Knowledge base

Ask Google to crawl new posts

Turn on crawl requests for a connected site. Create a Google Cloud key, add it as a Search Console owner, and paste it into BloGoose.

After BloGoose publishes a post, you can ask Google to crawl that public address. This guide is the setup. You create a Google Cloud key, make that key an owner of the site in Search Console, and paste it into the connected site.

A crawl request is a nudge. It does not put the page in search results by itself, and it does not change how the article ranks. Google’s own Indexing API notes say the API is meant for pages with a job posting or a livestream. BloGoose still sends the request for an ordinary public article. Use it if you want that ping. Skip it if you do not.

Why turn it on

• BloGoose waits until the post is actually public, then asks Google to crawl that URL.
• The key belongs to your Google Cloud project, and the site must be a property you own in Search Console.
• You can also send one published post yourself from the posts list.

Before you start

You need the site already saved under Connected Sites, and that site verified in Google Search Console. The property host must match the website URL in BloGoose. https://example.com and https://www.example.com are two different properties.

1. Create a Google Cloud project

Open Google Cloud and create a project you can recognize later. A name such as “BloGoose indexing” is enough. You can reuse one project for several sites. Each site still needs the same service account added as an owner in Search Console.

2. Enable the Indexing API

In that project, open APIs and services, then the library, and enable the Web Search Indexing API. If this step is skipped, Google rejects the key later.

3. Create a service account

Open Service accounts for the project and create one. Copy the email address. It looks like [email protected]. You will paste that email into Search Console.

4. Download the JSON key

On the service account, open Manage keys, then Add key, then Create new key. Choose JSON. A file downloads. That file is the key. Do not email it or commit it to a repository. BloGoose stores it encrypted on the connected site.

5. Add the service account as an Owner

In Search Console, select the property that matches the site URL exactly. Open Settings, then Users and permissions. Add the service-account email with permission Owner. Full user is not enough. BloGoose checks ownership when the first public post is sent, not when you test the key.

One key can cover several sites. Add that same email as Owner on each Search Console property.

6. Paste the key into BloGoose

In BloGoose, open Connected Sites and edit the site. The crawl option appears on a site you have already saved. Turn on Ask Google to crawl new posts after they are public. Open the JSON file in a text editor, copy the whole file, and paste it into Service account JSON. Save the site. The box clears after a successful save. The key stays stored.

Leaving the box empty on a later edit keeps the saved key. Remove key clears it and turns the option off.

7. Test the key

Click Test key. A successful test means Google accepted the key. It does not publish a URL, and it does not prove Search Console ownership yet. The message you want is: “Google accepted this key. Ownership of the site is checked when the first public post is sent.”

What happens when a post goes public

When Autopilot accepts a post, or you publish one from the app, BloGoose queues a crawl request for that site. Preview links are never sent. A scheduled post waits until it is public, then the request goes out. If the page is not live yet, BloGoose checks again later.

WordPress sites need the current BloGoose connector so the public link comes back with the post. Custom sites use the public article address, such as /blog/your-article/ on a site that serves posts that way.

Send one published post yourself

On the posts list, a published post on a site with this option saved shows Send to Google. Scheduled and preview posts do not. Use it when you want to ask for a crawl without waiting for the next automatic pass.

Common errors

Permission denied, or the Indexing API is disabled

BloGoose pauses that site and shows: “Add this service account as an Owner of the site in Search Console, and enable the Indexing API.” Confirm three things. The API is enabled on the project. The service-account email is an Owner, not only a Full user. The Search Console property is the same host as the website URL, including www.

Too many requests

Google allows about 200 crawl requests per project per day. The day resets at midnight Pacific time. If two sites share one JSON key, they share that 200. BloGoose waits until the next day instead of retrying in a loop.

The page was not crawled into search results

A successful request means Google was asked to crawl. It can take minutes or much longer before a URL appears in search, and some pages never do. Check the site’s server logs if you want to see whether Googlebot visited.

Good to know

• The option is off until you turn it on for that site.
• Posts that were already public are not sent in a backlog. New public posts are.
• Turning the option off leaves waiting requests untouched. Turning it back on lets them continue.
• About 200 requests per key per Pacific day.
• Crawling does not guarantee the page will appear in search.

Official reference: Google’s Indexing API quickstart.