How You Can Get Google To Crawl Your Website Instantly

Mastering Google's Indexing API for Immediate Website Crawling

Summary

Google's indexing API is a powerful tool that allows website owners to get their pages and content crawled immediately. This is particularly beneficial for time-sensitive content such as live courses or job postings. However, it's important to note that Google recommends using the indexing API only for job posting and live streaming websites. Despite this, tests have shown that it works effectively on any type of website. This blog post provides a comprehensive guide on how to use Google's indexing API, from installing the free instant indexing plugin, setting up the Google API service account, to configuring the plugin.

Key Takeaways

• Google's indexing API can be used to get your website's pages and content crawled immediately.
• Google recommends using the indexing API only for job posting and live streaming websites.
• Installing the free instant indexing plugin is the first step to using Google's indexing API.
• Setting up the Google API service account is the second step.
• Configuring the plugin is the final step.

Table of Contents

• Installing the Free Instant Indexing Plugin
• Setting Up the Google API Service Account
• Configuring the Plugin
• Using the Console
• Common Errors and Solutions

Installing the Free Instant Indexing Plugin

The first step to using Google's indexing API is installing the free instant indexing plugin. This standalone plugin does not require the installation of Rank Math and is not related to the instant indexing module seen in the Rank Math dashboard. Once activated, a new section called 'Instant Indexing' will appear in Rank Math, where the Google API service account ID will be added later.

Setting Up the Google API Service Account

The second step involves setting up the Google API service account. This process is divided into three parts: creating a new indexing API project in the Google API console, creating the service account, and adding the service account as an owner to your Google Search Console property. It's important to note that the service account ID should be copied as it will be needed later. Also, the service account should be added as an owner for all the sites in the Search Console.

Configuring the Plugin

The final step is configuring the plugin. This involves pasting the contents of your JSON file or uploading it, selecting the post types where you want the indexing API to ping Google to crawl your website as soon as a post is published, updated or deleted, and clicking on 'Save Changes'.

Using the Console

After configuring the plugin, you can head over to the Console tab. Here, you can enter a URL or more in the Instant Indexing section and click on the 'Send to API' button. It's important to use the same version of the URL that is verified on Google Search Console. You can also use the 'Remove' option to remove the URL from the index and 'Get Status' to check if the URL has been crawled.

Common Errors and Solutions

There are two common errors that might occur after setting up the Google's indexing API. The first is the 403 indexing API error, which can be resolved by visiting the URL you want to be crawled and then retrying. The second is the 404 requested entity was not found error, which can be resolved by using the API console to publish or update the page once, then using the 'Get Status' action.

Conclusion

Google's indexing API is a powerful tool that can help website owners get their pages and content crawled immediately. However, it's important to follow the correct steps when setting it up to avoid common errors. By installing the free instant indexing plugin, setting up the Google API service account, and configuring the plugin, you can start using Google's indexing API effectively.