How to Verify That IndexNow Is Working
How to Verify That IndexNow Is Working on Your Site
After setting up IndexNow, it’s essential to confirm whether it’s working correctly. IndexNow doesn’t provide a dashboard or instant confirmation — so you need to perform a few checks manually.
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How to Verify That IndexNow Is Working on Your Site |
This guide will show you how to test your setup, validate your key file, and ensure URLs are being received and indexed by search engines.
1. Test If the Key File Is Accessible
Open your browser and visit the exact URL of your IndexNow key file. It should look like this:
https://yourdomain.com/yourkey.txt
If the file loads and displays only the raw key (no extra characters or formatting), it’s correct. If it returns a 404 or an HTML page — something is wrong.
2. Manually Submit a URL Using GET Request
In your browser, use the following format to submit one URL and test the key:
https://www.bing.com/indexnow?url=https://yourdomain.com/your-post&key=yourkey
Check the result:
- 200 OK = success.
- 403 Forbidden or 400 Bad Request = likely key error or incorrect key file path.
3. Use Curl or Postman for Deeper Testing
If you want to test with multiple URLs or verify header responses, you can use:
Example curl command:
curl -X POST "https://www.bing.com/indexnow" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"host": "yourdomain.com",
"key": "yourkey",
"keyLocation": "https://yourdomain.com/yourkey.txt",
"urlList": ["https://yourdomain.com/page1", "https://yourdomain.com/page2"]
}'
This will show the HTTP response from Bing and confirm the API accepted your data.
4. Check Bing Webmaster Tools (Optional)
If your domain is verified in Bing Webmaster Tools:
- Log in at https://www.bing.com/webmasters
- Check indexing status and recent submitted URLs
- Look for changes in crawl rates or indexing freshness
5. Use Free Online IndexNow Checkers
Some websites (unofficial) offer IndexNow test tools. These aren’t 100% reliable but can give quick feedback on your key file setup.
Examples:
Conclusion
Verifying that IndexNow is working isn’t difficult — but it does require manual steps. Make sure your key file is accessible, your URLs are properly submitted, and monitor indexing results through tools like Bing Webmaster.
In the next post, we’ll compare IndexNow with traditional SEO tools like sitemaps and explain when to use each one for the best results.
You may also like: Step-by-Step Guide to Enabling IndexNow for File-Upload-Supported Websites - Why IndexNow Doesn’t Work on Blogger - IndexNow vs Traditional Sitemaps: What's the Difference?
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