What is IndexNow & How It Speeds Up Search Indexing

If you run a website or blog, you know the struggle: you publish a great article, but it takes days (or even weeks) for it to appear in search results.

This happens because traditional search engines work slowly. They have to "crawl" or visit your site to check for new content. But what if you could tell them instantly that you published something new?

That is exactly what IndexNow does. In this article, we will explain what IndexNow is, how it works, and how it can help your website grow.

What is IndexNow?

IndexNow is a free tool that lets website owners notify search engines immediately when they publish, update, or delete a page.

Think of it like sending a text message.

• Old Way (Crawling): The search engine visits your house (website) every few days to see if you bought new furniture.
• New Way (IndexNow): You send a text message saying, "Hey! I just bought a new sofa," and they come to look at it right away.

It was created by Microsoft Bing and Yandex to make the internet faster and more efficient.

How Does IndexNow Work?

The process is very simple and happens automatically if you use the right tools.

1. You Publish a Post: You write a new article or update an old one on your website.
2. The Ping: Your website sends a small signal (called a "ping") to the IndexNow system.
3. The Notification: IndexNow tells all participating search engines (like Bing, Yandex, and Seznam) about your change.
4. Instant Crawl: The search engine bots visit your specific page immediately to update their results.

This removes the need for "exploratory crawling," which saves time and reduces the load on your website's server.

Which Search Engines Support IndexNow?

As of late 2025, several major search engines use IndexNow:

• Microsoft Bing: The second-largest search engine in the world.
• Yandex: Very popular in Eastern Europe.
• Seznam.cz & Naver: Popular regional search engines.
• AI Search Engines: Many new AI-powered search tools use Bing’s index, so using IndexNow helps you appear in AI chat answers faster.

Note: While Google has tested similar methods, IndexNow is primarily used by Bing and its partners.

Top 3 Benefits of Using IndexNow

Why should you add this to your website? Here are three big reasons:

1. Faster Ranking
Because search engines find your content minutes after you publish, you can rank for trending topics before your competitors do.

2. Less Server Load
Search engines don't need to crawl your entire site randomly just to find one new link. This saves your server resources and keeps your site fast for real visitors.

3. Better Content Management
If you delete a page or fix a mistake, IndexNow tells search engines to update that change instantly. This prevents users from clicking on dead links.

How to Set Up IndexNow (The Easy Way)

You do not need to be a coder to use this. If you use WordPress, it is very easy.

• Option 1: AIOSEO or Rank Math: These popular SEO plugins have IndexNow built-in. Go to the settings and turn it on.
• Option 2: The Official Plugin: You can install the "IndexNow Plugin" by Microsoft Bing directly from the WordPress plugin store.
• Option 3: Cloudflare: If you use Cloudflare for your website security, you can enable "Crawler Hints" in the settings, which supports IndexNow.
• Option 4: Indexnow API

Conclusion

IndexNow is a "must-have" feature for any modern website. It is free, easy to set up, and ensures your hard work gets noticed by search engines instantly. Instead of waiting for bots to find you, take control and push your content to the world today.

Have you enabled IndexNow on your site yet? Let us know if you noticed faster results!

Source - indexnow.org, blogs.bing.com , searchenginejournal.com