Fast Setup: Access GSA SER Link List via Google Drive Shared Folder

In March 2024 we moved the Asia Virtual Solutions Link List off Dropbox and onto Google Drive. Dropbox had been giving us too much trouble. The move solved that, but it created a new problem for customers: the list arrives as a View Only folder in “Shared with me”, and folders in that section do not appear in the Google Drive Desktop app, so GSA Search Engine Ranker cannot see them.

There is a way around it, and it takes about two minutes. This guide walks through the whole setup, and the walk-through video is a little further down if you would rather watch.

What You Need Before You Start

1. An Asia Virtual Solutions Link List subscription
2. GSA Search Engine Ranker
3. A Google account
4. The Google Drive for Desktop app, installed on the PC or VPS that runs GSA SER

Walk-Through Video

Steps to Link the Google Drive Shared Folder to GSA SER

These steps assume you have already ordered the Link List. If you do not have a Google account yet, the section further down covers that first.

Part 1: Getting the Folder Into Your Drive

1. Give us your Gmail address on the order page. It has to be the account you use for Google Drive, because that is the address we share the folder with.

2. We add your address to the shared folder. This is done by hand after your order comes in, so it is not instant.
3. Google emails you to say a folder has been shared with you.

4. Go to drive.google.com and open Shared with me.
5. Find the folder called GSA LIST and select it. Do not open it — click it once so it is highlighted.
6. Drag the GSA LIST folder onto My Drive in the left-hand navigation. This is the step that makes everything else work: Drive Desktop syncs My Drive, and it does not sync “Shared with me”.

7. Wait for it to sync. Go and make a coffee. The list is large and it will not be ready in seconds. Do not continue until Drive has stopped working.
8. If you have not already, install Google Drive for Desktop on the machine that runs GSA SER — your PC, your VPS, or both.
9. Open My Drive in Drive Desktop. The GSA LIST folder should now be there.
10. Right-click GSA LIST → Offline access → Available offline. Without this the files are cloud placeholders and GSA SER cannot read them.

Part 2: Pointing GSA SER at the Folder

Inside GSA LIST you will normally find three folders: Optimized Identified, site_list-identified and site_list-verified. You add each one to GSA SER separately, so pick the one you want to start with.

11. Open the folder you want and copy its full path from the address bar.

12. In GSA SER, go to Options → Advanced.
13. Open the Site Lists tab.
14. Tick the box next to Custom list.
15. Click Configure next to Custom list, then Add to folder.
16. Paste the folder path into the FOLDER field in the dialog that opens.

17. Click OK.
18. Repeat from step 11 for the other folders you want to use.

That is the whole setup. From here the folder updates on its own, and GSA SER reads whatever is currently in it.

If You Are New to Google Drive

1. Create a Google account if you do not have one, at accounts.google.com/SignUp. It is free and works across all Google services.
2. Open Drive in your browser at drive.google.com.
3. Install Drive for Desktop from google.com/drive/download. This is the part that matters for GSA SER — the browser version alone will not do.
4. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android if you want to check the folder from your phone.

External References

1. Google Drive Help Centre — the official documentation, and the place to start if Drive Desktop is not syncing.
2. GSA Search Engine Ranker official site — the developer’s own product page and documentation.
3. How to use the Asia Virtual Solutions Link List — what to do with the list once GSA SER can see it.
4. Google Drive API documentation — for anyone who wants to automate this rather than click through it.

Frequently Asked Questions

The GSA LIST folder does not show up in Drive Desktop. What did I miss?

Almost certainly step 6. A folder that is still sitting in “Shared with me” does not sync to Drive Desktop at all. Open Drive in your browser, select the GSA LIST folder in “Shared with me”, and drag it onto My Drive in the left-hand navigation. It will appear in Drive Desktop once it has synced.

The folder is there but GSA SER finds no sites in it

Two likely causes. Either the folder has not finished syncing, or it is not set to Available offline — without that, Drive keeps the files as cloud placeholders and GSA SER sees an empty folder. Right-click the folder in Drive Desktop, choose Offline access, then Available offline, and let it finish.

Does View Only access stop GSA SER from using the list?

No. GSA SER only reads the files, it never writes to them, so read access is all it needs. View Only is deliberate on our side — it keeps one customer from changing a list that everyone shares.

Which of the three folders should I use?

site_list-verified holds URLs where a link was successfully placed, so it is the smallest and the highest quality — start there. site_list-identified is much larger and holds targets GSA SER recognised but has not necessarily posted to. Optimized Identified is the identified list with the dead weight removed. You can add all three; GSA SER will work through them.

How long does the first sync take?

Longer than you expect. This is millions of URLs across thousands of files, and on a VPS with a modest connection the first sync can run for a while. Let it finish before you point GSA SER at the folder, or GSA SER will read a half-populated list.

How often is the list updated?

The shared Drive folder is refreshed once a day. Because it syncs on its own, you never need to download anything again after the initial setup — GSA SER simply reads whatever is currently in the folder. As of 23 September 2026 the list holds 91,772,719 identified URLs and 5,498,150 verified URLs.

Do I need my own Google account, or can I use yours?

Your own. We share the folder with the specific Gmail address you give us on the order page, so it has to be an account you control. A free Google account is fine.

Can I set this up on more than one machine?

Yes. Install Drive for Desktop on each PC or VPS, sign in with the same Google account, and set the folder to Available offline on each one. The drag-into-My-Drive step only needs doing once, since it applies to the account rather than the machine.

Nothing has arrived and I ordered a while ago

The Gmail address is added to the shared folder by hand, so there is a delay after ordering. Check the address you entered on the order page was the one tied to your Google Drive — a mistyped or different address is the usual cause. Send us a message and we will look at it.

Get the Asia Virtual Solutions Link List

The list comes in GSA SER’s own SL format and as plain TXT, and once the Drive folder is set up it keeps itself current without you doing anything. Here is where it stands right now:

Figures as of 23 September 2026. Duplicate URLs and duplicate domains removed.