In this age of information, publishing new content is half the battle; the other half is getting it indexed by search engines. With Google and other major search engines finding it tough to index all new pages promptly, a solution comes from Microsoft and Yandex.
They’ve collaborated on a new protocol called IndexNow, designed to help webmasters speed up the time between publishing and indexing. Here’s a detailed guide on what IndexNow is and how to use it effectively.
What is IndexNow?
IndexNow is a brilliant tool for website owners to notify search engines instantly about the latest content changes on their sites. In essence, IndexNow is a simple ping that alerts search engines when a URL and its content have been added, updated, or removed. This allows the changes to be reflected quickly in their search results, particularly by indexing the URL in their search engine.
Without IndexNow, search engines might take days or even weeks to discover content changes as they don’t crawl every URL frequently. With IndexNow, search engines can instantly identify the URLs that have changed, helping them prioritize crawling those URLs and thus minimizing organic crawling to discover new content.
IndexNow is offered under the Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License and is supported by Microsoft Bing and Yandex.
Which Search Engines Support IndexNow?
As the joint initiative of Bing and Yandex, these two leading search engines natively use IndexNow for the indexing of new search results. Google hasn’t joined the IndexNow project yet but is currently testing the protocol.
Microsoft and Yandex have rolled out a new WordPress plugin, specifically designed to expedite the indexing of pages and posts published via WordPress.
About the IndexNow WordPress Plugin
Microsoft Bing has introduced a new WordPress plugin that facilitates the indexing of your WordPress blog and site using the IndexNow protocol. It installs with just a few clicks and requires almost no configuration.
The WordPress IndexNow plugin enables automated submission of your WordPress site URLs to multiple search engines, without requiring any manual action from your side. Post installation, the plugin automatically generates and hosts the API key associated with your site. It detects the creation, update, or deletion of pages in WordPress and automatically submits them in the background to various search engines, including Bing and Yandex.
This ensures that search engines using this protocol will always be informed as quickly as possible of the latest updates and published articles. Google is currently testing this protocol without having officially joined it.
How to Facilitate WordPress Site Indexing with IndexNow?
Here’s a straightforward guide to using IndexNow to optimize the indexing of your WordPress site:
- Create an account and select relevant keywords: Choose keywords that your target audience frequently uses in their search queries.
- Configure the IndexNow tool for WordPress: This plugin connects your WordPress site to the IndexNow tool and automates the online presence monitoring process.
- Automatically update your sitemap using the IndexNow plugin: This feature lets you automatically update your XML sitemap, aiding search engines in indexing your site.
- Monitor search results regularly: Use IndexNow reports to track how your WordPress site is performing in search results and take action to improve your ranking if necessary.
- Optimize your content for selected keywords: Wisely use keywords in your page titles, descriptions, and content to help search engines understand your site better and improve your ranking in search results.
What are the Costs Associated with Using IndexNow?
The costs associated with using IndexNow vary based on the tariff plan chosen by the user. Currently, IndexNow offers three pricing plans: Basic, Pro, and Enterprise.
- The Basic plan is free and allows monitoring of up to 10 keywords, with a maximum of 500 submitted URLs per month.
- The Pro plan, priced at $29.99 per month, allows monitoring of up to 50 keywords, with a maximum of 5,000 submitted URLs per month. It supports email alerts and customization of keyword monitoring frequencies.
- The Enterprise plan is customized based on your business needs and its volumes of URLs and keywords.
Remember, there are no hidden charges or setup fees, and the pricing plans are based on monthly billing. Now, go ahead and explore the power of IndexNow for a faster website indexing experience!
