IndexNow

IndexNow pushes your new and changed URLs to the search engines that support the protocol (Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam and Yep) so they can recrawl within the day instead of waiting for their own schedule. SmarterSEO generates the key, pulls your sitemaps on a schedule, submits what changed automatically, and can ask Bing whether each URL is actually in its index.

#What it does

For each site you add, SmarterSEO:

• Generates a 32-character IndexNow key and gives you the key file to host at the site root.
• Discovers or uses your sitemaps, follows sitemap indexes, and keeps a URL list with each URL's last-modified date (up to 50,000 URLs and 200 sitemap files per site).
• Pulls the sitemaps on a schedule (daily by default), and with Auto-submit on, submits every new or changed URL in one call.
• Lets you submit by hand, import URLs, and run a paid Bing index check that records whether each URL appears for a site: search on Bing.

Google does not take part in IndexNow; use Search Console for Google.

#Before you start

• You need a role that can create reports; viewers can look but cannot add sites or submit.
• Know the exact host your URLs start with. IndexNow treats www.example.com and example.com as different hosts, so enter the one your pages actually use.
• You must be able to upload a small text file to the site root (or a path on the same host). Without it every submission is rejected with HTTP 403.
• Bing index checks are the only paid part: 0.6 credits per URL.

#Step by step

#Add a site

1. Open Research, then IndexNow in the Technical group (/research/technical/indexnow).
2. Enter the Site exactly as your URLs start (for example www.acmeoutdoors.com). If the host is already set up you see " is already set up."
3. Optionally list Sitemaps, one per line, up to 20. Leave it empty and SmarterSEO finds them from robots.txt, then /sitemap.xml. Sitemap indexes are followed.
4. Click Add site. The key is generated, Auto-submit is on, the pull schedule is daily, and the first sitemap pull starts immediately.

#Host and verify the key

1. On the site page, find the IndexNow key card. It reads "Upload the key file to the site root so it is served at https:///.txt, containing only the key ."
2. Click Download .txt (or Copy key and create the file yourself) and upload it to the site root.
3. Click Verify. Success reads "Key file found at ." and the badge changes to Verified . Errors tell you what is wrong: "HTTP N when fetching the key file.", "The file exists but does not contain the key (it looks like an HTML page).", "The file contains "…" instead of the key.", or "Timed out fetching the key file." (15 second timeout).
4. If you cannot put the file at the root, open Settings and set Key file location; it must be on the same host, and changing it resets verification.

#Submit URLs

• Wait for the scheduled pull, or click Pull sitemaps ("Sitemap pull queued."). With Auto-submit on, the new and changed URLs are submitted right after the pull.
• Or use the bulk buttons on the URL table: Submit N pending (everything that needs submitting) or Resubmit all. Tick URLs to get Submit selected instead.
• Or click Import URLs, paste page URLs on the host or sitemap URLs (up to 10,000). Sitemaps (sitemap*.xml, .xml.gz, /sitemap_index, /sitemap.xml) are saved to the site and pulled; pages are added as they are. URLs on another host are rejected ("N URLs are not on , e.g. …"); www and the bare host are treated as the same.

#Reading the results

#Site list

Columns Site, Key (Verified or Not verified), URLs, Submitted, Indexed on Bing (indexed of checked), Last sitemap pull and Next pull.

#Site page

The header summarises "N URLs from N sitemaps · pulled every N hours · auto-submit on/off · last pull …", with buttons Import URLs, Pull sitemaps and Settings. While work is running a banner reads Pulling sitemaps, Submitting to IndexNow or Checking Bing ("This page updates when they finish."); a failed pull shows "Last sitemap pull failed: …".

Tiles:

• URLs: the total, "from sitemaps and manual imports" (or "add sitemaps in Settings").
• Needs submitting: URLs that are new or changed since their last submission, or "everything is up to date".
• Submitted: the last batch with its HTTP status, or "nothing sent yet".
• Indexed on Bing: indexed "of the URLs checked", or "run a check to find out".

#URL table

• Search paths and a filter: All URLs, Needs submitting, Submitted, Indexed on Bing, Not indexed on Bing, Never checked, Errors.
• Page sizes 25, 50 (default), 100, 200. Sorted by last modified, newest first.
• Columns: a checkbox, URL (marked "added by hand" for imports), Bing (Indexed, Not indexed, not checked, check failed), Submitted (Submitted, "changed since" when the sitemap lastmod moved after the submission, a count such as "3×", Error, or Not submitted), Last modified, and a row menu with Submit to IndexNow, Check Bing index (with the cost) and Remove from list.
• Bulk actions with a selection: Submit selected, Check Bing index (tooltip shows the cost) and Remove. Without a selection: Submit N pending, Resubmit all and Check Bing index, which checks up to 500 URLs, least recently checked first, after a confirmation that states the cost.

#Recent submissions

The last 10 submissions with the date, number of URLs, an HTTP badge, the engine's message, and whether it was automatic or manual.

#Submission status codes

403 and 422 also set a key error on the site so you notice it in the list.

#Settings dialog

• Sitemaps textarea (up to 20).
• Pull sitemaps: Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours, Daily (default) or Weekly.
• Auto-submit switch: submit new and changed URLs after each pull.
• Key file location: only if the file cannot live at the root; same host; changing it resets verification.
• The key with Regenerate ("New key generated. Upload the new key file before submitting.").
• Delete site ("Delete and its N URLs from IndexNow? The key file on your server is unaffected.").
• Cancel and Save ("Settings saved.").

#Costs

Cost: sitemap pulls and IndexNow submissions are free on every plan. A Bing index check costs 0.6 credits per URL (one Bing search each); results are cached for 24 hours, and the balance is checked before the job is queued ("Checking N URLs needs X credits; the organization has Y."). On a lifetime license the check is billed to your own DataForSEO account.

#Tips and gotchas

• A 202 is not verification. The engines fetch the key file later; the badge turns Verified only after a 200 response or a successful Verify. If it stays unverified for a day, click Verify to see the exact problem.
• The pull discovers sitemaps from robots.txt and /sitemap.xml when none are listed. If your sitemap lives elsewhere, add it in Settings or via Import URLs.
• A URL counts as "changed" when its sitemap lastmod is later than it was at the last submission. Sitemaps without lastmod only trigger submissions when a URL is new.
• One submission carries up to 10,000 URLs in a single call with a 30 second timeout.
• The Bing check uses a site: query and matches loosely (scheme, www, trailing slash and fragments are ignored). An empty Bing result page is recorded as a clear "not indexed".
• Check in batches of the least recently checked URLs rather than the whole site every week; 10,000 URLs is 6,000 credits.
• Deleting a site removes it from SmarterSEO only; the key file on your server stays and can be deleted by hand.

#Related

• Sitemap Extractor
• Indexing
• Log file analysis
• Credit costs by tool