IndexNow: Instant Indexing for Bing and Copilot

What Is IndexNow?

IndexNow is an open-source protocol created by Microsoft and Yandex that lets websites instantly notify participating search engines when web pages are created, updated, or deleted. Instead of waiting for search engine crawlers to discover changes during their regular crawl schedule, you push a notification directly to the search engine's API.

The supported search engines as of 2026 include Bing, Yandex, Naver (South Korea's largest search engine), and Seznam (Czech Republic). When you submit a URL to any one participating search engine, the notification is automatically shared with all others — a single API call reaches the entire network.

The most important implication for AI SEO: Bing powers Microsoft Copilot. When you submit a URL through IndexNow, Bing indexes it within minutes. That updated content then becomes available to Copilot for citation in AI-generated responses. Without IndexNow, you are waiting for Bingbot's regular crawl cycle, which can take days or weeks.

Why IndexNow Matters for AI SEO

Speed to AI citation

Microsoft Copilot draws from Bing's index. When you publish new content or update existing pages, the time between publication and Copilot citation depends on how quickly Bing indexes the change. With IndexNow, this gap shrinks from days to minutes.

Content freshness signals

AI models increasingly value content freshness. When multiple sources answer the same question, AI tends to prefer the most recently updated source. IndexNow ensures your updates are reflected in Bing's index immediately, strengthening your freshness signal.

Competitive advantage

Most websites still rely on passive crawling — waiting for Bingbot to visit. By implementing IndexNow, you ensure your content updates reach Copilot before your competitors' passive crawl cycles catch up.

Beyond Copilot

While the primary AI SEO benefit is Copilot visibility, IndexNow also improves your Bing search rankings, Yandex visibility, and any AI system that draws from Bing's index. For your full Copilot visibility assessment, see Is My Site Visible in Copilot?.

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Generate an API key

Your API key is a unique string that verifies you own the website. Generate one using any method:

# Option A: Use a UUID generator
python3 -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4())"
# Output: e.g., a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890

Or use the IndexNow key generator on the official site.

Step 2: Host the key file

Create a text file named after your API key and place it in your website's root directory:

https://yoursite.com/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890.txt

The file content should be the key itself:

a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890

This proves to search engines that you control the domain.

Step 3: Submit your first URL

Send a GET request to notify Bing about a URL:

curl "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow?url=https://yoursite.com/new-page&key=a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"

A 200 or 202 response means the submission was accepted.

CMS Plugin Installation

WordPress

Several WordPress plugins automate IndexNow submissions:

IndexNow Plugin (by Microsoft):

1. Install from Plugins > Add New > search "IndexNow"
2. Activate the plugin
3. The plugin automatically generates a key and hosts it
4. Every time you publish or update a post, the plugin pings IndexNow

Yoast SEO Premium and Rank Math Pro both include built-in IndexNow support — check their settings panels for the IndexNow toggle.

Shopify

Shopify does not have native IndexNow support, but third-party apps like "IndexNow for Shopify" are available in the Shopify App Store. Alternatively, use the API approach with a custom webhook that triggers on product/page updates.

Other CMS platforms

• Wix: Built-in IndexNow support since 2024
• Squarespace: No native support — use the API approach
• Drupal: IndexNow module available on drupal.org
• Ghost: Use webhooks to trigger API submissions on content changes

API Integration

For custom implementations or automation, use the IndexNow API directly.

POST request for single URL

curl -X POST "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "host": "yoursite.com",
    "key": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "urlList": [
      "https://yoursite.com/updated-page"
    ]
  }'

Response codes

| Code | Meaning | |---|---| | 200 | URL submitted successfully | | 202 | URL accepted, will be processed later | | 400 | Bad request — check your JSON format | | 403 | Key file not found or mismatch | | 422 | Invalid URL format | | 429 | Too many requests — slow down |

Batch URL Submission

IndexNow supports submitting up to 10,000 URLs in a single API call — ideal for bulk content updates:

curl -X POST "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "host": "yoursite.com",
    "key": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "urlList": [
      "https://yoursite.com/page-1",
      "https://yoursite.com/page-2",
      "https://yoursite.com/page-3",
      "https://yoursite.com/blog/new-post"
    ]
  }'

When to use batch submission

• After a site migration
• After updating multiple product prices
• After re-optimizing existing content across many pages
• After fixing technical SEO issues site-wide

Verification and Monitoring

Verify key file accessibility

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  https://yoursite.com/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890.txt

Must return 200.

Check Bing Webmaster Tools

After submitting URLs through IndexNow, verify indexing in Bing Webmaster Tools:

1. Log in to Bing Webmaster Tools
2. Navigate to URL Inspection
3. Enter a submitted URL to check its indexing status
4. Check IndexNow section in the dashboard for submission history

Monitor Copilot visibility

After Bing indexes your updated content, test Copilot visibility by asking Microsoft Copilot questions related to your content. Updated information should appear within hours of IndexNow submission.

IndexNow and Sitemaps Together

IndexNow and XML sitemaps serve complementary purposes:

| Feature | IndexNow | XML Sitemap | |---|---|---| | Speed | Instant notification | Discovered during crawl | | Coverage | Only submitted URLs | All site URLs | | Use case | New/updated content | Complete site inventory | | Freshness | Real-time | Based on lastmod dates | | Search engines | Bing, Yandex, Naver | All search engines |

Best practice: Use both. Your sitemap provides the complete inventory of indexable URLs. IndexNow provides real-time notifications when specific URLs change. Together, they ensure comprehensive and timely indexing.