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Google Indexing API

Submit your site URLs directly to Google for faster indexing. Instead of waiting for Google to discover new or updated pages via crawling, the Indexing API lets you notify Google immediately.

Prerequisites

  1. A Google Cloud project with the Indexing API enabled.
  2. A service account with a downloaded JSON key file.
  3. The service account email added as an owner in Google Search Console.

Step 1 — Create a Google Cloud Project

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console.
  2. Click Select a project at the top, then New Project.
  3. Enter a project name (e.g. "Raita Indexing") and click Create.

Step 2 — Enable the Indexing API

  1. In the Cloud Console, go to APIs & Services > Library.
  2. Search for "Web Search Indexing API".
  3. Click Enable.

Direct link: Enable Indexing API

Step 3 — Create a Service Account

  1. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials (direct link).
  2. Click Create Credentials > Service account.
  3. Enter a name (e.g. "raita-indexing") and click Create and Continue.
  4. Skip the role step (click Continue) — the Indexing API does not require a project-level role.
  5. Click Done.

Step 4 — Download the JSON Key

  1. In the Credentials page, click on the service account you just created.
  2. Go to the Keys tab.
  3. Click Add Key > Create new key.
  4. Select JSON and click Create.
  5. A .json file will be downloaded — keep it safe.

Step 5 — Add Service Account to Search Console

This is the step most people miss. Google will reject all indexing requests unless the service account is verified as a property owner.

  1. Go to Google Search Console.
  2. Select your property.
  3. Go to Settings > Users and permissions.
  4. Click Add user.
  5. Enter the client_email from the JSON key (e.g. raita-indexing@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com).
  6. Set permission to Owner.
  7. Click Add.

Step 6 — Configure in Raita

  1. Open Sites in the sidebar.
  2. Click Indexing on the site you want to configure.
  3. Upload the JSON key file or paste its contents.
  4. Click Save Config.

Step 7 — Submit URLs

  1. In the Indexing panel, all crawled pages are listed with checkboxes.
  2. New pages (never submitted) are checked by default.
  3. Previously submitted pages are unchecked — re-check them if the content has been updated.
  4. Click Submit to send selected URLs to Google.
  5. A green Submitted badge appears next to each successfully submitted URL.

The next time you open the Indexing panel, Raita remembers which URLs were already submitted and leaves them unchecked automatically.

Quotas and Limits

LimitValue
URL notifications per day200 per property
Notification typeURL_UPDATED (new or changed pages)
Supported contentPublicly accessible URLs only

Troubleshooting

ErrorCauseFix
403 ForbiddenService account not an owner in Search ConsoleComplete Step 5
429 Too Many RequestsDaily quota exceededWait 24 hours or reduce batch size
Invalid private keyCorrupted or wrong JSON fileRe-download the key from Cloud Console
Token exchange failedIndexing API not enabledComplete Step 2

Further Reading