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Guide · 10 minute setup

Google Indexing API Setup: Step-by-Step Guide with Screenshots

The Google Indexing API lets you tell Google the moment a page is published or updated, instead of waiting for it to be crawled. This guide walks through every click: the Google Cloud project, the service account and JSON key, and the Search Console permission that most tutorials get wrong.

Before you start

  • A Google account that is a verified Owner of the site in Google Search Console.
  • About 10 minutes. No coding and no credit card needed.
  • Indexing backlinks on other sites? You do not need this guide; use the free Backlink Indexer.

Part 1: Create a Google Cloud project

The Indexing API lives in Google Cloud. A project is simply the folder that holds the API access and the service account.

Step 1-1. Open Google Cloud Console

Go to console.cloud.google.com and sign in with the Google account that owns your website in Search Console. Accept the terms if this is your first visit.

Step 1-2. Create a new project

Click the Select a project drop-down at the top, then New Project. Give it a name you will recognise, such as Instant Indexing, and click Create. Wait a few seconds until the project is ready and selected.

Part 2: Enable the Web Search Indexing API

New projects have every API switched off. Turn on the one we need.

Step 2-1. Find the API in the library

Open APIs & Services → Library → Web Search Indexing API. Check the project name at the top is the project you just created.

Step 2-2. Click Enable

Click Enable. When the button changes to Manage, the API is on. Skipping this step causes the error “Indexing API has not been used in project … or it is disabled”.

Part 3: Create a service account and JSON key

A service account is a robot Google account. Tools use its JSON key to send URLs on your behalf, without your password.

Step 3-1. Open Service Accounts

Go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts and select your project if asked.

Step 3-2. Create the service account

Click Create service account. Enter a name like indexing-bot; the ID fills in automatically. Click Create and continue, skip the optional role and user steps, and click Done. Copy the service account email (it ends in .iam.gserviceaccount.com); you need it in part 4.

Step 3-3. Open Manage keys

In the list, click the three dots ⋮ in the Actions column of your new service account and choose Manage keys.

Step 3-4. Create a JSON key

Click Add key → Create new key, keep JSON selected and click Create. A .json file downloads to your computer. Keep it private: anyone with this file can submit URLs for your site.

Part 4: Make the service account an Owner in Search Console

Google only accepts Indexing API requests for sites where the service account is a verified Owner. This is the step most people miss.

Step 4-1. Open Users and permissions

Open Google Search Console, choose your property (add and verify it first if you have not), then click Settings → Users and permissions. A Domain property (e.g. example.com) covers every subdomain at once.

Step 4-2. Add the service account as Owner

Click Add user, paste the service account email from step 3-2, set Permission to Owner and click Add. Full is not enough; it must be Owner. The account appears in the list within a minute.

Part 5: Use the key in Instant Index

You are done with Google. Now send your first URLs.

Step 5-1. Upload the JSON key and submit

Open Instant Index, choose Index my website pages, pick Google Indexing API, upload the JSON file and paste up to 200 URLs from the same site. Your key is used for that submission only and is never stored on our servers.

Common Google Indexing API errors and fixes

403 Permission denied. Failed to verify the URL ownership.

Fix: The service account is not an Owner of that property. Repeat part 4 and make sure the permission says Owner, and that the URLs belong to that exact property (www vs non-www, http vs https).

403 Indexing API has not been used in project … or it is disabled.

Fix: Enable the Web Search Indexing API in the same project that owns the service account (part 2). Wait 2–5 minutes after enabling.

429 Quota exceeded / RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED.

Fix: The default limit is 200 publish requests per day per project. Wait until tomorrow (Pacific time reset) or request more quota in Google Cloud.

invalid_grant or “Invalid JWT signature”.

Fix: The JSON key was deleted, edited or pasted incompletely. Create a new key (step 3-4) and upload the whole file.

URL submitted but still not indexed after days.

Fix: The API asks Google to crawl. Indexing still depends on quality, duplicates, canonicals and noindex tags. Run the URL check in Instant Index and fix any issues it shows.

Google Indexing API FAQ

Is the Google Indexing API free?

Yes. Google does not charge for it. The default quota is 200 URL notifications per day per Google Cloud project.

Can I use the Google Indexing API to index backlinks?

No. Google only accepts URLs on sites where your service account is an Owner. To index backlinks on other websites, use our free Backlink Indexer, which submits crawl pages we own that link to your backlinks.

Does Google support the Indexing API for normal pages?

Google officially documents it for job posting and livestream pages. Many SEOs use it for other pages and report faster crawling, but Google may ignore requests it does not consider eligible.

Can one service account work for several websites?

Yes. Add the same service account email as an Owner in each Search Console property. The 200/day quota is shared across all of them.

Do I need this to use Instant Index?

No. Instant Index works without any Google setup through IndexNow (Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver, Yep). This guide is only for adding direct Google submission.

Is it safe to upload my JSON key?

Instant Index uses the key in memory for one submission and never saves or logs it. You can delete the key in Google Cloud at any time and create a new one.

Ready to submit your first URLs?

Index backlinks and pages for free, with or without a Google key.

⚡ Open Instant Index