Submit URL to Google: 6 Pro Ways to Request Indexing in 2023

By:  Dileep Thekkethil

Updated On: March 15, 2023

Did you just publish a blog post or launched a new website recently? Still can’t find your pages on Google?

Fret not. This is the bane of almost all websites that are new. 

Today I have a few smart solutions to share with you to get pages indexed on Google within a few hours, if not instantly after hitting the publish button. 

Here is a quick video about the solutions listed in this article:

As you know, Google is beating all other search engines out there!

The latest report suggests that Google has over 86% share of the overall search traffic.

Statistic: Worldwide desktop market share of leading search engines from January 2010 to July 2020 | Statista
Find more statistics at Statista

So, as a website owner, ignoring Google is definitely not a good idea. This is the platform your target audience uses the most.

But before all this, Google needs to index your pages.

URL not Indexed

How can you submit individual URLs to Google so that it indexes these pages as quickly as possible?

This article only talks about how to get your URLs indexed on Google. If you want to rank those pages, just contact us online or hit us on the live chat below.

1. Build a Sitemap

submitted sitemap list in GSC

One of the most widely used methods for submitting URLs to Google is using a sitemap.

Since the search console was introduced, Google has been requesting the webmasters to submit the sitemap for better indexability and crawlability.

A sitemap can be created using three different formats.

XML Sitemaps

XML is one of the most commonly used formats for creating a sitemap.

The abbreviation XML stands for Extended Markup Language, and it is easy to create.

xml sitemap

You don’t even need professional help to create one.

If you are running a WordPress website, all you need to do is install the Yoast SEO plugin.

xml sitemap yoast

It automatically creates an error-free sitemap with all the URLs you need Google to Index.

In case you don’t want to do this, you can use any of the online sitemap generator tools to create a sitemap for your website.

Just upload the sitemap on your server, and done.

RSS, mRSS, and Atom 1.0 Sitemaps

If you are a publisher with a lot of content added every day, the best format for you would be these.

Just enable the RSS feeds on your website and submit the URL to the Search Console sitemap. rss sitemap

Google News publishers are already using this feature.

Google wants publishers to submit RSS feed URLs in the News Publisher Central so that the pages are indexed as soon as they are made live.

Plain Text Sitemaps

This is possibly the easiest way to submit your URLs to Google for indexing.

You just need to create a .txt file with each URL you want to index.

Ensure that you are adding just one URL per line. plain text sitemap

Once you have all the URLs, submit them on the sitemap section of the search console.

Keep these in mind while creating your Plain Text Sitemap.

  • Use UTF-8 encoding while saving the file.
  • Ensure that there is nothing other than the URLs in the file.
  • There are no constraints with the file name. However, ensure that the extension is .txt
  • Different Types of Sitemap Extensions

If you want to know more about sitemaps and the importance it has on SEO, read our in-depth article.

Submit XML Sitemap To Google Search Console

If you have created a new website, Search Console is the best free URL submission tool at your disposal to give a heads-up to Google that you exist.

To use the Search Console, you have to first verify your website by placing an authoritarian code.

Consider this as the first thing to do after the site launch.

Here are a few steps for submitting bulk XML URLs through Google Search Console

Step 1: Add Your Website on Google Search Console.

add site to search console

Step 2: Create a sitemap for your site (XML, RSS, or Plain Text).

xml sitemap

Step 3: Upload your sitemap to Google Search Console.

Upload your sitemap to Google Search Console

Step 4: Fix errors, if any, and resubmit if necessary.

2. Use URL Inspection Tool 

Consider that you have already submitted the sitemap on Google, and most of the pages are indexed.

You published a new page that has time-bound information.

You cannot wait for Google crawlers and need immediate crawling and indexing.

That’s when you can use yet another handy feature within the search console – URL Inspection Tool.

If you have used the old search console, it had a “Submit URL” feature.

However, when Google updated the search console in 2018, it integrated this feature with the URL Inspection Tool.

The URL Inspection Tool allows you to check whether a URL has been indexed in Google.

Additionally, you can also check for various other important details, including the Schema enhancements and indexability of the URL.

You can submit the new URL by hitting the Request Crawl button.

Steps for Submitting a New URL Using URL Inspection Tool

Step 1: Log in to Search Console.

search conole

Step 2: Selected URL Inspection Tool from the Left Navigation Tab.

url submit tool

Step 3: Enter the URL you want to submit.

inspecting a url

Step 4: Request Index.

URL not Indexed

NB: The Request Index feature of Google doesn’t guarantee immediate crawl and index. It may take a few minutes before you see the new URL added to the index. Again, this feature comes to use only if you want immediate indexing. Google’s crawler does a good job most of the time by indexing pages quickly.

How to Submit an Updated Content to Google

In case you made some significant changes to the content within a URL and want Google to reflect those changes ASAP, this tool is again going to make your life much easier.

Just click on the Request Recrawl option, and your new version will get added to Google’s priority list.

Step for submitting URLs using Inspect Element tool

Step 1: Log in to Search Console.

search conole

Step 2: Selected URL Inspection Tool from the Left Navigation Tab.

url submit tool

Step 3: Enter the URL you want to resubmit.

inspecting a url

Step 4: Request Reindexing.

request reindexing

3. Using Google API & Rank Math Plugin

To get a new page indexed instantly on Google, you can use Google’s Indexing API and a plugin like Rank Math to expedite the process.

Here’s how to do it:

Activate Google Indexing API:

Sign in to your Google Account

Go to the Google API Console: https://console.developers.google.com/

Click “Select a project” in the top right corner, then click the “New Project” button.

Enter a project name, and click “Create.”

New Project Create

In the “Dashboard” tab, click “Enable APIs and Services.”

Search for “Indexing API” in the search bar and select it.

Search indexing API

Click “Enable” to activate the Google Indexing API for your project.

Select indexing API

Next, you’ll need to create API credentials.

Create credentials

Click “Create credentials” and select “Service account key.”

Set Credential type

Under “Role,” select “Project” > “Owner.”

Click “Create” and download the JSON key file. This file contains essential information that Rank Math will need to use the Google Indexing API.

Install and configure Rank Math SEO plugin

Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.

Navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New.”

Search for “Rank Math” in the search bar, then click “Install Now” and activate the plugin.

Follow the setup wizard to configure Rank Math for your website. You can skip this step if you have already installed and configured Rank Math on your website.

Enable Google Indexing API in Rank Math

In your WordPress Dashboard, go to “Rank Math” > “Dashboard.”

Scroll down to the “Modules” section and enable the “Instant Indexing” module by clicking the toggle button.

Go to “Rank Math” > “Instant Indexing” in the left sidebar.

Click “Settings” and switch to the “Google” tab.

Upload the JSON key file you downloaded earlier from the Google API Console.

Click “Save Changes.”

Submit the new page for instant indexing

In your WordPress Dashboard, go to the “Posts” or “Pages” section, depending on where your new page is located.

Find the new page you want to index and click “Edit.”

In the “Document” sidebar, scroll down to the “Rank Math SEO” section.

Expand the “Instant Indexing” tab, and click “Send for Indexing.” This will send a request to Google to index your new page immediately.

After following these steps, your new page should be indexed by Google within a few minutes. However, please note that instant indexing doesn’t guarantee higher rankings. It only ensures that your page is added to Google’s index quickly. Your page’s ranking will still depend on various factors, such as content quality, relevance, and backlinks.

4. Strategic Internal Linking

Do you know that Google has set a crawl budget for your website? 

Despite Googlebot visiting your website daily, there are chances that a few pages may fail to get the much-required attention due to the crawl budget limitations. 

So, how do you make Google’s crawl budget a boon rather than a bane? 

It’s pretty simple. 

Once you publish a new post, make sure to have it linked to the most traffic-generating posts on your website. 

Want to know how that logic works? Let me explain. 

The pages driving the highest organic traffic are getting the most attention from Google. That means the Googlebot is visiting them quite often. 

Adding an internal link to your new article from such pages makes it super easy for Google’s bot to find and index it. 

5. Create Noise

Ok. This one is a bit controversial, but the truth is it has worked for us here in Stan Ventures. 

As soon as you hit the publish button, try to create a lot of noise around the article. Share it on multiple social media platforms including reddit, quora and other discussion forums that are getting huge attention from Google. 

When you have the URL mentioned on multiple platforms, there are higher chances of Google’s bot finding any one of it and adding it to the index. 

6. Fixing Found But Excluded Pages

Did you stumble upon an error in the search console that says URLs discovered but excluded. It’s a quite common issue among websites. 

There could be multiple issues leading up to this error. You can check for this error by going to the search console and clicking on the coverage report. 

Here you can find the list of pages that haven’t been indexed due to specific issues. Fixing the errors can pave the way for these pages to Google’s index. 

Why is it Important to Have a Page Indexed?

Unless your web pages are indexed on Google, they won’t be visible in the search results.

So, even if you update your site regularly with new blog posts and articles when there’s no indexing, people won’t be able to find your content even if it matches their search query.

This means no improvement in traffic, and as a result, there will be a decreased site visibility.

decreased site visibility

So, I guess you have already made your website live.

Great!

Are you unable to find the pages on Google? That’s the last thing you want.

Don’t worry. Most new websites face the same hardship.

But this has straightforward solutions.

This is exactly what I’m going to discuss in this article.

 

RIP Google URL Submit Tool! No More Bulk URL Submission to Google

RIP Google URL Submit Tool Earlier, Google offered the “Submit a URL” option for all its users to enable faster indexing of websites and URLs to its search index.

The “Submit URL” option was widely used by blog managers, webmasters, and outsourced SEO experts to push pages of client websites for faster indexing.

It was easy as webmasters could save the time spent asking clients their search console details to submit URLs through the “Fetch as Google” option.

However, Google’s URL submit tool is now dead!

This was confirmed after the search engine giant pulled the plug on one of its widely used services.

Why Google Killed the URL Submit Tool?

SEO experts, who were using this tool for submitting backlinks and for faster indexing, will face the heat as they are currently left with no other option other than waiting for their links to be crawled by Google naturally.

The submission of URLs was possible even for users who didn’t have to sign in.

It is possible that Google detected webmasters using the service for adding bulk URLs for indexing, which could have prompted them to discontinue it.

“We’ve had to drop the public submission feature, but we continue to welcome your submissions using the usual tool in the Search Console and through sitemaps directly,” announced Google, through its official Twitter Google Webmaster account.

The Submit URL option was added to Google search back in 2008 and later added it to its Classic Webmaster Account in 2012, with a few minor design changes.

Since then, the feature was part of Google Webmasters and later the Search Console.

The removal of the ‘submit URL feature’ from the Google search console has globally come to effect.

The page now displays a message that reads, “To submit a URL to the Google index, either submit a sitemap or use our new URL Inspection tool.”

Cling on to Fetch as Google and Sitemap, says Google:

Cling on to Fetch as Google and Sitemap With the elimination of Google’s free URL submission tool, webmasters will now have to use the “Fetch as the Google” option in the Search Console to make indexing faster. This latest move of the search engine giant has once again stressed the importance of having sitemaps. “Want to let us know about new or updated pages quickly? Use Search Console’s Fetch & Submit for individual pages, or have your CMS tell us directly with a sitemap file or feed,” Google tweeted.

What John Mueller Said About the URL Submit Tool

John Mueller on URL submit tool Over the last few months, webmasters have been noticing Google being fussy to index URLs that were submitted through the public URL submission tool.

With this announcement, it seems like the strategic move to kill off the tool, which has allowed users to submit URLs without signing in to the search console, was well thought out.

Earlier, John Mueller, the Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst – Google, had said that the URL submit tool need not be used if your content is well written with added value during one of his webmaster sessions.

He also identified a few scenarios wherein the tool might become handy for webmasters.  “…The one time I would recommend using the submit URL tool is when you have, like, real issues on your website that you urgently need to fix and you will urgently need to have Google reflect that in the search results. So, for example, you removed something private that you actually published. That would be a good candidate for this tool. Maybe, you had this wrong phone number in your title in your search results and people were calling up someone else accidentally. That would be something that you’d want to get re-indexed and want it processed as quickly as possible.”

While it is a good practice to submit URLs to Google for indexing, it doesn’t guarantee that your webpage will rank in the search engine. Crawling and indexing websites are a part of SEO. To ensure that your site ranks well on Google, you have to consider other essential factors like site speed, quality of content, and keywords used. By implementing the right SEO strategies, your content will have a greater potential to rank high on Google.

 

Author

Dileep Thekkethil

With over 12 years of expertise, Dileep has carved a name for himself as a trailblazer in the SEO industry. As an acclaimed author and relentless learner, he has transformed countless websites with tailored digital marketing strategies, thanks to his profound insights and innovative approach. Dileep's passion for staying ahead of the curve is evident in his contributions to Stan Ventures and the 100+ publications that feature his groundbreaking articles on SEO and digital marketing. His dedication to knowledge-sharing has earned him widespread recognition as a go-to expert in the field. For cutting-edge SEO solutions or to delve into the mind of a true digital marketing virtuoso, connect with Dileep through the links provided below. @Mail | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook or View all posts by Dileep

Comments

31 thoughts on “Submit URL to Google: 6 Pro Ways to Request Indexing in 2023

  1. Hi,
    I need to index 2 lakhs URLs to google.
    I submitted the site map.
    But Google is indexing only 150 URLs per day.
    Monthly Google will index only 4000urls.
    Is there is any method to increase the URL indexing count.?
    Please help me

    1. That is because you are not ranking higher on search results. I recommend start thinking of doing SEO.

      1. This is really a best information. I have indexed my website on Google. Thanks for this amazing information. Keep it up.

  2. I have gotten a lots of knowledge on about website directory submission. Excellent site lists. Thanks for share.Sir give me some tips how to improve my website ranking in search engines. Thanks again & keep up the good work

    1. Hi Ronald,
      If the blog is within their domain, it should happen naturally. You don’t have many options.

    1. If you are talking about the backlinks you have built, then no. Only a verified site owner can submit URL through the search console. In fact, Google earlier had a tool, but it’s long since they deprecated it.

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