IndexNow Tool
To ensure your new content gets indexed quickly by search engines, you can use our free IndexNow tool. This tool leverages the IndexNow protocol, a fast and efficient way to notify search engines about updates to your website.
The API Key is a unique identifier required to authenticate your website for URL submissions to the IndexNow system. It is necessary for submitting URLs to search engines such as Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yep, and Internet Archive.
A API Key is needed to match the ownership of the domain with submitted URLs.
Host your UTF-8 key file at the root of your website with the key in the content of the text file.
After generating your API Key and uploading the API Key file to your web server, you can proceed to Step 2.
How to Use the Tool
Here’s how you can use the tool to submit your URLs:
1. Direct URL Submission
Simply type or paste a list of URLs into the form provided. This is ideal if you have a small number of pages you want to index quickly.
2. Sitemap Submission
Alternatively, you can paste a link to your sitemap file. This is a great option if you have a large number of pages or if your site is frequently updated. Just make sure that the sitemap is accessible to our crawler. If you encounter any issues, you can whitelist our UserAgent: PlayfulSparkleBot.
Important Steps for Successful Submission
- Generate an API Key: To authenticate your submissions, you’ll need to generate a unique API key. You can do this directly within the tool. Once generated, copy the key.
- Host the API Key: Place the API key in a
.txtfile and host it in the root directory of your website. This step is crucial for verifying ownership of the domain and ensuring your submissions are accepted.
Why Use IndexNow?
IndexNow is a streamlined protocol designed to make the indexing process faster and more efficient. By notifying search engines directly about your new or updated content, you can significantly reduce the time it takes for your pages to appear in search results. This is especially useful for websites that publish content frequently or rely on timely updates.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Crawler Access: If you’re using the sitemap option, ensure that your site is accessible to our crawler. If you have restrictions in place, whitelist the PlayfulSparkleBot UserAgent.
- API Key Issues: Double-check that the API key is correctly placed in the root directory and that the
.txtfile is accessible via your domain (e.g.,https://yourdomain.com/yourkey.txt).
By following these steps, you can take full advantage of my free IndexNow tool to keep your content fresh and visible in search engine results. If you have any questions or run into issues, feel free to reach out for assistance!
Questions and answers about using IndexNow
If search engines find your URL valuable, they'll try to visit (crawl) it based on their own schedule and how often they check your site.
If search engines think your URLs are important and have enough room in their schedule for your site, they may crawl some or all of them.
Submitting a URL through IndexNow lets search engines know about it, but it doesn’t guarantee they’ll add it to their index. It may take time, and they decide what to include.
No, only submit URLs that have been recently added, updated, or deleted since you started using IndexNow.
Yes. Every time a search engine crawls a page, it counts toward your site's crawl quota. Using IndexNow helps search engines prioritize the URLs you care about most.
Search engines decide what to crawl and index. If a URL doesn’t meet their criteria, they may ignore it.
Each search engine has its own rules for deciding which URLs to include in search results.
Yes! IndexNow helps search engines find your new or updated pages faster, so you don’t have to wait days or weeks for them to appear in search results.
It’s best to avoid submitting the same URL too often. If you update a page, wait at least 10 minutes before resubmitting. For constantly changing pages (like live weather updates), IndexNow isn’t the best choice.
Yes. If a page is deleted (showing a 404 or 410 error), you can notify search engines so they remove it from their index.
Yes, if you’ve set up redirects (like 301 or 302 redirects), you can let search engines know so they update their records.
Only submit URLs that have changed (added, updated, or deleted). For all other URLs, use a sitemap—search engines check sitemaps every few days.
You usually don’t need to change it. Search engines check your key file once to confirm ownership.
Yes, if you have different content management systems (like WordPress and Shopify), each can use its own key. Just store them in the root of your site.
No, each subdomain (like blog.example.com and shop.example.com) needs its own key file.
Yes! Sitemaps help search engines find your pages, but they aren’t checked frequently. IndexNow instantly notifies search engines when you update your site, so they can crawl changes faster.