Google Indexing API Setup

1.1. Go to Google Cloud Platform

Start by heading over to the Google Cloud Platform directly from here. This link will take you to the API enablement flow with the Indexing API pre-selected, saving you time in navigating through the console. This is the first step in setting up instant indexing for your website — an essential part of maintaining strong SEO performance and ensuring your content is discovered quickly by search engines.

1.2. Create a New Project

Ensure that you're creating a new Indexing API project by clicking the Create Project option.

Alternatively, you can click the Select a project drop-down and choose New Project from the popup that appears on the screen.

In the next screen, enter a project name that you can recognize later. And then click Create.

1.3. Enable Access to API

Once you create the project, you need to enable the project to access the API. In the next step, you will see a screen as shown below. Confirm that the selected project is the one you've created for the Instant Indexing API; otherwise, select the drop-down at the top to change the project. Once you've selected the correct project, click Next.

In the next step, click the Enable option to enable the project to access the Instant Indexing API.

Once you've enabled it, you can close this tab. Your Google Cloud project is now configured to use the Indexing API.

Next, you need to create a service account by opening the service accounts page. A service account is a special type of Google account that allows applications to authenticate and interact with Google APIs programmatically — without requiring user intervention.

2.1. Select the Project

You will first be prompted to select the API project you wish to create this service account in (the one created in the previous step).

2.2. Create Service Account

After selecting the project you wish to create a service account for, you'll be taken to the following page, where you simply need to click the Create Service Account button highlighted below:

On the Create service account screen, enter a name and description for the newly created service account.

Select and copy the whole Service Account ID (the one that looks like an email address) because you will need it later. Then, click on the Done button at the bottom:

2.3. Manage Keys for Service Account

You will then be able to download the file that contains your API key. To do so, simply click the three vertical dots in the Actions column, and then select Manage keys as shown below:

2.4. Create New JSON Key for Service Account

You will then be taken to the following page where you can click Add Key and then select the Create new key option, as shown below:

Choose the default JSON format when prompted in the overlay, and click Create:

Upon clicking Create, the .json file will be automatically downloaded in your browser, meaning you've successfully created the API key and can proceed to the next step.

To do this, you'll need to register and verify your website with the Google Search Console (if you haven't done so already), which is super easy: just follow the recommended steps to verify ownership of your property. Verifying your property in Search Console is also essential for security monitoring — it allows you to receive notifications about security issues, manual actions, and indexing problems that may affect your site's visibility.

3.1. Navigate to Users and Permissions in Google Search Console Settings

After verifying your property, open the Google Search Console, select your property on the left (if prompted), and then click on Settings near the bottom:

Click on Users and Permissions:

3.2. Add User to Your Search Console Property

Click on the three dots next to your account, and then click on Add User.

3.3. Delegate Service Account ID as Owner

A popup will now appear. Enter the Service Account ID (the one you copied out earlier) in the Email address field. Ensure that you've provided Owner level Permission, and then click Add.

Now in a few moments, you should see the Service account listed as a new Owner.

Copy or upload the Google API JSON Key where it's required — whether that's your CMS dashboard, a WordPress plugin (such as Instant Indexing for Google), or a custom API integration script. Once the JSON key is in place, your application will be able to send indexing requests directly to Google, ensuring that new and updated pages are crawled and indexed within minutes rather than days.

This is the final step in the setup process. After inserting your JSON key, your website will be connected to the Google Indexing API, allowing you to programmatically request indexing for new URLs, updated content, and removed pages. This is particularly valuable for websites that publish time-sensitive content, e-commerce sites with frequently changing product listings, or any business that requires immediate search visibility after SEO recovery after a hack or malware removal.