Does IndexNow Work for Google?
Google has not adopted the IndexNow protocol. As of 2026, IndexNow is supported by Bing, Yandex, and Naver but not Google. Submitting URLs to IndexNow has no effect on Google's indexing of those URLs.
Why Google Hasn't Adopted IndexNow
Google has given several reasons for not adopting IndexNow:
- Spam Risk Concerns: Google has expressed concern that an easy notification mechanism could be abused to mass-submit low-quality content for immediate indexing, overwhelming their quality pipelines. Their current rate-limited tools (URL Inspection) mitigate this.
- Existing Infrastructure: Google already operates at massive scale with billions of indexed pages. Their crawl infrastructure, combined with Search Console URL Inspection and the Indexing API, covers their indexing use cases without requiring a new protocol.
- Strategic Independence: IndexNow was developed by two of Google's direct competitors (Microsoft and Yandex). Adopting a competitor-developed protocol could be strategically disadvantageous for Google.
How to Fast-Index Pages on Google
Use these methods for Google indexing:
Google Search Console URL Inspection
RecommendedNavigate to your property in Google Search Console, use the URL Inspection tool, and click "Request indexing." This submits the URL to Googlebot's crawl queue. Effective for individual pages; limit is ~10 per day per property.
XML Sitemap Submission
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console under Sitemaps. Google checks submitted sitemaps regularly. For best results, keep your sitemap updated with accurate <lastmod> dates for every page.
Google Indexing API
A programmatic API for submitting URLs, but currently restricted to two content types: JobPosting and BroadcastEvent (livestreams). Not usable for general web pages.
Internal Linking
New pages linked from existing indexed pages are often discovered by Googlebot quickly. Ensure new content is reachable through your site's navigation or relevant contextual links.
The Complete Indexing Strategy
Recommended combined approach:
- 1. Publish new content
- 2. Submit via IndexNow → Instantly notifies Bing, Yandex, Naver
- 3. Use Google Search Console URL Inspection → Requests Googlebot crawl
- 4. Ensure sitemap.xml is updated → Backup discovery method for all engines
- 5. Add internal links from relevant existing pages → Supports Google natural discovery