How to Submit URL to Google Index with Google Search Console

Last Updated April 22, 2024

How to Submit URL to Google Index with Google Search Console

Having your website indexed by Google is essential for visibility and attracting organic traffic. One effective method to ensure your website’s presence on Google is by submitting a URL to the Google index using Google Search Console. In this post, we will guide you through the process step-by-step, ensuring that your website gets crawled and indexed efficiently.

Google Search Console is a powerful tool that enables website owners to monitor their site’s performance, identify issues, and interact with Google.

By submitting your URLs to the Google index, you can prompt Google’s bots to crawl and index your pages, making them visible in search results. This process is crucial for gaining visibility and driving organic traffic to your website.

Of course before getting started you’ll need to add your site to Google Search Console.

Submitting Individual URLs

To submit a specific URL for indexing, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Google Search Console: Visit the Google Search Console website and sign in with your Google account.

2. Select your website: If you have multiple websites added to your Search Console account, choose the one that you want to submit a URL for. This is done on the top left of the sidebar.

3. Enter the URL: Type or paste the URL you want to submit into the inspection bar and press Enter. This is located at the top of Google Search Console.

4. Inspect the URL: Google Search Console will now inspect the URL and provide you with information about its indexing status.

5. Request indexing: If the URL is not indexed, you’ll see a message indicating that it’s not currently in the Google index. To submit it for indexing, click on the “Request Indexing” button.

Request Indexing button in Google Search Console

Please note that Google has a quota for submitting individual URLs, and submitting the same URL multiple times won’t expedite the crawling process. Be patient and monitor the progress using either the Index Status report or the URL Inspection tool.

Submitting a Sitemap

If you have a large number of URLs to submit or want to ensure that Google discovers all the pages on your website efficiently, submitting a sitemap is recommended.

Here’s how you can do it:

Create a sitemap: Before submitting a sitemap, you need to create one. A sitemap is an XML file that lists all the URLs on your website. WordPress will do this automatically and can be found via the example.com/wp-sitemap.xml URL.
Verify your website: If you haven’t already done so, verify your website ownership in Google Search Console.
Access the Sitemaps report: In the left-hand sidebar of Google Search Console, click on “Sitemaps” under the “Index” section.
Add your sitemap: Click on the “Add/Test Sitemap” button and enter the URL of your sitemap.
Submit the sitemap: After adding your sitemap, click on the “Submit” button to inform Google about its existence.
Monitor sitemap indexing: Google Search Console will now process your sitemap and provide valuable information about the indexed URLs.

Submitting a sitemap is especially useful when you’ve just launched your website or made significant updates to its structure. Additionally, sitemaps can include metadata about alternate language versions, video, image, or news-specific pages, enhancing the overall indexing process.

Conclusion

Submitting a URL to the Google index with Google Search Console is a crucial step in ensuring your website’s visibility and organic traffic. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can proactively prompt Google to crawl and index your website’s pages. If you have a WordPress website there are plenty of other tips you can do to improve SEO in WordPress.

Remember to be patient during the indexing process and monitor your site’s progress using the available tools in Google Search Console.

How long does it take Google to index a URL after I request indexing?

After you click Request Indexing in Google Search Console, Google may crawl your page soon, but indexing can still take time.

For some pages it happens in hours. For others it can take days or longer, especially on new sites or sites with lots of pages.

Submitting the same URL again usually does not make it faster. Instead, make sure the page is live, loads well, and has helpful content.

If you want Google to find many pages faster, submit your sitemap too. A sitemap helps Google discover your full site structure.

Why does Google Search Console say my page is “Discovered” or “Crawled” but not indexed?

This means Google found your page, and may have even visited it, but has not added it to the search index yet.

Common causes include thin or duplicate content, the page not being important compared to others, or site quality issues. Sometimes it just needs more time.

Check that the page is not blocked by robots.txt and that it does not use a noindex tag. If you are not sure what noindex means, see the Noindex tag definition.

A good next step is to improve the page and internal links, then request indexing again later. Stronger content and clear site structure give Google more reasons to index it.

Should I submit individual URLs or submit a sitemap in Google Search Console?

Use individual URL submission when you have one important page to index fast, like a new blog post or an updated landing page.

Submit a sitemap when you want Google to find many pages, or when your site is new. Sitemaps also help when you publish often or have lots of posts.

WordPress usually creates a sitemap for you at example.com/wp-sitemap.xml. To learn what a sitemap does and why it helps, read the RightBlogger sitemap guide.

Many site owners do both. A sitemap covers everything, and URL inspection is great for quick checks and urgent pages.

How many URLs can I request indexing for in Google Search Console?

Google has a limit on how many individual URL requests you can submit in a short time. The exact number can change, and Google does not always show a clear counter.

Because of the limit, save manual requests for your highest value pages. For example, your newest post, a key product page, or a page you just fixed.

For the rest of your site, rely on your sitemap and good internal linking. This helps Google crawl naturally without you needing to submit every URL.

If you publish a lot, a consistent workflow and clean site structure usually beat repeated manual requests.

How can RightBlogger help my posts get indexed and rank after I submit them?

Submitting a URL helps Google find your page. Ranking depends more on how helpful the content is and how well it matches what people search for.

RightBlogger can help you create stronger posts before you request indexing. For example, the RightBlogger AI Article Writer can help you build clear sections, cover key points, and improve readability.

After publishing, keep updating posts with better headings, fresher info, and clearer answers to common questions. Updated content gives Google a reason to crawl again.

If you want to track what is working and what needs improving, RightBlogger SEO Reports can help you spot SEO issues and opportunities faster.