IndexNow is a new type of indexing protocol created by the Microsoft Bing Team. The goal is to provide publishers and webmasters with a simple tool to submit URLs to search engine indexes. Whether it is a new page or a page that has been updated – IndexNow was created to ensure that search crawlers can be notified instantly.
Naturally, this has attracted quite a lot of attention from the SEO community. And for good reasons. The idea that you can instantly submit new content to search engines is enticing.
This is particularly relevant for search giants like Google. As you know, sites that haven’t established a strong reputation are more than likely to be left at the back of the queue for crawling. And that means you have to wait longer to have your content indexed. But, also, wait for search crawlers to re-index your content when you update your pages.
So, let me get the bad news out of the way first.
Does IndexNow support instant indexing on Google Search?
At this time, the answer is no. Google has shown interest in adding support for IndexNow, but in their own words, “We are currently experimenting with this protocol in an internal environment.”. As such, anything beyond this answer is pure speculation.
It is, of course, expected. Google Search has a staggering 92% market share, and it has managed to achieve that solely through its own technologies and patents. In other words, Google is quite happy to let its own crawler do all the indexing work.
But, not all is lost. There is still hope that Google might one-day support IndexNow. If we are being realistic, I think the main reason Google is being reluctant is spam.
Is there anything you can do to get indexed faster by Google?
As a publisher, you can always use the Search Console – formerly Google Webmaster Tools. The dashboard has gotten a lot of improvements over the years. And, if you didn’t know already, it provides tools to create an index request for your URLs.
How to use Search Console to index pages faster
You can speed up the process of having your pages indexed by using the URL Inspection tool in the Search Console dashboard. Mind you, this does not guarantee instant indexing – it merely notifies Google that you have a new page on your site.
In this example, I am looking up a new post that I submitted recently. It has been over a day since the time of publication, but the page is not yet indexed. This is also evident from the Search Console’s notification: URL is not on Google.
Below the notification is a button called Request Indexing. This will then queue a request to the URL, and store it in Google’s backlog of sites and pages yet to be indexed.
Is it going to be instant? Very unlikely.
In fact, my request was still not processed 12 hours later. Though, I imagine this factors in the fact that this blog is quite new. And while I have some reputation signals going its way, I think Google just hasn’t gotten around to prioritizing my blog for faster index times.
Last but not least, there is at least one other way to notify Google of your content changes.
How to get indexed faster by Google using sitemaps
A sitemap of all your website pages is essential for SEO purposes. A website without a sitemap makes it harder for search engine crawlers to understand your site structure. As such, if you haven’t gotten around to adding a sitemap to your site – do it now.
Here is what Google says about using a sitemap:
Google doesn't check a sitemap every time a site is crawled; a sitemap is checked only the first time that we notice it, and thereafter only when you ping us to let us know that it's changed. Alert Google about a sitemap only when it's new or updated; don't submit or ping unchanged sitemaps multiple times.
In short, Google uses sitemaps to be notified when content changes on your website. This includes changes on existing content, since updating a blog post will also update the sitemap.
WordPress users who use plugins like Yoast are already covered for this. For example, Yoast automatically generates a sitemap of your site upon activating the plugin. And, Yoast will also notify search engines whenever you make changes to your pages or content.
Which search engines does IndexNow support?
At the moment, IndexNow can be used to instantly notify Bing and Yandex. There is a very good chance that more search engines will take part in this initiative later on.
| Search Engine | IndexNow Support |
|---|---|
| No. Has shown interest but no follow-up. | |
| Bing | Yes. Also maintained by the Bing team. |
| Yandex | Yes. |
| DuckDuckGo | No. Unclear how DDG indexes its content. |
| Neeva | No. Unclear how Neeva indexes its content. |
The IndexNow FAQ page covers all the essential information on getting started. If you’re a WordPress user, you can just grab the official plugin. The plugin works entirely in the background, so no scripts or anything else is added to the front-end of your site.
And, you can begin submitting URLs immediately.
You’ll see a report on each submitted URL, with an indication of whether your submission was successful or not. You can also skip manual submissions entirely, as the plugin will automatically submit new or updated URLs in real-time.
I think, overall, it is a fascinating idea. The project is still fresh out of the oven, so until more engineers can take a closer look at examining the potential – we have to sit and wait.
What do you think about IndexNow, and do you think Google will find a way to use it?