What Is IndexNow?
Updated 29 September 2026
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IndexNow is a free, open protocol that lets a website instantly tell search engines when a page is added, updated, or deleted, so they re-crawl it sooner. You submit the changed URLs along with a verification key, and any participating engine shares them with the others. The participants are Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yep, Amazon's Amazonbot, and the Internet Archive. Google does not participate, which shapes how useful IndexNow is for a Malaysian site.
How does IndexNow work?
IndexNow works by naming exactly what changed on your site. It calls itself "a simple ping so that search engines know that a URL ... has been added, updated, or deleted" (IndexNow, accessed August 2026).
First you prove you own the site. You host a small text file, named after a key you generate, so an engine can confirm the ping really comes from the site owner.
Then you submit URLs. A single change is a short request carrying the URL and key. A batch uses one post of "up to 10,000 URLs" at a time (IndexNow documentation, accessed August 2026).
You send only the pages that changed, not your whole site.
The payoff is the shared network. Engines "adopting the IndexNow protocol agree that submitted URLs will be automatically shared with all other participating search engines," so one ping reaches every participant.
Which search engines use IndexNow?
Seven participants are currently listed in IndexNow, and Google is not one of them. They are Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam.cz, Yep, Amazon's Amazonbot, and the Internet Archive. A ping to any of them is shared with the rest.
| Engine | Uses IndexNow |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Bing | Yes |
| Yandex | Yes |
| Naver | Yes |
| Seznam.cz | Yes |
| Yep | Yes |
| Amazonbot (Amazon) | Yes |
| Internet Archive | Yes |
| No |
Source: IndexNow participant list, accessed September 2026.
Google runs its own crawling and indexing and has not adopted IndexNow. For most sites that is the deciding fact, since Google handles the overwhelming majority of searches in Malaysia.
Does IndexNow matter in Malaysia?
IndexNow matters modestly in Malaysia, and only if you understand what it does not do. Because Google does not participate, IndexNow cannot speed up how fast Google sees your changes, and Google carries about 92% of Malaysian searches.
What it does reach is Bing, and Bing now grounds Microsoft Copilot's answers. So an IndexNow ping can get a fresh page into Bing's index sooner, which feeds both Bing search and Copilot citations.
The honest verdict is low effort for a modest gain. If your platform or Bing Webmaster Tools sends IndexNow pings automatically, enable it and move on. It is rarely worth custom engineering for a Google-dominated audience.
In our experience, owners expect IndexNow to fix slow Google indexing, then feel let down. It never touched Google. The right frame is a small Bing-and-Copilot boost that costs almost nothing when a plugin or CDN handles it for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is IndexNow free?
Yes, IndexNow is free and open. It is published under a Creative Commons license, so any website or search engine can adopt it at no cost. You do not pay to submit URLs, and most content platforms and content delivery networks can send the pings for you without extra fees. The only setup is generating a key and hosting its text file.
Does IndexNow help my Google ranking?
No, IndexNow does not affect Google at all. Google is not a participating engine, so a ping never reaches it, and IndexNow is a crawl-notification method rather than a ranking signal in any engine. It can help pages appear sooner in Bing and the other participants, but it changes discovery speed, not where you rank.
Do I have to submit URLs by hand?
No, in most cases a plugin or your hosting platform does it automatically. Many content management systems and content delivery networks include IndexNow support, sending a ping whenever you publish or update a page. Bing Webmaster Tools also offers an IndexNow tool. Manual submission exists for special cases, but everyday use should be hands-off once it is switched on.
How is IndexNow different from a sitemap?
A sitemap lists your pages so engines can discover them on their own schedule; IndexNow actively tells engines the moment a specific page changes. The sitemap is a passive map a crawler reads when it visits. IndexNow is a push notification that a specific URL just changed. They work together: keep the sitemap for coverage, add IndexNow for speed on participating engines.
Will IndexNow waste my crawl budget?
No, if anything it uses crawling more efficiently. By naming exactly which URLs changed, IndexNow points engines at fresh pages instead of re-crawling everything blindly. That is gentler on crawl budget than forcing broad re-crawls. Sending honest change signals, rather than pinging unchanged pages, keeps the relationship with each engine efficient.
Speed where it counts, honesty about where it does not
Storming Solutions runs SEO, AEO, and GEO for Malaysian businesses from Kuala Lumpur, and we switch on IndexNow where a client's platform supports it. We are also plain about its limits, since it never touches Google, the engine that carries most of your search traffic here.
Wondering whether IndexNow is already running on your site, or whether it is worth enabling? Ask us on WhatsApp, or start with our guide to SEO in Malaysia. Our SEO, AEO and GEO service sets up the plumbing that actually moves your visibility, and skips the parts that do not.