Instant Indexing: Setup & Usage Guide
Get your content indexed in hours instead of days. This guide covers setting up the Google Indexing API and Bing IndexNow, submitting URLs, and troubleshooting common issues.
Instant Indexing is available on the Pro tier and above.
What Is Instant Indexing?
Normally, Google discovers new content by crawling your sitemap -- which can take days or weeks. Instant Indexing sends a direct notification to Google and Bing the moment you publish or update a page, putting your URL at the front of the crawl queue.
| Engine | Protocol | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Indexing API (OAuth) | Direct API call via SEObolt proxy -- URL is prioritized in Googlebot's crawl queue | |
| Bing | IndexNow | Auto-generated API key -- also notifies DuckDuckGo, Yandex, and Naver |
Setup: Google Indexing API
SEObolt uses a one-click OAuth connection -- no Google Cloud Console setup needed.
Navigate to Settings
Go to SEObolt > Settings > Analytics (or the Instant Indexing tab).
Connect Google Indexing API
Click "Connect Google Indexing API".
Sign In with Google
Sign in with the Google account that owns your Search Console property.
Grant Access
Click "Allow" to grant access.
Select Your Property
Select your Search Console property from the dropdown.
Connect
Click "Connect". You should see a green success message. Auto-submission is now active.
Google Quota
Google allows 200 URL submissions per day per property. This resets daily. For most sites, this is more than enough.
Setup: Bing IndexNow
Bing IndexNow configures itself automatically:
Open Instant Indexing
Go to SEObolt > Tools > Instant Indexing.
Auto-Activation
IndexNow activates on first visit.
API Key Generated
An API key is generated and saved to your site root.
Verify
Verify by visiting: yoursite.com/indexnow-key.txt -- you should see the key.
That's it. Bing IndexNow requires no manual configuration -- SEObolt handles everything automatically.
How Auto-Submission Works
When enabled, SEObolt automatically submits URLs to Google and Bing whenever you:
- Publish a new post or page
- Update an existing post or page
- Publish a custom post type (products, events, etc.)
Toggle auto-submit under SEObolt > Settings > General > Instant Indexing.
Leave auto-submit ON and forget about it. Every publish/update automatically notifies search engines.
Manual Submission
Submit a Single URL
Open the Instant Indexing Tool
Go to SEObolt > Tools > Instant Indexing.
Enter the URL
Enter the URL in the submission field.
Submit
Click "Submit to Google" and/or "Submit to Bing". See the API response confirming submission.
Submit from the Post List
Go to Posts
Go to Posts (or any post type list).
Hover Over a Post
Hover over a published post.
Click Submit to Index
Click "Submit to Index" in the row actions. Confirmation appears inline.
Bulk Submit Multiple URLs
Open Instant Indexing
Go to SEObolt > Tools > Instant Indexing.
Enter Multiple URLs
Enter multiple URLs (one per line) or select from the list.
Submit All
Click "Submit All". A progress bar shows submission status.
After a site migration, after changing your URL structure, or after fixing multiple content errors.
Submission History
Track all your indexing requests:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| URL | The submitted URL |
| Engine | Google or Bing |
| Status | Success, Failed, or Quota Exceeded |
| Response | API response details |
| Date | When the request was made |
Check history weekly to spot any failures before they become a problem.
Troubleshooting
"Quota Exceeded" Error
What happened: You've hit Google's 200 URLs/day limit.
Fix:
- Wait until tomorrow -- quota resets daily at midnight Pacific time
- Prioritize important URLs for manual submission
- Let auto-submit handle the rest as you publish
- If you routinely exceed 200/day, focus auto-submit on key post types only
Submission Failed
Check these in order:
- OAuth connection expired -- Go to Settings > Analytics and reconnect the Indexing API
- Property mismatch -- Your GSC property must match your site URL (www vs non-www, http vs https)
- URL not accessible -- The URL must return HTTP 200 (not 404, not redirect)
- URL blocked by robots.txt -- Ensure the URL isn't disallowed in your robots.txt
- Server firewall -- Your host may block outbound connections to Google's API
Content Not Appearing in Search After Submission
Instant indexing tells Google to crawl your page. It does NOT guarantee:
- Immediate indexing (can take 24-48 hours)
- Ranking for any keywords (ranking is separate from indexing)
Check:
- No noindex tag -- Make sure the page isn't set to noindex in SEObolt
- Canonical URL correct -- Canonical must point to the page itself
- Content is unique -- Google may not index thin or duplicate content
- Wait 24-48 hours -- Even with the API, indexing isn't truly instant for all URLs
IndexNow Key File Not Found
If yoursite.com/indexnow-key.txt returns 404:
- Check file permissions -- Your web root must be writable
- Flush permalinks -- Settings > Permalinks > Save
- Check .htaccess -- Ensure
.txtfiles aren't blocked - Regenerate -- Go to SEObolt > Tools > Instant Indexing and the key regenerates automatically
Best Practices
- Enable auto-submit -- Set it once and forget it
- Don't submit drafts or private posts -- Only publicly accessible URLs should be submitted
- Don't waste quota on low-value pages -- Tag archives, author pages, and paginated pages don't need instant indexing
- Combine with sitemaps -- Instant indexing supplements sitemaps; use both
- Monitor submission history -- Check weekly for persistent failures
- Use for time-sensitive content -- Breaking news, flash sales, event announcements benefit most
Common Use Cases
Breaking News / Time-Sensitive Content
Publish → auto-submit fires → Google crawls within minutes instead of hours.
Product Price Changes
Update pricing → submit → fresh data appears in Google Shopping faster.
Fixed Content Errors
Corrected a factual error or typo → submit to get Google to re-crawl and show the fix.
Post-Migration URL Changes
Changed URL structure → bulk submit all new URLs so Google discovers them immediately.