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| Google Indexing API vs IndexNow - Real Speed Test - 3emalak.com |
Why is Google Indexing API Slower?
Google designed the Indexing API to say: "Tell me there is a new job posted so I can show it in Google Jobs before it expires". The goal is accuracy, not speed.
What happened is that Indian developers discovered a loophole in 2020 that if you submit any URL as a job posting, Google would crawl it quickly. So everyone started selling courses and plugins based on that loophole. I mean, it was made so a job that lasts 24 hours can appear before it ends, not so your article about "Top 10 Mobile Phones" gets indexed quickly.
Google closed the loophole at the end of 2023. Now this is what happens when you submit a normal article as a job:
You submit -> Google replies Success 200
Google API has a very heavy quality filter
When you submit a URL to Google Indexing API, Google does not go and crawl it immediately.
What happens is Google sees it is not a job
it throws your request in the trash, or returns it to the normal slow crawl queue. After a day or two, Google crawls your site in the normal way (via sitemap and internal links) and indexes it. So you think that indexing that happened after two days was because of the API, but in reality it is a very normal indexing that would have happened even if you did not submit anything.
Google knows that people are using this API incorrectly to index normal articles, so it has intentionally made a filter that slows it down and rejects most requests if they are not jobs or live streams. That is why you find the status URL_NOT_FOUND or it stays pending.
What about IndexNow?
The IndexNow protocol was invented and developed through a joint collaboration between Microsoft (Bing) and Yandex, and later other search engines joined (like Seznam.cz and Naver).
It is an open protocol and specifically designed for all types of content (articles, pages, products) to instantly inform search engines (like Bing and Yandex and others) of any change or addition of content, in a completely legal way and authorized for all sites.
The amazing advantage: When you send a URL via IndexNow to (for example) Bing search engine, Bing automatically shares this URL and notifies the rest of the search engines participating in the system at the same moment, which guarantees rocket and instant indexing for your site with them. IndexNow was designed with one goal: Speed and saving crawl resources.
Its main idea came from the problem that Bing was consuming 50% of sites' server resources for nothing while crawling pages that had not changed. So they said: Okay, let the site owner notify us when he changes something.
You -> Direct Ping -> Enters the crawl queue immediately. There is no content filter. You sent the URL = it will be crawled.
The engines that support IndexNow (Bing and Yandex) agreed on the principle of mutual trust, if Bing receives the URL it shares it with the rest of the engines at the same moment.
The Bottom Line With Numbers From Real Tests Same article, same server
IndexNow -> Crawled by Bing bot within 3 – 8 minutes Google Indexing API -> Crawled by Googlebot within 25 minutes – 6 hours, and sometimes it does not crawl at all if the content is not a Job
I actually programmed two indexing tools, one for indexing on Google Google indexer api [3Emalak Index by Google indexing api] and the second for indexing using indexnow [3Emalak Indexer Blogger & WP Forever] I noticed that the same URL within seconds gets indexed on Bing and Yandex and the same URL is actually unknown on Google despite the successful submission in both cases.
The word success in both means something completely different.
In IndexNow:
the meaning of success = Crawled When Bing replies with 200 OK it means: "Okay, I received the URL and put it at the front of the crawl queue, and I will crawl it right now" And since Bing and Yandex are hungry for new content, it crawls and indexes at the same minute to beat Google. Their policy is crawl first, filter later.
In Google
the meaning of success = Received only When Google Indexing API replies with 200 OK it means: "Okay, I received the notification and put it in the fridge" Google's policy is the opposite: filter first, crawl later.
What Happens After Receiving the URL on Both google indexer api & indexnow
- checks is your domain has enough Authority?
- Is this content duplicate?
- Is it similar to another article you have?
- Is this page made with an internal link from a strong page or is it thrown alone?
- Did you submit 50 articles in one day and your domain is new? If yes, it will put you in a filter and reduce the Crawl Budget
If you fail at any of these points, it will tell you success but it will not crawl at all, or it will crawl and do Crawled – currently not indexed. So the URL "actually unknown" in Google?
As a result of indexing articles using both google indexer api & indexnow
You will find one of these: On Google Google indexer api URL is not on Google - means even crawling did not happen Crawled – currently not indexed – crawled but decided not to index
While in Bing Webmaster Tools you will find it Indexed at the same moment.
| Feature | Google Indexing API | IndexNow |
|---|---|---|
| Official Purpose | JobPosting & LiveStream Only | All Content (Articles, Products) |
| What 200 OK Means | Received Only (in fridge) | Crawled Immediately |
| Real Speed Test | 25 min - 6 hours / Not at all | 3 - 8 Minutes |
| Content Filter | Very Heavy Filter (Authority, Duplicate) | No Filter - Crawl First, Filter Later |
| Risk | Against ToS if used for articles | 100% Legal & Official |
| Supported Engines | Google Only | Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam + Shares to others |
They Lied to You: Instant Article Indexing with Google Indexing API
Many YouTubers Promote The Idea of Instant Indexing on Google indexer api The widespread sentence "Google Indexing API is the fastest way to index" is half wrong and half marketing lie.
The truth that no one says on YouTube: Google Indexing API was never made to be the fastest way for indexing. Google itself writes in its Docs literally: This API is for Job Posting and LiveStream only.
And the proof The same URL is indexed in seconds on Bing/Yandex And the same URL takes two days on Google If Google's API was really faster, it should have been indexed before Bing.
Why do YouTubers say the opposite?
Because he shows you in the video the API page saying Success and tells you "look it got indexed", but he does not show you the URL inspection in Search Console at the same moment. If he inspected it, he would find it Not Indexed.
IndexNow has no tricks. 200 means it was actually crawled, and you can see it with your own eyes in Bing Webmaster after a minute. It is the official, real, and legally supported way for instant and fast indexing without violating the terms of any search engine, but with a fundamental note related to the search engines that support it.
How Do Other Search Engines Affect Google (Only Indirectly)?
Although there is no direct connection, the success of your article and its discovery on other engines may help Google in an indirect and slow way via External Signals: Backlinks and Spread: If your article appears quickly on Bing and users start visiting it and sharing its link on social media platforms or other blogs, Google's spiders may discover this link later while browsing those external sites or social media platforms (which Google monitors constantly).
Traffic Signals: The existence of real traffic on the page may draw the attention of Google's algorithms that there is activity on this link, so it gives it priority in the next crawl schedule (Crawl Budget).
📚 Recommended Next (Fix Your Indexing Issue)
If you are getting Crawled - Currently Not Indexed after using Google Indexing API, this is not a bug, it's Google's quality filter. Fix it here:
- How to Fix "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" Using JSON-LD & EEAT - The exact reason why your API request goes to trash
- How to Fix Sitemap Temporary Redirect Error Using Atom - Fix your sitemap to help normal crawl
Final Conclusion
If you are looking for 100% real instant indexing without problems or banning, then IndexNow is the best and fastest without any doubt, and it is the ideal choice to gain fast visits from search engines that support it (on top of which is Bing which has a considerable market share, especially with its AI integrations Copilot).
If indexnow is the only and fastest and really true way for fast and instant indexing and you will see amazing and instant results within a few seconds on Bing and other supporting search engines, and it will not affect directly or instantly the indexing of Google. And despite that, Google officially does not support the IndexNow protocol until now.
Google prefers to rely on its own system (traditional crawling, Sitemaps files, and algorithm updates), and refuses to link the indexing of normal site articles with the Google indexer api dedicated to jobs and live streams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is using Google Indexing API for articles against Google's terms?
Yes. Google's official docs say it is for JobPosting and LiveStream only. Using it for normal articles is exploiting a loophole that Google closed in late 2023, which is why most requests now get URL_NOT_FOUND or stay pending.
Does IndexNow help indexing on Google?
No direct help. Google does not support IndexNow protocol until now. But IndexNow gives you instant traffic from Bing and Yandex, and that traffic creates external signals (social shares, backlinks) that may help Google discover your URL faster indirectly.
Which is truly instant for indexing?
Based on real tests on the same URL, IndexNow is truly instant (3-8 minutes to get crawled by Bingbot). Google Indexing API takes 25 minutes to 6 hours, and sometimes it never crawls if the content is not a real job.
Why do YouTubers say Google Indexing API is instant?
Because they only show you the Success 200 response from the API and tell you "it got indexed". They don't show you the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console at the same moment, which would show Not Indexed or URL is not on Google.
Live Indexing Challenge - Try It Yourself [New]
Since many people ask for practical proof, I decided to open a daily challenge. If you have a new article that is still not indexed on Bing or Google, leave its link in a comment with the word "Try it for me".
Every day I will choose only 3 links randomly, I will send them from the two tools I programmed (Google Indexer API for personal use and IndexNow paid), and I will post the result with the time in your same comment.
Challenge Rules To Be Fair:
- Each domain has only one link. So that no one sends all his articles, it is one article per site.
- The link must be new and has never been indexed before.
- Selection is daily at 8 PM Cairo time.
- Documentation is on you: I will post the sending time, and you have to come back after 10 minutes and take a screenshot of the URL status from Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console and reply to your comment with the screenshot. Whoever does not post the documentation, his domain will not enter the challenge again.