Google API Instant Indexing Guide

Summary: Instant Indexing – a process by which you automatically alert Google indexing about a page, post, or any URL for your website (or in bulk). This guide teaches you how to eliminate the manual process and make it automatic.

The manual way is to visit Google Search Console, enter your URL for Inspection, then Request Indexing – one page at a time.

You can visit Google directly to read their guide on the Indexing API Quickstart process.

  • Per their recommendation, “…the Indexing API prompts Googlebot to crawl your pages sooner than updating the sitemap and pinging Google.”
  • Their guide will also inform you how to complete this process by hardcoding with Python, Java, PHP, and Node.js.
    • This guide here uses a plugin to avoid the hardcoding process. Use only as your developer directs.

Toolbox Requirements:

rjl web marketing website toolbox wordpress logo

Google Cloud Platform

  • Visit Google Cloud Platform.
  • Make sure you’re in your client’s project
    • You may have an existing project due to a previous process. If not, create a project for the client (not covered here).
  • Navigate to the API Library > Search for “indexing api”
  • Enable the Indexing API.
where to find the api library in google cloud platform menu
google indexing api in the library
google indexing api in the library
google indexing api in the library
  • Click the Create Credentials button in the upper right.
creating credentials for your newly enabled indexing api
  • Enter Credential Type.
    • Select Application data for “What data will you be accessing?”
    • Select Yes, I’m using one or more option.
  • Skip “Your Credentials.”
credential types when creating credentials for indexing api in google cloud platform

Service Accounts

  • Navigate to Service Accounts.
where to find the service account page in google cloud platform menu
  • Click Create Service Account at the top.
create service project for your client project in google cloud platform
  • Enter Service account details.
  • Click the Create & Continue button.
  • Skip options #2 and #3.
  • You will need the long auto-generated email address. Copy/paste into a notepad.
create service project for your client project in google cloud platform

Manage Keys & JSON Download

  • Three dots > Manage Keys
where to find the manage keys three dots menu in service accounts google cloud platform
  • Click the Add Key button > Create new key > JSON
where to find the manage keys three dots menu in service accounts google cloud platform
create a private key for instant indexing api service accounts
  • A JSON file will be downloaded to your computer. Save this in your client archive/files.
create a private key for instant indexing api service accounts
rjl web marketing website toolbox tools google search console

Google Search Console

  • Visit Google Search Console.
  • Make sure you’re in the correct domain (your clients).
    • If you do not have one, create one (not covered in this article).
  • Navigate to Settings (way bottom left) > Users & Permissions > Add User
  • Paste the administrative email address from the Service Account in the previous step.
    • Make that email address an Owner.

*Google Search Console won’t let me add the new Owner: If you’re replicating this process quickly, you’ll likely run into this error. Google takes a little time to process the email address created in the previous step. You can’t add the email address as an Owner until it processes. It only takes a minute or two for the auto-generated email to process back in the Cloud Platform.

where to find the users and permissions section in google search console
how to add a new user for your instant indexing account in google search console
rjl web marketing website toolbox tools rank math

Instant Indexing by Rank Math

  • Go into your client’s WordPress admin.
    • Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Search for Instant Indexing by Rank Math > Install the plugin > Activate the plugin
where to find instant indexing by rank math plugin in wordpress add plugins section
  • Navigate to the Instant Indexing plugin settings.
    • Upload the JSON file you previously downloaded.
    • Select which “Submit Posts to Google” options are most relevant to your client’s environment.
    • When you hit Save Changes, it will populate the JSON Key section at the top with the contents of the JSON file.
adding json file and settings to instant indexing plugin in wordpress

Conclusion

There are a variety of things you could do at this point based on your needs.

  • Publish and update URLs
  • Remove URLs

Get your website’s URLs in bulk.

  • Use an import/export tool to gather your website’s URLs in bulk, like in a spreadsheet, then you can copy/paste the URLs into the Instant Indexing Console. See the link in the Toolbox Requirements section at the top for a recommendation on WP Import Export Lite by VJInfotech. This plugin is easily turned off and removed when your activity is complete.
uploading urls in mass for instant indexing console

How many URLs can you process at once?

As you can see in the above screenshot, there are various quotas.

  • Publish Requests Per Day Per Project = 200
  • Requests Per Minute Per Project = 600
  • Metadata Requests Per Minute Per Project = 180

Integration Into Your WordPress Environment

You’ll later notice that the plugin integrates into your WordPress environment.

  • EVERY TIME you update or republish a page, the Instant indexing API call will happen automatically.
instant indexing API call upon updating or publishing a page
  • Within the parent Pages section in WordPress, links for API call actions appear for each Page
    • Upon clicking the link, it will redirect you to the Console tool, and automatically process the option you chose.
instant indexing API call at the parent pages section in wordpress