If you’re struggling to get your website content crawled and indexed by Google quickly—especially when timing is crucial—there’s a method that can solve this problem effectively.
With Google’s Indexing API, you can get your pages crawled and indexed almost instantly. This is a game changer for content that needs to rank fast, such as news articles, event updates, or any time-sensitive material.
While the setup might seem complex at first glance, it’s actually quite straightforward once you get the hang of it. Let me walk you through the process I used to set this up and show you how you can start getting your content indexed rapidly, gaining a serious competitive advantage.
Why Instant Indexing Matters
If you’ve just put up a new blog post or product page, and you’re eager to see it show up on Google right away. Usually, you’d have to hang tight while Google crawls your website, which might take anywhere from a few hours to several days. But here’s the cool part – the Indexing API lets you jump the queue and get your content listed almost right away. This comes in handy if:
- You aim to rank for competitive keywords: Google’s quick indexing of your content helps you climb search rankings faster.
- You cover trending topics: Fast content indexing can boost your search result rankings before your rivals catch up.
- You need to keep search results current: Content updates at regular intervals can keep high-quality traffic flowing.
Follow these Steps to Get Google to Crawl your Site Instantly
When I first read the RankMath tutorial, it felt like I could never figure it out. Took me a couple tries to set everything up in Google Search Console and Google Cloud Platform but I am glad I didn’t give up because it’s super helpful.
This is literally the best SEO plugin I have ever used to get your content quickly crawled by Google.
So, let’s begin:
1. Download the Instant Indexing Plugin
Begin by downloading the Instant Indexing plugin for WordPress. This plugin works seamlessly with Rank Math SEO, making it easier to manage the entire process from the WordPress dashboard.
2. Create an Indexing API Project
To get started, I needed to set up an Indexing API project in Google Cloud Platform. Here’s how I did it:
- Visit the Google Cloud Platform.
- Click on “Create Project,” and give it a name that’s easy to remember.
- After the project is created, enable the Indexing API by selecting your project and clicking “Enable API.”
3. Create a Service Account and Get the API Key
With the project set up, the next step was to create a service account and generate an API key, which is necessary for authenticating my requests to Google:
- Navigate to the Service Accounts page in Google Cloud.
- Select your project and click “Create Service Account.”
- Name the account and add a brief description.
- Copy the Service Account ID (which looks like an email address) as it will be needed later.
- Manage the keys for this account by creating a new JSON key, which will automatically download to your computer.
4. Add the Service Account as an Owner in Google Search Console
To ensure the service account could interact with my website’s data, I had to add it as an owner in Google Search Console:
- Open Google Search Console and verify your website if you haven’t already.
- Go to “Users and Permissions” under the settings for your property.
- Click “Add User,” paste the Service Account ID into the email field, and set the permission level to “Owner.”
Now, the service account was officially linked to my Google Search Console property, allowing it to request indexing on behalf of my website.
5. Configure the Instant Indexing Plugin
With the API key ready and the service account added to Google Search Console, the next step was to configure the Instant Indexing plugin on my WordPress site:
- Install the Instant Indexing plugin via Plugins → Add New in the WordPress dashboard.
- Activate the plugin, then navigate to Rank Math → Instant Indexing Settings.
- Under the Google API Settings tab, upload the JSON file or paste its contents directly.
This links the plugin to the Google Cloud project. Select the post types you want to be indexed instantly (e.g., posts, pages) and save the changes.
6. Use the API to Get My Content Indexed Instantly
Finally, it’s time to put everything to use:
- In the Instant Indexing plugin settings, go to the Console tab.
- Enter the URL of the page or post to be indexed, select “Publish/update URL” from the dropdown, and click “Send to API.”
A success message should confirm that Google received the request.
Wrapping It Up
Setting up Google’s Indexing API might look tough at first, but breaking it into steps makes it easier to handle. This approach gives you a quick way to make sure Google crawls and indexes your content as fast as possible giving you an edge in search rankings. If you run into problems or have any questions, feel free to ask for help. This method has worked well to speed up the indexing process, and it can work for you too!