IndexNow
Push changed URLs to IndexNow-compatible search engines without waiting for the next crawl.
IndexNow is a push protocol consumed by Microsoft Bing and a small set of partner search engines. It is not consumed by Google. For Google, the Shopify XML sitemap and URL inspection remain the primary signals.
Three ways to submit
Single URL
Paste any URL on your shop and click submit. Useful for one-off fixes you want indexed immediately.
Batch
Paste or upload a list, or use the "recently changed" helper to pull URLs edited in the last N days from the audit timeline.
Auto-submit
When enabled, ProRank submits a product / collection URL automatically as soon as it detects an update via Admin API webhook. No manual step needed.
The verification key
IndexNow requires a per-host verification key file. ProRank serves the actual key through the Shopify app proxy, then creates a Shopify URL redirect from the root-level key URL to that proxy route. Submissions use the root-level URL as keyLocation, while the proxy returns the plain-text key.
Submitted key URL: https://your-shop.com/<key>.txt
Redirect target: /apps/prorank/<key>.txt
App proxy route: proxy.indexnow-key.tsx
Returns: text/plain -> <key>You don't need to upload anything to the theme. The app proxy serves the file and the root redirect keeps IndexNow verification aligned with the storefront host.
If the key URL returns 404, your Shopify app proxy isn't configured (or has been disabled). See Troubleshooting → IndexNow key 404.
Auto-submit triggers
When auto-submit is on, the following events queue an IndexNow submission:
- Product update (via Admin API webhook).
- Collection update (via Admin API webhook).
- Page update detected by the non-webhook content sync.
- Article publish or update detected by the non-webhook content sync.
- SEO metadata save through ProRank's Metadata tool.
Each event maps to the canonical storefront URL for the resource. Submissions are de-duplicated within a short window so back-to-back saves don't spam IndexNow.
The retry queue
IndexNow can return transient errors (429, 5xx). ProRank places failed submissions on a retry queue with exponential backoff. The queue is visible in the IndexNow tab — you can see which URLs are pending, which failed permanently, and you can re-queue manually.
Permanent failures usually mean the URL is 404 or 410 on your storefront. The right fix is a redirect (Shopify Admin → Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects) rather than re-submitting a dead URL.
Quotas
IndexNow submissions are quota-counted per plan via BillingGuard. Both manual and auto-submit calls count. The current daily / monthly cap is visible in the Plans screen; see Billing & Trial.
Where this lives
app.indexnow.tsx— UI for single / batch submit, queue, settings.indexnow.server.ts— submission + retry logic.proxy.indexnow-key.tsx— key endpoint served via Shopify app proxy.