Google has its own pace for indexing, so there’s no magic button to make it happen instantly. But you can use a few proven methods to increase the odds that Google will notice your content and index it sooner.
Method 1: Submit URL via Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool
The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console is the simplest way to request Google to review and index new or updated URLs. This tool helps flag your content as ready for Google’s bots to crawl and index.
Steps to Submit Your URL:
- Log in to Google Search Console.
- Choose the property (website) you’re working with.
- Copy the URL you want Google to find and paste it into the search bar at the top of the console.
- Click TEST LIVE URL to ensure Google can actually index it.
- Hit REQUEST INDEXING to submit the URL.
- Once submitted, Google places your URL into its crawl queue. You can return to the tool later, re-paste the same URL, and check if Google has crawled it yet.
Method 2: Create and Submit an XML Sitemap to Google
If you have a bunch of URLs to submit, an XML sitemap can simplify the process. A sitemap lists the URLs of your site in a file, letting Google know about all the pages you want to be crawled. It’s also useful for keeping track of content updates, as you can set last-modified dates in the sitemap.
Steps to Submit an XML Sitemap:
- Open Google Search Console and select your website.
- In the menu, click on Sitemaps.
- Enter the URL of your XML sitemap (usually something like yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
- Click SUBMIT.
- After submitting, Google will try to retrieve your sitemap. You can monitor any updates or see if there were issues retrieving the sitemap.
Pro Tips:
- URLs with thin or duplicate content might get ignored by Google.
- Even after submitting, Google indexing might take time.