If you use Bing Webmaster Tools, you may have noticed a banner that says:
“Set up IndexNow and boost your site’s visibility in search engines within minutes.”
At first glance, it looks like an ad.
It sounds promotional, it’s visually highlighted, and it pushes you to click.
But it’s not an advertisement – and it’s also not a Bing-owned service, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
Let’s clear this up properly.
Short Answer
- ❌ It’s not an ad
- ❌ It’s not paid
- ❌ IndexNow is not owned by Bing
- ✅ IndexNow is an open indexing protocol
- ✅ The official site is IndexNow.org
- ✅ Bing is simply the most visible promoter of it
What IndexNow Actually Is (and Who It Belongs To)
IndexNow is an open, shared indexing protocol, hosted at:
It was initiated by Microsoft/Bing, but it is not a Bing-only system and not a Bing product.
Anyone can implement it, and no Bing account, payment, or exclusive integration is required.
Think of it like:
- robots.txt
- sitemaps
- HTTPS
Supported and promoted by search engines – but not owned by any single one.
Why Does It Appear Inside Bing Webmaster Tools?
Because Bing was the first major search engine to fully adopt IndexNow and integrate it deeply.
So Bing:
- Actively encourages site owners to enable it
- Surfaces reminders inside Webmaster Tools
- Uses marketing-style language to increase adoption
That’s why the message feels like an ad – but technically, it’s a feature prompt, not advertising.
No money changes hands.
No placement is bought.
Nothing is being sold.
What IndexNow Actually Does (No Hype)
IndexNow lets your website notify search engines instantly when a URL changes.
That includes when a page is:
- Published
- Updated
- Deleted
Instead of waiting for crawlers to eventually revisit your site, you proactively send a signal saying:
“This page changed – come take a look.”
That’s all it does.
What It Does Not Do
IndexNow does not:
It improves speed, not authority.
Related: Does Faster Website Speed Increase Googlebot Crawl Frequency?
How to Increase Website Domain Authority Fast?
Why Bing Says “Boost Your Site’s Visibility”
This is where wording causes confusion.
Bing uses phrases like “boost visibility” because:
- Pages can appear in search sooner
- Updates are reflected faster
- Removed pages can drop out more quickly
That’s an indirect benefit, not a ranking boost.
A good way to think about IndexNow:
It’s a faster doorbell for search engines – not a megaphone.
Who Should Actually Use IndexNow?
IndexNow makes the most sense for sites that:
- Publish blog posts regularly
- Update pages often
- Run e-commerce stores
- Have dynamic or frequently changing content
If your site rarely changes, the benefit is smaller – but there’s no downside to enabling it.
Does Google Use IndexNow?
This is another common question.
- Google does not officially support IndexNow as a direct indexing method
- Google still relies on traditional crawling
- Enabling IndexNow does not hurt Google SEO
- It also doesn’t replace sitemaps or internal linking
So IndexNow won’t magically index pages in Google — but it won’t interfere either.
Related: Internal Linking Dos and Don’ts: What to Avoid and What to Focus On
The Power of Links: How Internal and External Links Boost SEO
Why Bing Pushes IndexNow So Hard
There’s a practical reason Bing promotes it aggressively:
- Reduces unnecessary crawling
- Saves server resources (for Bing and your site)
- Improves freshness of search results
From Bing’s perspective, IndexNow is simply a better technical system, so they want more sites using it.
Final Takeaway
That IndexNow banner in Bing Webmaster Tools:
- Is not an advertisement
- Is not paid
- Does not belong exclusively to Bing
- Is promoting an open protocol hosted at IndexNow.org
If your site publishes or updates content regularly, enabling IndexNow makes sense.
If not, you’re not missing anything critical.
Either way, it’s a tool – not a sales pitch.
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