IndexNow

IndexNow is an open protocol that lets a website notify participating search engines that a URL has been added, updated, or deleted. The notification reports a change; it does not send the page's full content, force an immediate crawl, guarantee indexing, or determine ranking. Participating engines can share verified URL notifications with one another, while each engine decides whether and when to crawl or index the URL.

Why it matters: First check whether the site's CMS, plugin, CDN, or hosting platform already submits IndexNow notifications so a second integration does not create duplicates. A custom integration generates a key, makes the key file publicly accessible on the authorised host, and submits the exact changed URLs through a participating endpoint; bulk POST requests can contain up to 10,000 URLs. Trigger submissions from the publishing workflow only when URLs are created, materially updated, or removed. Keep normal discovery and quality signals in place: internal links, XML sitemaps, crawl access, correct canonical and robots directives, useful content, and `404` or `410` responses for removed pages still matter. Log response codes, handle rate limits, and check available webmaster reporting to confirm receipt and later crawl or index status. A successful API response confirms submission, not inclusion in search results.