IndexNow and Bing: how to get found faster, by AI too

IndexNow is an open protocol that lets you tell search engines straight away that a page on your website is new, has changed or has been removed. Bing supports it, as do a number of other search engines. That matters for AI visibility, because Microsoft Copilot runs on Bing and ChatGPT also partly relies on Bing when it searches the web. With IndexNow and Bing Webmaster Tools, you make sure your latest information appears in those search results sooner, and is therefore available to AI sooner.

Why Bing matters for AI

Many businesses only look at Google. That makes sense, because that is where most people search. But for AI assistants, things are different.

• Microsoft Copilot gets its web information from Bing. See Microsoft Copilot and your business.
• ChatGPT searches the web for up-to-date questions and uses Bing, among other sources, to do so.
• Other assistants use their own or combined search indexes.

If a page is not in Bing, these assistants are less likely to find it when they search live. A good presence in Bing is therefore a quiet but important foundation for your AI visibility. Also read how ChatGPT chooses which businesses to recommend.

What exactly is IndexNow?

Normally a search engine has to discover for itself that you have changed something. A crawler visits, spots the change and picks it up. That can take days or weeks.

IndexNow turns this around. Your website sends a signal: "this URL is new" or "this URL has been updated". The search engine then knows at once that there is something to fetch. According to the IndexNow documentation, a submission to one participating search engine is shared with the other participants.

Useful for:

• a new service page or service area page;
• changed prices, opening hours or contact details;
• new products in an online store;
• removed pages that should no longer appear in the results.

Note: IndexNow helps a search engine see your page sooner. It does not guarantee the page will be indexed or rank highly. Google does not use IndexNow. For Google, you work with Google Search Console and your sitemap.

How to set up IndexNow

There are three ways, from easy to technical.

1. Through a plugin or your CMS

Many website systems and SEO plugins have IndexNow built in or offer it as an extension. Some hosting services and CDNs also offer it as a setting. Switch the option on and your website reports new and changed pages automatically. Look for "IndexNow" in the settings of your CMS or SEO plugin.

2. Through Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Tools has an IndexNow section. There you can see which URLs have been submitted through IndexNow and check that it is working.

3. Yourself, through the API

If you build your own website, you can call IndexNow directly. The steps in brief:

1. Create a key. This is a random string of letters and numbers.
2. Put a key file on your website. A text file named after your key, for example yourkey.txt, in the root folder. The file contains only the key. This proves the website is yours.
3. Send a notification. For every new or changed page, your website sends a request with the URL and your key to the IndexNow endpoint. You can submit one URL or a list of URLs at once.

Only submit pages that are genuinely new or changed. Submitting the same URLs over and over is pointless.

Bing Webmaster Tools: getting the basics right

IndexNow works best when your website is also set up properly in Bing Webmaster Tools. It is free.

• Import from Google Search Console. If you already use Search Console, you can import your website in a few clicks. You then do not need to verify it again.
• Submit your sitemap. A sitemap gives Bing an overview of all your pages. Use the same sitemap as for Google.
• Use URL submission. If you want one important page looked at quickly, you can submit it manually.
• Check the reports. You can see which searches you appear for, which pages are indexed and whether there are technical errors.

Check your robots.txt too. Do not block Bingbot, and decide deliberately whether you allow or block AI crawlers. See allow AI crawlers in robots.txt.

An example

A plumber in Zwolle launches a new service: heat pump maintenance. He creates a clear page with an explanation, his service area and a price indication. His website submits the page through IndexNow. Bing sees it quickly and indexes it.

If someone then asks Copilot or ChatGPT about "heat pump maintenance Zwolle", the assistant can find that page when it searches live. Without the notification, that could have taken longer. Whether the plumber is actually mentioned also depends on his reviews, his mentions elsewhere and the quality of the page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need IndexNow if I already have a sitemap?
A sitemap is the foundation. IndexNow is an addition that passes on changes faster.

Is IndexNow safe?
Yes. You only submit public URLs. The key file proves the notification comes from your website.

Will this make AI mention me more often?
Not by itself. It helps your pages become findable sooner. Being mentioned also depends on your content and your reputation on other sites.

Does it show in the answers?

You only see whether faster findability leads to more mentions when you measure it. Try the free AI check to see whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude mention you. Or follow it every week with GEO tracking.