IndexNow vs Google Indexing API

What is the difference between IndexNow and the Google Indexing API?

IndexNow is an open protocol that instantly notifies Bing, Yandex, Seznam and other participating engines about new or updated URLs for any type of page, and it is free and simple to use. The Google Indexing API is Google-only and officially supports just job-posting and live-stream pages — using it for ordinary content is against Google's guidelines and can trigger a manual action. For most sites the right combination is IndexNow for Bing/Yandex plus a sitemap and Request Indexing in Search Console for Google.

What each one is

IndexNow is an open, cross-engine protocol: you host a key file and send a simple ping with your changed URLs. Bing, Yandex, Seznam and Naver consume it, and because Microsoft and Yandex share the feed, one submission reaches multiple engines.

The Google Indexing API is a Google-specific API that lets you notify Google when pages are added or removed. Crucially, Google officially restricts it to JobPosting and BroadcastEvent (live-stream) pages.

Side-by-side

Engines: IndexNow → Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver. Indexing API → Google only.
Allowed pages: IndexNow → any URL. Indexing API → officially job-posting & live-stream only.
Risk: IndexNow → none (it is a hint). Indexing API on normal pages → against guidelines, risks a manual action.
Setup: IndexNow → host a key file, send a ping. Indexing API → Google Cloud project, service account, OAuth.
Cost: both free.

When to use which

Use IndexNow for essentially every site to get fast re-crawling on Bing and Yandex for any page type — blog posts, products, docs, landing pages.

Use the Google Indexing API only if you publish genuine job postings or live-stream event pages. For all other Google indexing, rely on a clean sitemap and Request Indexing in the URL Inspection tool.

The honest truth about 'instant Google indexing' tools

Many third-party 'instant indexing' services quietly abuse the Google Indexing API for ordinary pages. It may work briefly, but it violates Google's documented policy and puts your site at risk of a manual action. There is no official instant-index-anything API for Google — the safe, durable path is quality content, links, a sitemap and IndexNow for the engines that officially accept it.

Put it into practice

Generate your IndexNow key, build the submission payload and check index status — free, in your browser.

Open the free tool

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the Google Indexing API for blog posts?+

You shouldn't. Google documents the Indexing API for JobPosting and BroadcastEvent pages only. Using it for blog posts or products violates the guidelines and can lead to a manual action, even if it appears to work at first.

Does IndexNow submit my pages to Google?+

Not directly. Google has said it is evaluating IndexNow but does not currently consume it the way Bing and Yandex do. For Google, use a sitemap plus Request Indexing; use IndexNow to cover Bing, Yandex and others.

Is IndexNow safe to use?+

Yes. IndexNow is an open, officially supported protocol and a submission is only a hint to re-crawl — it cannot get you penalised. Engines still decide whether to index based on quality.