IndexNow Setup

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:

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:

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

Or add a site_url and key pair inline:

"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:

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:

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:

HTTP Response Codes