Microsoft is making the IndexNow protocol easier to implement by ensuring submitted URLs are simultaneously shared between search engines.
IndexNow launched in October 2021 as solution to help websites get their content indexed and updated in search engines faster.
The IndexNow protocol ensures that all URLs submitted to any IndexNow-enabled search engine immediately get submitted to all other similar search engines.
That means webmasters just need to notify one API endpoint, as all URLs will be co-shared to every search engine that supports the IndexNow protocol.
In addition to saving time and effort for content publishers, this assists search engines in their content discovery efforts, which makes the web more efficient as a whole.
Microsoft Bing has already started sharing URLs from IndexNow with Yandex and vice-versa, and other search engines will follow suit after setting up the required infrastructure.
All search engines adopting the IndexNow protocol agree that submitted URLs will be automatically shared with all other participating search engines.
In an announcement, the Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools team states:
“The IndexNow protocol can help the entire search industry get their content indexed faster, while using less resources. Early adoption of IndexNow can help businesses deliver timely information to their users across search engines and reap benefits of staying ahead of the curve.”
IndexNow will continue to improve as it’s implemented by more websites.
The overall goal with IndexNow is to maximize search engine indexing, optimize crawl load management, and deliver the freshest content to searchers.
IndexNow is created by Microsoft and Yandex, but the protocol is open source and available to all search engines.
For more information about IndexNow, including how to implement it on your website, see the following resources:
- How To Use Python For IndexNow API Bulk Indexing & Automation
- IndexNow is a Major Change to Search Engine Indexing
- Google Will Be Testing IndexNow
- SEO Shake-Up: IndexNow’s Instant SERP Updates Are Here [Podcast]
- IndexNow Elicits Mixed Reactions Including Skepticism
Source: Microsoft Bing
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