Setting up Google Search Console (GSC) correctly is a must for every SEO expert, but honestly, most people only use a small portion of it. The real value of GSC is realized when you combine domain-level properties with subfolder-level properties, smart use of the API, and section-wise data analysis.
In this blog, I’ll show you step-by-step how to set up GSC to boost your SEO growth by up to 10x, all without spending a penny.
Google Search Console Limitations – And Their Best Solution
1. Limited & Anonymized Data
When you add only domain-level properties, then:
— Only 1,000 queries are visible
— The remaining data is anonymized
— Section-wise insights are not available
— Indexing requests are also limited to 2,000 URLs/day
If the website is large or multi-category, these limitations weaken your SEO game.
Solution: Smart Setup of Subfolder-Level Properties
Suppose your website has different sections, such as:
/blog/
/products/
/news/
/support/
Create a separate URL prefix property for each section.
Example:
https://example.com/blog/ → separate GSC property
https://example.com/shop/ → separate property
https://example.com/help/ → separate property
This approach gives you deep, accurate, and useful SEO insights.
Powerful Benefits of This Strategy
1: Granular Data = Smarter SEO Decisions
Benefits of Separate Properties? You can clearly see:
— Which queries are only coming to /blog/?
— Why is /products/’s CTR so low?
— Why aren’t /support/’s pages getting impressions?
Such detailed insights significantly sharpen your content optimization.
2: Smart Utilization of API Limits
Each property has a 2,000 URLs/day indexing limit. What if you have 5 subfolder properties?
2,000 × 5 = 10,000 URLs/day.
Meaning, indexing speeds are boosted for free.
3: Up To 1,000 GSC Properties Allowed
Google allows approximately 1,000 properties in a single account.
So small websites get category-level insights, and large e-commerce sites get deep section-wise analysis.
4: Content, Keyword Targeting & Internal Links Improve
Subfolder-level optimization shows you:
— Which categories are underperforming
— Where thin content is on product pages
— Which support articles are ranking
Using this data, you can make content refresh, internal linking, and keyword optimization all smarter.
Step-by-Step: Subfolder GSC Setup Process
- Open Google Search Console
- Click “Add Property”
- Select “URL Prefix” (not domain)
- Enter the subfolder’s full URL (e.g., https://example.com/blog/)
- Verify ownership. Usually, verifying the main domain is sufficient.
- Repeat the process for each subfolder
- (Optional) Enable the GSC API for data export and fast indexing automation.
Pro Tip: Create a sheet listing all subfolder properties for easy tracking.
Free Strategy, Maximum SEO ROI
This strategy is absolutely free, and this is what you get:
— Deeper insights
— Faster indexing
— Section-wise SEO control
— Better content decisions
Everything, without any paid tools.
Just look at Google Search Console and apply it!
If you really want to take your SEO growth to the next level, then:
— Add the top 3–5 subfolders to separate properties
— Compare weekly performance
— Use insights to drive content and technical SEO improvements
This setup is free, powerful, and a solid game-changer for long-term SEO growth.
Bonus Pro Tip:
Connect GSC properties to Google Looker Studio and create a visually rich SEO dashboard.
Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-search-console-guide/209318
