How to Get Google to Discover New Posts

Published a post and want Google to find it? Start with your sitemap and a link from an existing page. For one URL, you can also request a crawl in Search Console. None of these steps guarantees indexing or a ranking.

Illustration: choose the workflow that fits your goal.

Important: Google limits its Indexing API to pages with JobPosting or a livestream BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject. It is not the supported API for ordinary blog posts. See Google's requirements.

First, understand the difference

Crawling: Google visits a page to read it.
Indexing: Google decides whether to add the page to its index.
Ranking: Google decides what to show for a search.

A request asks Google to take a look. It does not promise when the visit will happen, whether the page will be indexed, or where it will rank.

1. Make sure the post is public

Open the final article URL in a private browser window. Check that it shows the article without a login and that it is not marked noindex. Use the preferred canonical URL, not a preview link.

2. Add the post to your sitemap and internal links

Illustration of a sitemap containing a published post, with steps to publish, check the sitemap and add an internal link. — Illustration: check that the article is public and discoverable.

Open your XML sitemap and check that the public URL appears.
In Search Console, choose your property and open Sitemaps. Submit the sitemap URL if it has not already been submitted.
Link to the post from a relevant page on your website.

Many content management systems update sitemaps automatically. A sitemap helps discovery; it does not guarantee indexing. See Google's sitemap guide and our XML sitemap guide.

3. Request a crawl in Search Console

Illustration: the manual URL Inspection workflow.

Open Google Search Console and select the property that covers your URL.
Paste the published URL into the inspection bar at the top.
Read the result. Use Test live URL if you need to check the page as it appears now.
If appropriate, select Request indexing. You need owner or full-user access.

Fix blocking issues first. Repeated requests do not make a crawl happen faster. Google says crawling can take days to weeks and is not guaranteed. Read Google's recrawl instructions.

4. Check the result later

Inspect the same URL again after Google has had time to crawl it. If it is missing, check the public URL, indexing directives, canonical and links. If Google crawled it but has not indexed it, review the page and its relationship to other pages on your site; do not assume another request will fix it.

5. Connect the Search Console API to Blogoose

The Google Search Console API can provide search performance data, including queries, clicks and impressions. Blogoose can use connected query data to inform topic planning. It is separate from the Indexing API.

Illustration: the Cloud setup, shown schematically. Google's screens may differ.

Illustration: connecting search data. This is not a screenshot of a real account.

Verify your site as a property in Search Console.
Enable the Google Search Console API in a Google Cloud project.
Create a service account and JSON key if your organization permits that authentication method. Keep the key private and out of source control. A Google Cloud Project Owner role is not a general requirement for reading Search Console data.
Grant the service account access to the relevant Search Console property. Use the account's client_email from the JSON file.
In Blogoose, open your saved connected site, enter the service-account JSON, enable Use Search Console queries when planning topics, and save. Use Test access, then Sync now.

For ordinary blog articles, leave Ask Google to crawl new posts after they are public off. Connecting search data does not require that checkbox. Blogoose's implementation requests a recent 90-day window of query data. A successful sync with no rows can reflect unavailable or filtered data; it is not proof that nobody searches for the topic.

Illustration of granting property access and using Test access and Sync now in a connected site. — Illustration: connect query data in Blogoose. This is not a screenshot.

6. Search Console API vs. Indexing API

Illustration: these APIs have different purposes.

The Search Console API can read performance data. Its URL Inspection API reports Google's indexed version of a URL. It does not run a live test or request indexing. The API also has a separate sitemap submission method; this does not mean Blogoose automatically submits your sitemap.

The Indexing API sends update or removal notifications for eligible job-posting and livestream pages. A successful notification does not guarantee a crawl, indexing or ranking. Do not add misleading job markup to make an ordinary article look eligible.

Quick checks when something is missing

Page not found? Check that the post is published and inspect its final public URL.
Wrong property? A URL-prefix property covers its exact prefix; a Domain property covers its verified domain and subdomains.
Sync fails? Check that the Search Console API is enabled and that the service-account email has access to the relevant property.
No query data? Check the date range and property. Search Console data can be incomplete or filtered.

Common questions

Can the Search Console API request indexing?

No. Its URL Inspection API returns indexed-version information. To request indexing of an ordinary page, use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.

Will requesting a crawl make my post rank?

No. A request does not guarantee a crawl, indexing or a search position.

Next: review the content publishing workflow or learn how to check your robots directives.