What Is IndexNow? Instant URL Submission for Search Engines
IndexNow is an open protocol, originally introduced by Microsoft and Yandex in 2021, that lets a website instantly notify participating search engines whenever a URL is added, updated, or deleted — rather than waiting for the next scheduled crawl to discover the change. A single API call to any one participating search engine propagates the notification to all others sharing the same IndexNow infrastructure, since they consume from a shared protocol rather than requiring separate submissions to each.
Definition
IndexNow works by having a site owner generate a unique API key, host a text file containing that key at the site's root, and then send an HTTP request (GET or POST) to an IndexNow endpoint listing the URL(s) that changed. Search engines participating in the protocol verify the key against the hosted file to confirm domain ownership before processing the submission. Established
Which Search Engines Support It
Microsoft Bing and Yandex co-launched the protocol. Other search engines have joined as participants over time, including Naver, Seznam.cz, and Yep — meaning a single submission through IndexNow's shared infrastructure can reach multiple engines at once. Notably, Google has not adopted IndexNow, and continues to rely on its own separate crawling, sitemap, and URL Inspection/Indexing API mechanisms. Established
Basic Request Format
POST /indexnow HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
Host: api.indexnow.org
{
"host": "example.com",
"key": "your-generated-key",
"keyLocation": "https://example.com/your-generated-key.txt",
"urlList": [
"https://example.com/page-1",
"https://example.com/page-2"
]
}A single request can submit a batch of URLs at once (protocols documented by participants generally support large batches, commonly cited up to around 10,000 per request), rather than requiring one call per URL. Established
Why It Matters
Without IndexNow, a search engine discovers new or changed content only when it next crawls the site or a linked page — which can introduce a delay depending on the site's crawl frequency. IndexNow lets a site push that notification immediately, which is particularly useful for time-sensitive content, large-scale content updates, or newly published pages that would otherwise wait for the next scheduled crawl. Established
Submitting a URL via IndexNow notifies participating engines that something changed — it does not guarantee the page will be crawled immediately, indexed, or ranked. It speeds up discovery, not the underlying quality or ranking evaluation of the content itself. Established
Common Mistakes
- Submitting URLs that don't belong to the host in the request. The API rejects submissions where the URL's domain doesn't match the declared host.
- Hosting the key file somewhere inaccessible. If the key file can't be fetched and verified, the submission fails (commonly returned as a 403 error).
- Assuming IndexNow reaches Google. Google does not participate in the IndexNow protocol; separate mechanisms (sitemaps, URL Inspection) are still required for Google.
- Using it as a substitute for a healthy sitemap. IndexNow accelerates discovery of specific changes; it doesn't replace the broader crawl map a sitemap provides.
FAQ
Does IndexNow work with Google?
No. Google has not adopted the IndexNow protocol. It's supported by Bing, Yandex, and several other participating search engines, but Google relies on its own separate indexing systems.
Does submitting a URL via IndexNow guarantee it gets indexed?
No. It only notifies participating search engines that a URL changed, prompting faster discovery — it doesn't guarantee crawling, indexing, or any particular ranking outcome.
How many URLs can I submit in one IndexNow request?
Large batches are supported in a single request — commonly cited limits are in the thousands of URLs per call — rather than requiring one submission per URL.
Related Concepts
Sources
- IndexNow. "Documentation." indexnow.org
- Bing Webmaster Tools. "IndexNow — Get Started." bing.com