IndexNow Setup

Set up IndexNow for any website to enable real-time URL submission to Bing, Yandex, Seznam, and other search engines. Use when the user needs to (1) configure IndexNow for a website, (2) generate and place an IndexNow key file, (3) create a URL submission script, (4) integrate IndexNow into a build/deploy pipeline, or (5) fix Google/Bing indexing delays by pushing URLs proactively.

Overview

IndexNow is a protocol that lets websites notify search engines about new, updated, or deleted URLs in real time. Instead of waiting for crawlers, you push URLs directly to api.indexnow.org, and participating search engines (Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver) pick them up.

Workflow

Step 1: Generate and place the key file

Generate a random 32-character hex key:

bash

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(16).toString('hex'))"

Place a .txt file named <key>.txt containing only the key string into the site's public root:

• Next.js App Router -- public/<key>.txt
• Next.js Pages Router -- public/<key>.txt
• Plain static site -- root directory (e.g., dist/ or public/)
• Vite / CRA -- public/<key>.txt
• Nuxt -- public/<key>.txt

After deploy, the file must be accessible at https://<domain>/<key>.txt with a 200 response containing only the key string.

Step 2: Create the submission script

Copy scripts/submit-indexnow.mjs from this skill into the project (e.g., scripts/submit-indexnow.mjs).

If the project already has package.json, add an npm script:

json

"indexnow": "node scripts/submit-indexnow.mjs"

Or add a site_url and key pair inline:

json

"indexnow": "node scripts/submit-indexnow.mjs https://example.com abcd1234..."

Step 3: Ensure a sitemap exists

The script reads URLs from /sitemap.xml. Ensure the site generates a valid sitemap at that path. For Next.js App Router, this is typically app/sitemap.ts.

Step 4: Submit URLs

Run after every deploy or content update:

bash

npm run indexnow

The script:

1. Fetches sitemap.xml from the site
2. Extracts all <loc> URLs
3. POSTs them to https://api.indexnow.org/IndexNow

For non-Node projects, invoke the script directly:

bash

node scripts/submit-indexnow.mjs https://example.com <key>

Step 5: Verify

Use Bing Webmaster Tools to confirm URLs are being received. Check the URL inspection tool for submission history.

Environment Variables

The script accepts arguments or environment variables:

Priority	Source
1st	CLI args: node submit-indexnow.mjs <url> <key>
2nd	SITE_URL + INDEXNOW_KEY env vars

HTTP Response Codes

Status	Meaning
200	URLs submitted successfully
400	Invalid request format
403	Key not found or invalid
422	URLs don't belong to the host
429	Rate limited (spam protection)