How to quickly index your blog post article or website on Google after publishing

Introduction

Why should I get my freshly published article indexed in Google?

You’ve just published your blog article, you’re super excited about it, and you want the whole world to admire it? Well, that won’t happen if you don’t get that post indexed in Google. It’s a good idea to do this right after publishing, because the sooner your article appears in Google after publication, the faster you'll increase traffic to your blog and have more time to gather backlinks. 

And of course, the sooner the crowd will appreciate the brilliance of your work!

If you don’t submit your article for indexing manually, Google will probably (unless something blocks the process) index it on its own. The real question is, do you want to sit around waiting to see if Google does it, and if it does, how long will it take? After all, we’re talking about your article, the one you spent so much time on—are you really sure you want to wait?

How long do I have to wait for my article to be indexed in Google?

Alright, let’s say you’ve decided to give Google a shot and see if it can index your article on its own. But what determines when Google will actually do it?

Google’s indexing bots roam around the internet, checking out what’s new, what’s changed, and if there’s something fresh they should know about. However, they don’t visit every page all the time, of course. How often Googlebot visits your site depends on things like how much organic traffic you already get, your domain’s authority, how many backlinks you have, how frequently and regularly you publish new content, and a bunch of other factors that we don’t really know because, well, Google’s algorithm is pretty complicated—and, above all, secret.

So how long will you have to wait for your article to be indexed by Google? “Anywhere from a few hours to even a few weeks” as Google said itself. On one hand, your site might check all the boxes for frequent visits by Googlebot. On the other hand, if it doesn’t, maybe you’ll get lucky and Googlebot will drop by right after your article is published.

Remember that Google states submitting your URL for indexing is merely a request, not a guarantee that the link will be indexed immediately—or even at all. As I mentioned earlier, many factors influence indexing, and we can't be certain that Google will act right away after you submit a request. Below is an excerpt from the documentation that clearly explains this:

So, what do you want to do? Gamble with fate and wait to see how long it’ll take, or check out the tips below that I’ve prepared to show you how to take matters into your own hands and speed up the process?

Let’s get to work, buddy!

How to index your blog article on Google

Index article manually with Google Search Console

First, log in to Google Search Console. I’m guessing you already have your account set up for your website, but if not, quickly go through the setup process - trust me, it’s easy.

Once logged in, select your Property, and when you’re on your dashboard view, you should see something like this:

Take the URL of your article, copy the whole thing, and paste it into the top input field where it says "Inspect any URL in..." and then press Enter.

Next, you’ll probably see a screen saying that your URL isn’t in Google. No worries, I suggest you start with a LIVE URL TEST first.

It’ll take a moment, but once the little loader finishes gracefully moving from left to right, you should see the LIVE TEST tab, where it’ll tell you that your URL is available to Google. If at this stage you’re seeing something different, it’s a clear sign that you need to start investigating why your URL isn’t being indexed. Perhaps the page is marked as noindex, or there’s another type of indexing-related error. I’ll dedicate a separate article to this topic because indexing errors can come in all shapes and sizes.

But I’m betting you’ve got a positive response by now, so your screen should look something like this:

Now it’s time to move on to the REQUEST INDEXING step - our cherry on top. The tension is building, the countdown is like New Year's Eve, and your perfect article is so close to seeing the light of day. Soon, organic traffic will flood your site with the force of a wild boar diving into acorns. Okay, maybe I went a little overboard there.

Finally. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Now Google knows our article is live, and we want it to show up in the search results - ideally at the very top. Read carefully what it says in the message: "Submitting a page multiple times will not change its queue position or priority." Take those words seriously, trust me, there’s no point in clicking REQUEST INDEXING over and over.
There are even rumors in the SEO corners of the internet that spamming GSC with this button might actually slow down the process. How true that is - I don’t know, but let’s not test it. Google’s asking for peace, so let’s give it some.

Update your sitemap with your new URL

A good CMS takes the hassle out of managing your sitemap, making everything happen seamlessly in the background. Take Flotiq, for example - using our Next.js starter, we show you just how easy it is to generate a sitemap right within your CMS. Check out the starter and see for yourself how simple it can be!

How to check if my article is in the sitemap?

Typically, the sitemap URL looks like this: www.your-domain.com/sitemap.xml, but it doesn’t always have to. For our blog, the URL looks like this: https://flotiq.com/blog/sitemap.xml. So, you’ll need to verify whether you have a sitemap, and if not, create one using free online generators, then upload it to your server so it’s accessible via a familiar URL.
In our case, the sitemap is working fine, and we can find our blog article correctly added, just like in the screenshot below:

Send your updated sitemap to Google Search Console

If your sitemap updated automatically because you have a good CMS that did it for you, or you did it manually - now it’s time to notify Google that this has happened. To do that, we’re heading back to our favorite tool in this article, Google Search Console.

Log in, go to your Property, and then follow these steps:

1. On the left side, in the menu, select Sitemaps.
2. In the "Enter sitemap URL" input field, paste the URL of your sitemap that contains the link to your freshly published article.
3. Hit the SUBMIT button.

If everything goes well, you should see a success message. Note that Google explains it will occasionally check this sitemap for changes, and if anything goes wrong, it will let us know.

This is good news because it means that if, for example, our sitemap disappears or becomes incorrect due to an error, Google Search Console will notify us about the issue. And if you have email notifications enabled for the account that’s the admin of this GSC property, you’ll also receive an email alert. What a great tool!

If you’d like to start using a CMS tool where you can write the best articles in the world, and let the tool take care of important tasks like refreshing your sitemap, submitting articles for indexing in Google Search Console, and checking whether your article is already indexed in Google—then I highly encourage you to try Flotiq for free.

As a content writer, you demand a lot from yourself—don’t let technology slow you down. Instead, let it speed up your work and make it easier for others to find. Give it a try at https://editor.flotiq.com/register and level up your content game!

Configure automatic post indexing in Google with Google Search Console API through Google Cloud

Alright, we’ve gone through the manual process of adding your article to Google Search Console to get it indexed in Google’s search results.

Now it’s time for something a bit more advanced. You can set up your workflow so that every article you publish is automatically added to Google’s index right after publication.

How do you do that? By using the Google Search Console API, which is available through Google Cloud. If you’re up for a little technical work, check out my tutorial below. It’ll walk you through how to use Google’s API to automate the indexing of your articles.

1. Create a Google Cloud account
   First, create a Google Cloud account at Google Cloud Console (if you don’t have one already). You’ll need a Google account to proceed—preferably an admin account like [email protected] to keep everything organized.
   
   
2. Create a new project
   Once you're logged in, create a new project under your Google Cloud account. For instance, you can name it something like “Your Website Main Project” or whatever suits your needs.
   
3. Enable Google Search Console API
   Go to the Google Search Console API page and click on Enable. This will allow your project to interact with Google Search Console.
   
4. Set up credentials
   - Go to API & Services → Credentials.
   - Click on Create Credentials → OAuth Client ID. (Note: If prompted, you may need to complete the OAuth consent screen setup. Select "External", provide a contact email, and fill out basic project details. Not all fields are mandatory.)
   
5. Download OAuth credentials
   After creating the OAuth Client ID, select the Web application and download the JSON file that contains your authentication credentials.
   
   
6. Use the Google Auth Library
   To integrate the authentication process into your application, you can use the Google Auth Library. This library will use the downloaded JSON credentials to authorize your application.
   
   
7. API Documentation
   For more detailed information on how to interact with the Google Search Console API, refer to the official documentation.
   
   
8. Test with Postman
   Before integrating everything into your application, you may want to verify the API requests with Postman. This will ensure everything is set up correctly.

Use external tools to index in Google

You can use external tools, which actually also uses Google Search Console API, so it should works in the same way. Here I am giving you example two index external tools that you can use for yourself:
- https://indexplease.com/
- https://indexmenow.com/

These tools can be especially useful if you don’t have the time or resources to set up your own solution. However, remember that while they simplify the process, the final decision to index still lies with Google, and these tools can't guarantee instant results. Use them wisely as part of your broader SEO strategy.

How to speed up indexing your new article in Google

Improve internal linking

As I mentioned before, Google crawls websites and pages based on its algorithm, and it’s nearly impossible to predict when it will show up to discover your new URL. But one thing we do know for sure: when Google crawls pages, it checks not only the links to other pages but also the links to your own internal pages. So, if you publish a new article and don’t link to it anywhere on your site, it’s like shooting yourself in the foot.

First off, if your page isn’t indexed yet, you’re making it harder for your audience to discover your amazing new content. Sure, you can share it through other channels like social media, but your goal should be to make the user’s journey to your new content as smooth as possible. The other side of the coin is that Google, in its infinite wisdom (or "common sense" if you will), might see your page as an orphan (yes, that’s what they’re called when no internal links point to them), and decide it’s not that important. If you’re not linking to it from your other pages, why should Google consider it valuable for its users?

So, here’s the deal: You need internal links pointing to your article. What kind of links, you ask? Here are some ideas:

1. The homepage of your blog with tiles like “Latest Articles.”
2. The “Editor’s Pick” section on your blog, where you feature your best articles.
3. A section on your homepage called “Last on our blog...”
4. A footer section that says “Check out the latest on our blog.”
5. A link to your article in the top navigation under the "Resources" dropdown menu.

But here’s the real kicker: the web of internal links between your articles. Go ahead and dive into your existing blog posts and other killer content. Then, get creative. Select a few posts and edit them to include links to your new article where it makes sense. Make sure to use anchor text (the clickable part of the link) that’s relevant to the article and includes keywords related to your new content. Try to avoid generic links like “read more,” “last written article,” or “click here.”

Promote your new article in social media and partners websites

If your article gets significant traffic, Google will eventually take notice. Remember, all the tools it offers—Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, and many more—are collecting data about you and your users. In theory, we know what this data is used for, and some of it is even shared with us. But ultimately, Google relies on this information to improve its algorithms, determine search rankings, and prioritize which sites to crawl and when.
So, focus on driving more traffic from other sources. One great avenue is your social media platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Be present wherever your audience is. Post updates, engage with your followers, and promote your content across these platforms to increase visibility and signal to Google that your article is worth noticing.

Acquire backlinks to your new post to index your article in Google faster

Try to acquire external links to your article. Reach out to your business partners who run their own blogs and social media profiles—propose a content collaboration where they promote your article, and in return, you’ll return the favor next time.
Another effective approach is to find existing articles on the web that cover similar topics to yours and contact their authors, asking them to link to your content. Be prepared for the possibility that they might expect a backlink in return—it’s up to you to decide if that’s a fair trade for your goals.

Regular site updates

If you "train" Google to expect frequent updates and new content on your blog, it will definitely take notice and remember. Publish regularly and consistently, and Uncle Google will visit your site more often to crawl your fresh content and update search rankings to include your URLs. Keep the momentum going, and make your site a go-to destination for both users and search engines!

Use structured data: Schema markup

Schema markup (or structured data) is like giving Google a cheat sheet for your content. It’s a nifty little code you add to your website to help search engines understand exactly what your page is about. Think of it as the translator who whispers in Google’s ear: “Hey, this isn’t just a blog post—it’s a masterpiece!”

Let’s break it down. Imagine you wrote a blog post about your killer recipe for Vegan Chocolate Cake (seriously, it’s so good even non-vegans love it). Without schema, Google might just see your article as "random blog post #475,839,020." But with schema, you’re basically holding a neon sign that says:

• “This is a recipe.”
• “The name of the recipe? Vegan Chocolate Cake.”
• “Prep time? 30 minutes, no sweat.”
• “Star rating? 5 stars, obviously, from 10 happy bakers.”

And here’s the kicker: with schema markup, your recipe has a chance of showing up as a rich snippet in search results. Picture this: instead of a plain link, users see your recipe complete with a star rating, cooking time, and maybe even a thumbnail of that mouthwatering cake. It’s like dressing your link in a tuxedo—it just screams, “Click me!”

Now, why does this matter for indexing? Well, Google is a busy bee, buzzing around billions of websites. The clearer you make your content, the faster Google can understand what it’s looking at. Schema is like saying, “Hey, Google, no need to guess—here’s exactly what this page is about!” It helps ensure your page gets properly indexed and increases your chances of showing up in all the right places.

Plus, structured data can boost your credibility. If Google sees you’re using schema to neatly label your content, it might think, “Wow, this site really has its act together.” And trust me, you want to be on Google’s good side—it’s the gatekeeper to all that delicious organic traffic.

So, don’t leave your content hanging in the void like a wallflower at prom. Add schema, make your pages irresistible to search engines, and watch your articles strut their stuff in search results like the rockstars they are.

Wouldn’t it be great if all this technical stuff just... happened in the background? No stress, no extra to-dos, just you focusing on squeezing every drop of value out of your article. Guess what? It’s totally possible.

Flotiq makes it easy to generate a JSON-LD file by utilizing the fields you fill in while creating your content. Instead of manually crafting Schema markup, the data you provide can be seamlessly used to structure the necessary JSON-LD file. This means that as you input information like titles, descriptions, or other relevant details, Flotiq can help organize it into a format that search engines understand better.
Want to focus on writing amazing articles while leaving the technical prep to the pros? Flotiq makes sure your content is dressed to impress Google. Best of all? You can try it out for free. Why not give it a shot?

REGISTER TO FLOTIQ

How to check if your new post has been indexed in Google?

Try your URL in Google Search Console

Remember how I showed you earlier how to manually index your URL in Google Search Console? Well, it’s time to revisit that process. If your article is indexed properly, Google should give you the thumbs-up.

So, roll up your sleeves and head back to our favorite tool—Google Search Console. It’s not just the place to handle all your important dealings with Google, but also where you can double-check if everything’s running smoothly. Think of it as your one-stop shop for peace of mind in the world of indexing. Now, off you go—Google’s waiting!

Try it by yourself in Google using site: operator

Let me share a little trick with you. When using Google, you can take advantage of special operators to filter search results and find exactly what you need. There are quite a few of these operators, and I highly recommend exploring them all. But today, we’re focusing on one superstar: SITE:{YOUR-DOMAIN.COM/YOUR-URL} (example: SITE: https://flotiq.com/blog/from-gatsby-to-nextjs-why-we-migrated-our-blog-and-how-you-can-too/) .

Here’s how it works:

1. Open Google.
2. Type site: directly into the search bar.
3. Paste your article's URL right after it (no spaces).

Hit search, and voilà! If your article is indexed properly, it should pop up in the search results like it’s waving at you. If it’s not there, don’t panic—just head back to Google Search Console for some detective work.

Check it with external tools

There are plenty of tools out there to help with SEO, like aHrefs or Semrush. You can use them to check if your page is properly indexed on Google. If it’s not, these tools often highlight potential issues with your article and suggest solutions.
That said, for basic indexing and verifying its success, you’re more than covered with Google Search Console and Google itself (as shown in the example above). Remember, external tools are typically paid and geared toward SEO professionals. Most of the essential work can be done on your own, without spending a dime—and honestly, your wallet will thank you for it!

Configure automatic indexing status checker with GSC API and Google Cloud

You can build your own tool to automatically check if your article is indexed in Google. Why bother? Well, because you never know where a mistake might hide, and if it happens by accident, you might not notice. But when your article that once rocked the Google rankings suddenly disappears, you'll definitely realize it – but too late. So, it's always a good idea to keep an eye on things.

You can use the Google Search Console API via Google Cloud for this. I’m not going to walk you through setting up the project and credentials again – just scroll up to the "Automatic Indexing via API" section for all the necessary steps.

Next, you’ll need to write a script that queries the API to check if your specific URL (your article) is indexed. A good idea would be to run this script automatically, using cron, for example, once a day so you get up-to-date info. You could even integrate this with email notifications or Slack alerts, whatever works best for you. Another clever trick is to provide the script with a list of URLs to check, ideally from your always-updated sitemap.

But hey, remember, you can't be a master at everything. If you're great at writing expert-level content, send me a link, I’d love to read it. We, on the other hand, are experts in creating a comfortable workspace for you that will automatically check if your article is indexed, nudge Google to take notice, and help you perfect your content. TRY FLOTIQ.

Oh, and one more thing. Ever heard of SurferSEO? It's a super cool tool for content creators that helps you write content based on top-ranking articles in Google. And guess what? We’ve got an integration with SurferSEO in Flotiq! So you can instantly check if your text is the right length, has the proper number of headings, questions and answers for Schema, and a lot more.

Check out Flotiq – your go-to headless CMS that keeps your content's indexing spot-on.