Key and file
Generate a key of 8 to 128 characters using only letters, numbers and hyphens. Host a UTF-8 text file whose name is {your-key}.txt and whose contents are that same key. The protocol strongly recommends placing this file at the site root, for example https://www.example.com/{your-key}.txt. Search engines fetch the file to verify that you control the host.
You can host the file in another public folder on the same host if you pass keyLocation with every request. In that case only URLs under that folder are valid for the key. A root key can cover the whole host, which is why the documentation prefers option 1.
To submit one URL you can send an HTTP GET or POST to an IndexNow endpoint with the URL and the key. To submit a set of URLs, POST JSON with host, key, optional keyLocation, and urlList. URLs must be escaped and follow RFC 3986.
Response codes
| Code | Meaning in the protocol |
|---|---|
| 200 | OK — the URL was submitted successfully (received by the engine). |
| 202 | Accepted — the URL was received, and key validation is still pending. |
| 400 | Bad request — invalid format. |
| 403 | The key is not valid (missing file, or the file does not contain the key). |
| 422 | Unprocessable entity — the URLs do not belong to the host, or the key does not match the protocol schema. |
| 429 | Too many requests — rate limiting or suspected spam. Wait and retry. |
A 200 or 202 is not a promise that Bing, or any other participant, has indexed the page. IndexNow also does not notify Google Search; use sitemaps and URL Inspection for Google, as described in the Bing indexing guide.
Traffivio example
The public Traffivio marketing site follows option 1: a UTF-8 key file at the site root, with the key as both the file name and the file contents, as the protocol requires. After marketing URLs are published, a ping is sent to https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow and https://www.bing.com/indexnow. Recent publishes have received HTTP 200 or 202 from both endpoints.
For a site you connect in Traffivio, the same protocol is used after an approved change: the workspace can store the key, verify the file, and ping both endpoints. A failed ping is not allowed to block the change itself.
Official sources
Checked on 10 November 2026:
- IndexNow documentation — key format, key file, submission, and HTTP response codes.
- IndexNow FAQ — first-request 202 while the key is verified, and later 200 responses.
- Ask Google to recrawl your website — Google's documented recrawl methods, which do not include IndexNow.
Let Traffivio send IndexNow
Connect the site in a workspace. After you approve a change, Traffivio can ping IndexNow for the updated URLs. You still need a valid key file on the host.
Open the workspace ↗Questions
What does HTTP 200 or 202 mean?
The official IndexNow documentation says 200 means the URL was submitted successfully, and 202 means the URL was received but key validation is still pending. Neither code means the page is already in a search index.
Where should the key file live?
The protocol prefers a UTF-8 text file named {key}.txt at the site root, containing only the key. The key must be 8 to 128 characters from A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and hyphen. You can place the file in another public path if you send that location as keyLocation; a non-root file only covers URLs under that path.
Does Traffivio send IndexNow for me?
Yes. After an approved change on a connected site, Traffivio can ping api.indexnow.org and www.bing.com/indexnow. The public Traffivio marketing site also hosts a root key file and pings those endpoints when new marketing URLs are published.