Before you start
- HTTPS live site and a verified Search Console property (see the Search Console setup tutorial first).
- Willingness to install or configure one reputable SEO plugin if you want automated IndexNow pings.
Know what “fast” means for each engine
Google decides crawl frequency and indexing from quality, links, and server signals. “Request indexing” in URL Inspection is a queue hint, not a contract.
Microsoft Bing (and other partners) implement IndexNow — a small HTTPS POST that announces a URL changed so they can recrawl sooner.
Treat IndexNow as a courtesy ping for engines that subscribe to the protocol, not a replacement for good pages.
Turn on IndexNow from WordPress (recommended path)
Use an IndexNow-capable SEO plugin or the official integration pattern: generate a random API key, expose it at https://your-domain/{key}.txt, then let the plugin POST changed URLs to api.indexnow.org/IndexNow with your key and host list.
After publishing or updating a post, confirm the plugin logged a successful ping (many plugins show a small notice or log entry).
If you run a static edge cache, purge the URL so bots see fresh HTML before you ping.
Add Bing Webmaster Tools and reuse your Google verification
Import your verified Google Search property into Bing Webmaster Tools when the wizard offers it — you get crawl diagnostics for Bing/Yahoo surfaces without redoing DNS.
Submit your sitemap index there as well; Bing still benefits from explicit sitemap discovery.
Keep Google’s sitemap path hot in Search Console
Submit the sitemap index once, then fix fetch errors immediately when the Sitemaps report complains.
When you ship a large new section, update the sitemap (plugins usually do this automatically) and spot-check a handful of URLs with URL Inspection instead of hammering “Request indexing” hundreds of times.
Use URL Inspection like a product manager, not a button masher
Run “Test live URL” after template or robots.txt changes to catch 5xx, soft-404, or blocked resources before you request indexing.
Request indexing only for money pages, launches, or fixes where the HTML materially changed — abuse slows everyone down including you.
Do not expect the Google Indexing API for normal blog posts
Google’s Indexing API is restricted to eligible schema types such as JobPosting and broadcast events. Marketing blogs and docs pages are not in scope — ignore plugins that promise otherwise.
If you publish structured data that truly qualifies, follow Google’s official documentation for that API; otherwise invest time in content and internal links.
Ship internal links the same day you publish
Add the new URL from your homepage, hub page, or category archive so crawlers encounter it without waiting for external backlinks.
Newsletters and RSS still create fetchable links; use them for humans first, discovery second.