How to Instantly Index Your Website with IndexNow Using a Bash Script

If you’re looking to ensure that your website’s content is indexed by search engines as quickly as possible, IndexNow is another tool to add to your toolbelt. Below, is my bash script helped me get started quickly with IndexNow. Afterwards, I’ll break down what each part of the script does and what it does, along with how to create and execute the script.

The Script

Let’s start with the script that automates the process of submitting a URL to be indexed via the IndexNow protocol.

# Constants for example.com
HOST="example.com"
KEY="your_unique_key_here"
KEY_LOCATION="https://example.com/your_unique_key_here.txt"

# Check if the URL path is passed as an argument
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 "
  exit 1
fi

# Assign the first argument to a variable
URL_PATH="$1"

# Submit URL list for example.com
curl -X POST "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
  -d "{
    \"host\": \"$HOST\",
    \"key\": \"$KEY\",
    \"keyLocation\": \"$KEY_LOCATION\",
    \"urlList\": [
      \"https://$HOST$URL_PATH\"
    ]
  }"

How to Create and Execute the Script

Step 1: Create the Script

1. Open your text editor: You can use any text editor like Nano, Vim, or even Visual Studio Code.
2. Copy the script: Copy the bash script provided above.
3. Save the script: Save the file with a .sh extension, for example, indexnow_submit.sh.

nano indexnow_submit.sh

4. Make the script executable: Before you can run the script, you need to give it execute permissions.

chmod +x indexnow_submit.sh

Step 2: Execute the Script

1. Run the script: To use the script, open your terminal, navigate to the directory where your script is saved, and execute it by providing the path to the URL you want to index.

./indexnow_submit.sh /path-to-your-page

2. Example command: If you want to index a page located at https://example.com/blog/my-latest-post, you would run:

./indexnow_submit.sh /blog/my-latest-post

This will prompt the IndexNow API to index the specified URL immediately.

Breaking Down the Script

Now that you’ve seen the script and know how to run it, let’s dive into what each part does and why it’s important.

1. Setting Up Constants: At the top of the script, we define some constants. These include the domain of your website (HOST), the IndexNow key (KEY), and the location where this key is hosted (KEY_LOCATION). These are essential for the search engines to verify your site and the URLs you submit.
2. Checking for a URL Path: The script checks if you’ve provided a URL path as an argument when running the script. If you forget to include a URL path, the script will prompt you and exit. This step is crucial for ensuring that you don’t accidentally run the script without specifying which URL you want to index.
3. Submitting the URL: The heart of the script is the curl command, which sends a POST request to the IndexNow API. This command submits a JSON payload that includes your site’s details and the URL you want indexed. The search engines will then use this information to quickly index the specified URL.

What is IndexNow?

Having seen the script in action, it’s helpful to understand a bit more about what IndexNow is and why you might want to use it.

IndexNow is a protocol that allows website owners to notify search engines immediately when content on their site is updated. Instead of waiting for search engines to crawl your site periodically, IndexNow lets you proactively inform them about changes, ensuring that your content is indexed much faster.

Why Use IndexNow?

There are several benefits to using IndexNow:

• Speed: Instant indexing of new or updated content can be critical, especially for news or time-sensitive posts.
• Efficiency: It reduces unnecessary server load by cutting down on the frequency of search engine crawls.
• SEO Advantage: Faster indexing can lead to quicker visibility in search results, potentially driving more traffic to your site.

Setting Up Your IndexNow Key

To use IndexNow, you’ll need to generate and host a key that validates your submissions.

1. Generate Your Key: Visit the IndexNow Key Generation page and create your unique key.
2. Host the Key: Save the key as a text file and upload it to the root directory of your website. For example:

https://example.com/your_unique_key_here.txt

3. Verify: Ensure the key file is accessible via the URL.

Conclusion

Starting with a practical script and then delving into the details can make it easier for you to implement IndexNow on your site. By using this simple bash script, you can ensure that your content gets indexed promptly, giving you a potential edge in search engine visibility.

If you want to make sure your content is seen as soon as it’s published, IndexNow is a great tool to have in your SEO toolkit.