## 🔍 Overview

If you are seeing save errors when trying to add locations to your GBP Projects, or if your locations appear to have disappeared, this is almost always caused by a temporary Google API rate limit — not a problem with your Search Atlas account or data.

This article explains what is happening, what to expect, and how to get your locations back without losing any project history or settings.



## ⚠️ What Is Causing This Error?

Search Atlas connects to Google Business Profile (GBP) through Google's official API. Google places limits on how frequently tools like Search Atlas can make calls to that API. When those limits are reached, Google temporarily blocks new connection requests, which causes:

- Save errors when trying to add or re-add locations to a GBP Project
- Locations appearing to be missing or hidden inside the platform
- Only being able to add one location at a time, with long waits between attempts

This is an external restriction applied by Google — it is not a bug in Search Atlas, and it is not caused by disconnecting or reconnecting your Google account.



## 📋 What Happens to Your Existing Projects and Data?

Your GBP Projects and all associated data are **not deleted** when this error occurs. Projects that appear to be missing are only temporarily hidden due to the sync issue. Once the API rate limit clears, your locations and projects will become accessible again with **no loss of settings, history, or project data**.



## 🛠️ What You Should Do

1. If you see a save error when adding locations, **stop attempting to save repeatedly** — multiple retries will not resolve a Google API rate limit and may extend the waiting period.
2. **Wait a few hours** before trying again. Google's rate limits are temporary and typically reset within hours.
3. After waiting, navigate to your GBP Projects area and attempt to add or view your locations again.
4. If your locations still do not appear after several hours, contact our support team so we can investigate further and assist you directly.

## ❓ Will Disconnecting and Reconnecting My Google Account Help?

No. Disconnecting and reconnecting your Google account will **not** resolve an API rate limit error. The restriction is applied at the Google API level, not at the account authentication level. Reconnecting your account while the rate limit is active is unlikely to make a difference and is not necessary — your existing connection and all project data remain intact.



## ✅ When Everything Is Working Again

Once Google's API rate limit has reset, you should be able to add and save multiple locations to your GBP Projects without errors. Your previously hidden projects and location data will be fully restored automatically.

If you continue to experience issues or have any questions, please reach out to our support team and we will be happy to help.