In today's internet age where content is exploding, how to make search engines find your website content faster and more accurately is a concern for every website operator.As an expert who has been deeply involved in website operations for many years, I know that the subtle details of search engine optimization are enough to influence the flow of traffic.AnQiCMS (English: AnQiCMS) is a content management system built with Go language and highly SEO-friendly, which provides many convenient features, including integration support for the Bing search engine's IndexNow API.

IndexNow is an innovative protocol that allows websites to send notifications to search engines immediately after content is published, updated, or deleted. This says goodbye to the periodic waiting of traditional Sitemap submission, greatly accelerating the discovery and inclusion process of website content by search engines.For websites that pursue timeliness and content coverage, this is undoubtedly a feature that can significantly enhance competitiveness.

So, as a user of AnQiCMS, how should we obtain and properly set up the Bing Search IndexNow API in the background, so that your new content can be quickly indexed by Bing and its partner search engines?Next, I will explain this process in detail.

Understand IndexNow: Seamless Integration of Content Updates with Search Engines

In AnQiCMS backend, you will find a powerful 'Link Push' feature, designed to help your website content communicate with major search engines in real time.This includes the integration of the Bing search engine's IndexNow API.

IndexNow的核心概念是“实时通知”。When your website publishes an article, updates a product page, or deletes outdated information, IndexNow can immediately inform search engines of these changes.Compared to traditional search engine crawling mechanisms, it often requires waiting for the spider to crawl the Sitemap again or discover your content through other means. This time difference may cause your latest information to be displayed in front of users in a timely manner.Therefore, enabling IndexNow means that your content can gain faster exposure opportunities, which is particularly important for websites that require high timeliness, such as news information and e-commerce product updates.

Find the IndexNow settings entry in the AnQiCMS backend

First, please log in to your AnQiCMS management backend.In the left navigation menu, you need to find and click on the item 'Function Management'.After expansion, you will see a sub-menu named 'Link Push', which is the core area where we perform the active push configuration of the search engine.

After entering the "Link Push" page, you will see configuration options for different search engines.Here, we focus on the part of "Bing Search Engine Push API".AnQiCMS supports two push methods for Bing: the traditional 'Submit API' and the newer, more efficient 'IndexNow API'.We mainly focus on IndexNow in this article.

Get detailed steps to obtain the Bing IndexNow API Key

To use the IndexNow API, you first need to obtain a dedicated API Key from Bing official and verify your website.This process may sound somewhat technical, but don't worry, follow my guidance, and every step is clear and straightforward.

  1. Visit Bing Webmaster Tools:Open the browser, go tohttps://www.bing.com/webmasters/If you have not registered or logged in, please complete this step first. This is the official platform for managing your website's performance on Bing.

  2. Add and verify your website:If your website has not been added to Bing Webmaster Tools, you need to add it first.Generally, website verification can be completed by uploading an HTML file, adding DNS records, or linking Google Search Console.Ensure that your website has been successfully verified, which is a prerequisite for subsequent operations.

  3. Get IndexNow API Key:The website verification is successful, and you need to access the special page used for IndexNow management. In Bing Webmaster Tools, it is usually possible to search for or directly accesshttps://www.bing.com/indexnowFind it. On this page, the system will generate a unique API Key for you. This Key is the credential for your website to send notifications to IndexNow.

  4. Create and upload the API Key verification file:This is a crucial step! You need to use the API Key you just obtained to create a verification file.

    • File Naming:The file name must be your API Key itself, for example, if your API Key isd2f0d24fc01e46c9be89c0d9b282227a, then the file name should bed2f0d24fc01e46c9be89c0d9b282227a.txt.
    • File content:The file content is also very simple, it is your API Key itself. For example,d2f0d24fc01e46c9be89c0d9b282227a.
    • The file upload location:Select this.txtUpload the file to your website'sRoot directory, which is under the AnQiCMS installation directory.publicFolder. Ensure that this file can be accessed directly.https://您的域名/d2f0d24fc01e46c9be89c0d9b282227a.txtAccessible. This is another way Bing verifies your ownership of the website, as well as a requirement of the IndexNow protocol.

  5. Concatenate IndexNow API URL:After you have obtained the API Key and the verification file, you can construct the complete IndexNow API URL. The format is fixed: https://www.bing.com/indexnow?key=您的API Key. Replace your actual API Key here您的API Keypart, you get a complete URL string. For example:https://www.bing.com/indexnow?key=d2f0d24fc01e46c9be89c0d9b282227a.

In AnQiCMS backend configuration IndexNow API

Now, we return to the 'Link Push' page of the AnQiCMS backend.In the corresponding input box of the "Bing Search Engine Active Push Interface", paste the complete IndexNow API URL you just assembled.After pasting, remember to click the save button to ensure the configuration takes effect.

Once configured, AnQiCMS will automatically call this IndexNow API when you publish new articles, update content, or delete pages, and will push the URLs of related pages in real time to Bing.

Verify if the IndexNow API succeeds

After configuration, we always hope to confirm that it actually worked. The verification process is also straightforward:

  1. Publish or update a page:Attempt to publish a new article or update existing page content in the AnQiCMS backend.
  2. View push records:Return to the “Function Management”->“Link Push” page of AnQiCMS backend, click “View Recent Push Records”. Here, you should be able to see the records of Bing push, if it includes{"d":null}It typically indicates a successful push.
  3. Go to Bing Webmaster Tools to confirm:The most direct way to confirm is to log in to Bing Webmaster Tools, in the "URL Submission" or related reports, you can usually see the URLs submitted by AnQiCMS through IndexNow in real time.This indicates that Bing has received and processed your content update notification.

Through the above steps, you have successfully configured the Bing Search Engine's IndexNow API in the AnQiCMS backend.This will win your website valuable time advantages, allowing your latest information to be discovered more quickly by search engines, thereby enhancing the visibility and traffic of the website.

Common Questions (FAQ)

Q1: I have created and uploaded the IndexNow API Key file topublicTable of contents, but Bing Webmaster Tools still prompts unverified, where is the problem?

A1:This situation usually has several reasons. First, please check carefully whether the file name matches the API Key exactly, including case sensitivity..txtSuffix. Next, confirm that the file content only contains the API Key itself and does not contain any extra spaces or line breaks. Most importantly, ensure that the file is indeed located on your website.Root directoryIn AnQiCMS it is usuallypublicfolder), and it can be accessed directlyhttps://您的域名/您的APIKey.txtSuccessfully opened and the content is correct. Server cache or CDN cache may also cause verification delays at times. You can try clearing the cache or waiting a moment before trying again.

Q2: AnQiCMS will automatically submit all content updates to IndexNow?

A2:Yes, once you have correctly configured the IndexNow API in the AnQiCMS background, the system will do so when you performcontent publishing, updating, or deletingOperation triggers the URL submission request of IndexNow automatically.This means you do not need to manually manage the push notifications after each content change. AnQiCMS will automatically notify Baidu of these important updates in real time, greatly simplifying the operation process.

Q3: Do I still need to submit Sitemap to Bing after enabling IndexNow?

A3:尽管IndexNow能够实现内容的实时推送，但它并不能完全替代传统的Sitemap。IndexNow主要用于通知搜索引擎内容的ChangeWhile Sitemap provides the complete structure and hierarchical information of all pages of your website,Complete structure and level information.Therefore, both are complementary relationships.You should still regularly generate and submit Sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools to let search engines fully understand the structure of your website, and use IndexNow to accelerate the inclusion of new and updated content.