PetroPulse Insights

Using IndexNow on Blogger with a Custom Domain — What’s Possible and What’s Not Can You Use IndexNow with a Custom Domain on Blogger If you’re using a custom domain on Blogger (like yourblog.com instead of yourblog.blogspot.com ), you might wonder: can I implement IndexNow and speed up indexing? The short answer is: yes, partially — but with limitations. What IndexNow Requires To use IndexNow officially, you need to: Generate an API key (a string) Save that key inside a .txt file Upload the file to your domain's root directory (e.g., https://yourblog.com/yourkey.txt ) Why Blogger Makes This Difficult Blogger doesn’t give you access to the server or file system. Even with a custom domain, your blog is still hosted on Google’s infrastructure, and you can’t upload files to the root directory. This means you cannot use IndexNow in the official method — unless you have server control, which Blogger doesn’t offer. Workarounds That Can Help 1. Use GitHub Pages...

Do You Still Need Sitemaps and Search Console If You're Using IndexNow? IndexNow, SEO strategy, Google Search Console, XML Sitemaps, Bing Webmaster, Instant indexing, Technical SEO IndexNow is a great step forward in the world of SEO — providing near-instant URL submission to supported search engines like Bing and Yandex. But can it replace traditional SEO tools like XML sitemaps and Google Search Console ? Let’s break down what IndexNow can (and cannot) do — and why traditional tools still matter. What IndexNow Does Well Instant submission of new or updated URLs No need to wait for search engines to crawl your site on their own Great for time-sensitive content like news, deals, or real-time updates Limitations of IndexNow Only works with supported search engines (Bing, Yandex, Naver — not Google) No dashboard to monitor which URLs are indexed or rejected No insights into technical errors, crawl issues, or traffic Why You Still Need Traditional SEO ...

Automatically Submitting Your Blog Posts to IndexNow Wouldn’t it be great if every time you hit “Publish” or “Update” on your blog, your post was instantly sent to search engines? That’s exactly what IndexNow allows — and with the right setup, you can automate this process completely. How to Automate IndexNow Submissions for Your Blog Posts In this article, you’ll learn how to automate IndexNow submissions using tools and platforms that support it. 1. WordPress Users: Use RankMath or All in One SEO RankMath and All in One SEO both offer built-in IndexNow integration. Enable the feature in your plugin settings. Each time you publish or update content, the plugin sends the URL to IndexNow automatically. 2. Custom Sites: Use Server-Side Scripts If you have a custom-built website, you can add a small PHP, Python, or Node.js script that sends IndexNow requests during publish/save events. Example (PHP): $url = "https://www.bing.com/indexnow?url=https://yourdomain...

How to Use Free IndexNow Submission Tools Without Hosting a Key File One of the biggest limitations for Blogger and similar platforms is the inability to upload a key file to the root directory — a required step for authentic IndexNow integration. Luckily, there are third-party tools that bypass this need and let you submit URLs directly. Free Tools to Submit IndexNow URLs Without Hosting a Key File This article introduces free, web-based IndexNow tools you can use without uploading anything to your site. What Are Third-Party IndexNow Tools? These tools act as a middleman. Instead of verifying your domain via a hosted key file, they use their own verified domains to send the URL submission requests on your behalf. Popular Free IndexNow Submission Tools 1. TechnicalSEO IndexNow Tool https://technicalseo.com/tools/indexnow/ Simple and free to use. Paste your blog post URL and hit “Submit.” 2. IndexNow.org Tester https://www.indexnow.org Official-looking, fa...

Understanding the Difference Between IndexNow and Sitemap Submissions Both IndexNow and traditional XML sitemaps serve the same goal: helping search engines discover your content. However, they work in very different ways — and knowing the difference can help you choose the right tool for your blog or website. IndexNow vs Traditional Sitemaps How Traditional Sitemaps Work A sitemap is a file (usually sitemap.xml ) that lists all URLs on your site. Search engines crawl the sitemap periodically to find new or updated content. You submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. How IndexNow Works Instead of waiting for search engines to crawl your site, you send updated URLs directly to them via the IndexNow API. This allows near-instant indexing of new or changed content. Requires hosting a key file on your domain or using a third-party service (as explained in previous articles). Speed Comparison Feature Sitem...

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. 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...