The IndexNow protocol
IndexNow is an open protocol that lets a site notify participating search engines (including Microsoft Bing and Yandex) the moment a URL is added, updated, or deleted. You submit URLs with a shared key file hosted on your domain; one ping is shared across participating engines. It complements XML sitemaps but does not replace them, and it does not guarantee indexing — it only signals that a recrawl may be worthwhile.
What this means
IndexNow is a lightweight protocol for telling search engines that specific URLs have changed. Rather than waiting for engines to rediscover a page on their own schedule, you push a notification the moment content is published, edited, or removed.
A key design property is shared submission: pinging one participating engine shares the notification with the others in the network, so you do not have to submit separately to each. It is most useful for sites that change frequently — news, e-commerce inventory, large catalogs.
How to set it up
Generate a key (a hex string), host it as a text file at the root of your domain (the file name is the key, its contents are the key), then submit changed URLs by HTTP request to an IndexNow endpoint. You can submit a single URL or a batch.
The key file proves you control the host you are submitting URLs for. If the key file is unreachable or its contents do not match the submitted key, submissions are rejected. Treat IndexNow as additive to your sitemap, not a replacement.
- Host a key file at your domain root; file name and contents are the key
- Submit single or batched URLs to a participating endpoint
- One ping is shared across participating engines
- Submitting does not force indexing — engines still apply their own rules
Limits and expectations
IndexNow controls discovery timing, not indexing decisions. An engine that supports IndexNow may fetch the URL sooner, but it can still decline to index a page it considers low value, duplicate, or blocked.
Google Search does not currently use IndexNow for its main index in the way Bing does; rely on standard crawling, sitemaps, and the URL Inspection tool for Google. Do not spam IndexNow with unchanged URLs — abusive submission patterns can be ignored.
How it appears in analytics and logs
A successful IndexNow submission means a participating engine has been told a URL changed; it is a discovery signal, not a guarantee of crawling or indexing. Engines still apply their own quality and crawl-budget rules before fetching.
Diagnostic use case
Speed up rediscovery of changed or new URLs on engines that support IndexNow, and confirm your key file is reachable so submissions are accepted rather than silently rejected.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can show which of your URLs search-engine crawlers actually fetch after a change, recorded server-side, so you can see whether an IndexNow ping was followed by an observed crawl rather than assuming it was.
Common mistakes
- Assuming IndexNow forces indexing — it only signals that a recrawl may be worthwhile.
- Hosting a key file whose contents do not match the submitted key, causing silent rejection.
- Submitting URLs that have not actually changed, diluting the signal.
- Dropping the XML sitemap because IndexNow exists — they serve different roles.
Privacy and accuracy notes
IndexNow submissions carry only URLs and a public key file from your own domain. No visitor data is involved. WebmasterID never sends visitor identities to any search engine and treats IndexNow purely as a crawl-orchestration topic.
Frequently asked questions
- Does IndexNow work for Google Search?
- IndexNow is supported by engines including Microsoft Bing and Yandex. For Google, rely on standard crawling, XML sitemaps, and the URL Inspection tool. Submitting to IndexNow does not push URLs into Google's main index.
- Does IndexNow guarantee my page gets indexed?
- No. It accelerates discovery on participating engines. Each engine still decides independently whether to crawl and index the URL based on its own quality and crawl-budget rules.
Related pages
- Bing URL submission and Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools lets verified site owners submit URLs to encourage Bing to crawl them, both manually and through a submission API, subject to per-site daily quotas. Bing also supports IndexNow for the same discovery purpose. Submission is a discovery hint, not an indexing guarantee, and quotas scale with the site rather than being unlimited.
- XML sitemap best practices
An XML sitemap lists URLs you want crawled, helping search engines discover pages they might miss through links alone. The format has firm limits — 50,000 URLs and 50MB uncompressed per file — and works best when it contains only canonical, indexable, 200-status URLs with accurate lastmod values. This page covers the documented rules and the common quality problems that make a sitemap less useful.
- Accelerated indexing myths
A common myth is that submitting URLs — via sitemaps, IndexNow, the URL Inspection tool, or third-party services — forces instant indexing. In reality these speed discovery; the indexing decision still depends on Google's quality assessment, duplication checks, and crawl budget. Google's Indexing API is limited to specific content types (job postings and livestream structured data), not general pages. There is no documented way to guarantee instant indexing.
- Website observability
Observe which crawlers fetch your URLs after you publish a change.
Sources and verification notes
- IndexNow — official documentationProtocol, key file requirements, shared submission behavior.
- Microsoft Bing — IndexNow
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.