canada already uses all 10 slots, leaving zero room for any additional sites.
🔢 Quota Calculation Examples
Use the examples below to understand how different configurations affect your total quota consumption:
- 6 sites, all single-region: 6 × 1 = 6 quota slots used
- 5 sites with World + Canada, 0 single-region: 5 × 2 = 10 quota slots used
- 3 sites with World + Canada, 3 single-region: (3 × 2) + (3 × 1) = 9 quota slots used
- 7 sites, all with World + Canada: 7 × 2 = 14 quota slots used
The key formula to remember is: Total quota used = (Sites with World + Canada × 2) + (Sites with single-region × 1).
✅ How to Resolve a Quota Issue
If you have hit your GSC quota limit, you have two options:
- Change one or more sites from World + Canada to a single-region location to reduce your quota consumption.
- Upgrade to a higher plan tier to increase your total GSC quota allowance.
If you are unsure of your current quota limit or need help reviewing your GSC location settings, our support team can assist you directly.
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.