IndexNow is an open protocol that allows website owners to instantly notify search engines about content changes. Instead of waiting for search engines to discover your updates through crawling, you can proactively push URLs for faster indexing.
IndexNow URL Submission Tool - Get Indexed Faster
Submit your URLs directly to search engines using the IndexNow protocol. Get your new or updated content indexed faster by Bing, Yandex, Seznam, and Naver.
CSV or TXT files supported
What is IndexNow?
Bing
Yandex
Seznam
Naver
How to Get Your API Key
1
Generate a Key
Use the "Generate Key" button above to create a random 32-character hexadecimal key, or create your own using any UUID generator.
2
Create the Key File
Create a text file containing only your API key (no extra characters or spaces).
3
Upload to Your Server
Place the file at your domain root: https://yourdomain.com/YOUR_KEY.txt. The filename must match your API key.
4
Verify Access
Make sure the file is publicly accessible. Search engines will verify your key by checking this URL before processing submissions.
Best Practices
Only submit URLs that have actually changed or are new
Avoid submitting the same URLs repeatedly
Use HTTPS URLs for better security
Keep your API key secure and do not share it publicly
Submit URLs in batches of up to 10,000 per request
Wait at least 24 hours before resubmitting the same URL
Why Use IndexNow?
Traditional search engine crawling can take days or even weeks to discover new content on your website. Search engines allocate a limited "crawl budget" to each site, meaning they can't check every URL frequently. This delay can significantly impact your SEO performance, especially for time-sensitive content like news articles, product launches, or seasonal promotions.
Key Benefits of IndexNow
Faster Indexing - The most obvious benefit is speed. Instead of waiting for search engines to discover your changes, you notify them immediately. This is particularly valuable for news websites, e-commerce stores with frequently changing inventory, and any site publishing time-sensitive content.
Reduced Server Load - When search engines don't need to constantly crawl your site looking for changes, your server resources are freed up. This can improve your website's performance and reduce hosting costs, especially for large sites with thousands of pages.
Environmental Benefits - IndexNow helps reduce the carbon footprint of the internet. By eliminating unnecessary crawling, search engines consume less energy. Microsoft estimates that widespread IndexNow adoption could significantly reduce the environmental impact of web indexing.
Better Crawl Budget Utilization - Search engines can allocate their crawl budget more efficiently when they know exactly which pages have changed. This means your most important pages get indexed faster, and search engines don't waste resources checking pages that haven't been updated.
Multi-Engine Submission - Submit once, notify all participating search engines. This saves time compared to manually submitting URLs to each search engine's webmaster tools individually.
When to Use IndexNow?
IndexNow is designed to notify search engines about content changes, but it's important to use it appropriately. Submit URLs when:
- You publish new content (blog posts, product pages, articles)
- You make significant updates to existing pages
- You change important metadata (titles, descriptions)
- You update product information (prices, availability, descriptions)
- You delete or redirect pages (so search engines remove them from results)
- You restructure your website or change URL patterns
When NOT to use IndexNow: Avoid submitting URLs that haven't actually changed, pages with minor cosmetic updates, or the same URLs repeatedly in a short time period. Abusing the protocol may result in your submissions being deprioritized or ignored.
IndexNow vs Traditional Crawling
Understanding the difference between IndexNow and traditional search engine crawling helps you appreciate why this protocol is valuable.
Traditional Crawling:
- Search engines discover changes on their schedule
- Can take days or weeks to index new content
- Limited by crawl budget allocation
- Wastes resources checking unchanged pages
- Higher server load from repeated crawls
IndexNow Protocol:
- You notify search engines immediately
- Content can be indexed within hours
- Optimized crawl budget usage
- Only changed pages are recrawled
- Reduced server load and energy consumption
Note that IndexNow complements rather than replaces traditional crawling. Search engines will still crawl your site periodically, but IndexNow ensures they prioritize the pages you've explicitly flagged as changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google support IndexNow?
As of now, Google has not officially joined the IndexNow initiative, though they have acknowledged testing the protocol. Google offers alternative solutions through Google Search Console, including the URL Inspection tool and sitemap submissions. For comprehensive coverage, use both IndexNow (for Bing, Yandex, etc.) and Google Search Console.
Is IndexNow free to use?
Yes, IndexNow is completely free. It's an open-source protocol released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. There are no fees for generating keys, submitting URLs, or using the API.
How many URLs can I submit at once?
You can submit up to 10,000 URLs in a single API request. For larger sites with more URLs to submit, batch your submissions into multiple requests with appropriate delays between them to avoid rate limiting.
Does submitting to IndexNow guarantee indexing?
No, IndexNow only notifies search engines about your content changes—it doesn't guarantee indexing. Search engines still apply their own criteria to determine whether a page should be indexed. However, IndexNow significantly speeds up the discovery process.
Can I use IndexNow for multiple domains?
Yes, you can use IndexNow for multiple domains. Each domain requires its own API key and corresponding key file hosted at that domain's root. You can use different keys for different domains or the same key if you prefer.