# IndexNow: how do you tell search engines a page changed?

> IndexNow explained: how the protocol tells Bing and other search engines that a page changed, the key file to publish, response codes and its real limits.

Updated on October 15, 2026 · https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/indexnow

IndexNow is an open protocol that lets a website instantly notify participating search engines that a URL was added, updated or deleted. The site publishes a verification key, then sends the list of affected URLs. Submitting speeds up discovery, but it does not guarantee that a page will be indexed.

## In short
- Engines listed by IndexNow.org: Amazon, Bing, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yandex and Yep. Google isn't listed.
- A submission to one participating engine is shared with the others.
- Up to 10,000 URLs per POST request.
- The key is 8 to 128 characters long and is published in a text file.

## What is IndexNow for?

The official FAQ puts it simply: IndexNow lets you submit URLs as soon as content is added, updated or deleted [1]. Without that signal, a search engine finds changes by recrawling the site or rereading the [XML sitemap](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/xml-sitemap), which can take a while.

Bing describes IndexNow as a free, open-source protocol and notes that many content management systems and content delivery networks already support it [2]. For a small business, the appeal is straightforward: a new service page or a change in hours reaches participating engines the same day.

## Which search engines use IndexNow?

IndexNow.org's FAQ lists endpoints for Amazon, Bing, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yandex and Yep, plus a global endpoint. A submission to any of them is shared with every engine that has adopted the protocol [1]. Google isn't on that list, so for Google the sitemap and regular crawling remain the normal routes.

## How does an IndexNow submission work?

1. **Create a key** — A string of 8 to 128 characters: letters, digits and hyphens [1].
2. **Publish the key** — A UTF-8 text file named after the key (key.txt), publicly reachable, ideally at the site root; elsewhere on the same host you must pass keyLocation [1].
3. **Send the URLs** — A request listing the URLs added, updated or deleted, up to 10,000 per POST request [1]. The technical documentation gives the exact format [3].
4. **Read the response** — The status code tells you whether the submission was accepted, is pending or was rejected.

| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 200 | Submission received and processed |
| 202 | Received; key verification pending (common on the first request) |
| 400 | Malformed request, or missing or incorrect key or URL |
| 422 | Understood but could not be processed |
| 429 | Too many requests; check the Retry-After header |

Source: IndexNow.org FAQ.

## How many submissions does a service business need?

**Calculation: a Quebec City moving company over one month**

- New pages (tips, areas served) : 4
- Updated pages (seasonal prices, holiday hours) : 9
- Deleted pages (expired promotion) : 1
- URLs to report : 14
- Requests needed (10,000-URL cap per request) : 1 per day with changes
- **= 14 URLs a month: a small business stays nowhere near the cap, and a handful of submissions is enough.**

## What mistakes happen with IndexNow?

- Thinking a submission forces indexing; the FAQ says submitting a URL doesn't guarantee immediate indexing [1].
- Putting the key file behind a login when it must be publicly readable.
- Resubmitting every page daily instead of only the changed ones, and running into a 429.
- Reporting pages that [robots.txt](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/robots-txt) blocks or that carry noindex, which sends mixed signals.
- Forgetting that Google isn't among the listed engines and letting the sitemap slide.

## Does IndexNow replace the sitemap?

No. The sitemap describes all your pages and remains the usual discovery route; IndexNow flags one specific change at the moment it happens. The two work together in tidy [SEO](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/seo). Technically, IndexNow is a small [API](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/api): an HTTP request carrying a list of URLs.

## What does Pilotiko do with IndexNow?

In the meantime, the generated sitemap is how search engines discover your pages. See also our page on [structured data](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/structured-data).

> Coming soon: IndexNow submission for our customers' websites is not available yet. Today Pilotiko generates the sitemap, robots.txt, structured data and llms.txt for the site it hosts.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Google use IndexNow?

Google is not on the list of participating engines published by IndexNow.org. For Google, rely on the sitemap, links and Search Console.

### Does IndexNow cost anything?

No. Bing describes it as a free, open-source protocol. You only need to publish a key and send requests.

### What does a 202 response mean?

The submission was received, but key verification is still pending. That's common on the very first request.

### Should deleted pages be reported too?

Yes. IndexNow covers additions, updates and deletions, so participating engines learn a page is gone without waiting for their next visit.

### Where does the key file go?

Ideally at the site root, as key.txt. It can also sit in another public folder on the same host, as long as you give its location with the keyLocation parameter.

## Sources

1. IndexNow.org, « IndexNow FAQ », https://www.indexnow.org/faq (accessed on 2026-10-15)
2. Bing Webmaster Tools (Microsoft), « Why IndexNow », https://www.bing.com/indexnow (accessed on 2026-10-15)
3. IndexNow.org, « IndexNow documentation », https://www.indexnow.org/documentation (accessed on 2026-10-15)