To get a new website indexed on Google, verify it in Google Search Console, submit your XML sitemap, and use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your homepage and a few key pages. First make sure nothing on the site tells Google to stay away, and that every page is linked from another page. Most new sites see their first pages indexed within a few days to a few weeks; ranking for the searches that bring customers takes months.
Indexing is free, and no paid tool or “instant indexing” service is needed. Work through the steps below in order.
Crawled, indexed, ranked: three different things
Google first crawls a page (downloads it), then decides whether to index it (store it for results), and only then ranks it against other pages. A page can be crawled and never indexed, or indexed and stuck on page nine. If you are indexed but nobody finds you, the fix is content, links and time.
Step 1: Remove anything that blocks Google
On new sites, the usual culprit is a setting left over from development:
- WordPress: in Settings > Reading, untick “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”. It is often ticked during the build and forgotten.
- robots.txt: the line Disallow: / under User-agent: * blocks the whole site.
- noindex: a robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header saying “noindex” keeps a page out, even if it is in your sitemap.
- Password or “coming soon” mode: a password-protected Shopify store or a maintenance plugin shows Google only a login box.
- Staging canonicals: canonical tags still pointing at a staging domain tell Google the real page lives there.
- Four versions of one site: http, https, www and non-www should all redirect to the single version listed in your sitemap.
- JavaScript-only pages: if rendering fails, Google sees a blank page. The live test in Step 4 shows what Google actually got.
Step 2: Verify the site in Google Search Console
Sign in to Search Console with a Google account the business controls and add a property:
| Method | Covers | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Domain property (DNS TXT record) | Every version: http, https, www, non-www and subdomains | Needs DNS access at your registrar; the best choice for most businesses |
| URL prefix, HTML file upload | Only that exact address | Deleting the file later removes verification |
| URL prefix, HTML meta tag | Only that exact address | A theme or plugin change can remove the tag |
| URL prefix, Google Analytics or Tag Manager | Only that exact address | Needs edit access on that account |
New properties can take a day to show data. More important than the method: the business’s own Google account should own the property, with the developer added as a user. At Codelith Lab the domain, hosting and all logins are created in the client’s name, and Search Console should follow the same rule whoever builds your site. If a previous agency owns it, ask them to make you an owner first.
Step 3: Submit your XML sitemap
Most platforms generate a sitemap automatically: WordPress at /wp-sitemap.xml (or /sitemap_index.xml with Yoast or Rank Math), Shopify and Wix at /sitemap.xml. Custom sites need one built by the developer. Open it in a browser to confirm it loads, submit it under Sitemaps in Search Console, and add a Sitemap: line to robots.txt so other crawlers find it.
“Success” in the Sitemaps report means Google read the file, not that it indexed the pages. The sitemap should list only final, indexable URLs, with no redirects, noindex pages or 404s. And Google retired its sitemap “ping” address in 2023 and says it ignores the priority and changefreq fields, so plugins promising to “notify Google” that way add nothing; an accurate lastmod date is what helps.
Step 4: Request indexing for key pages (and its daily limit)
Paste your homepage URL into the search bar at the top of Search Console; that is the URL Inspection tool. A new page will usually show “URL is not on Google”. Click Test live URL, check the screenshot shows your real page, then click Request indexing. Repeat for your top service pages.
There is a daily limit. Google does not publish the number and it can change; it is commonly reported at around ten URLs a day per property, after which you see a quota message and try again tomorrow. Google’s documentation says repeat requests for the same URL will not speed up crawling, and that large batches belong in a sitemap.
Skip services selling instant indexing through Google’s Indexing API. Google limits that API to job listing and livestream pages and warns that misuse can get access revoked.
Step 5: Link every page from somewhere
Google finds most pages by following links, and uses them to judge which pages matter. A page that sits only in the sitemap, with no link from another page, is an orphan and often the last to be crawled.
- Link main service or product pages from the menu and homepage.
- Link each new blog post from an older, indexed page, and onward to a relevant service page.
- Use normal text links with descriptive words, not “click here” or JavaScript-only buttons.
- Add your website to your Google Business Profile and social profiles, which Google already crawls.
Why pages sit in “Discovered” or “Crawled – currently not indexed”
After a week or two, open Indexing > Pages in Search Console. It lists why each unindexed URL is out.
Discovered – currently not indexed means Google knows the URL but has not crawled it. Google’s explanation is that it postponed the crawl, often to avoid overloading the site. On a new site it usually means the pages do not yet look worth the crawl: few links point to them, many URLs appeared at once, or the server is slow.
Crawled – currently not indexed means Google fetched the page and chose not to add it for now; Google says there is no need to resubmit it. Usual causes are thin pages, near-copies of each other (twenty city pages with only the name swapped) and low-value URLs such as empty tag archives. Improve, merge or remove them; re-requesting daily achieves nothing.
| Status | Usual meaning on a new site | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Discovered – currently not indexed | Not crawled yet | Add internal links; request indexing for key pages; wait |
| Crawled – currently not indexed | Read, judged not worth indexing yet | Make the page genuinely useful or merge it |
| Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag | The page asks to be left out | Remove the tag unless intentional |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user | Google treats another URL as the main one | Check canonicals, redirects and near-identical pages |
| Server error (5xx) | Hosting failed when Google visited | Fix hosting; repeated errors slow crawling |
Not every URL needs indexing; a healthy report shows the pages that matter indexed and the rest excluded for sensible reasons. If server errors keep appearing, cheap shared hosting is a frequent cause; this guide to web hosting costs in India covers what is worth paying for. The report lags by a few days, so check any single page with URL Inspection.
Step 6: Bing, with IndexNow
Bing takes ten minutes and its index feeds other search tools too. In Bing Webmaster Tools, import your site from Google Search Console; verification and sitemap come across. Then set up IndexNow, an open protocol launched by Microsoft Bing and Yandex in 2021: your site notifies participating search engines whenever a page is added, changed or deleted. As of 2026 Google does not use it, so it does not replace Steps 2 to 4.
- WordPress: Microsoft’s official IndexNow plugin, or an SEO plugin that supports it.
- Cloudflare: switch on Crawler Hints, which sends IndexNow notices for you.
- Custom sites: host a key file at the site root and send changed URLs to the IndexNow endpoint.
Realistic timelines
Google’s documentation says crawling can take a few days to a few weeks, and its guidance on hiring an SEO says improvements typically take four months to a year to show a benefit. For a new site with no history:
| Stage | Realistic time | What changes it |
|---|---|---|
| Search Console verification | Minutes; DNS can take longer | Access to your DNS settings |
| Sitemap read by Google | Usually within days | A clean sitemap that loads |
| Homepage indexed | A few days to a few weeks | Request indexing; links from your Business Profile |
| All key pages indexed | A few weeks; longer for big sites | Internal links, page quality, server speed |
| Showing for your brand name | Soon after indexing | A generic name takes longer |
| Ranking for competitive searches | Months | Content depth, competition, links from other sites |
A site:yoursite.com search gives a rough picture of what is indexed, but the count is approximate. Once pages are indexed, ranking is SEO work; this breakdown of SEO package prices in India explains what that costs.
When to get help, and when not to
For a business site of five to fifteen pages, the steps above take an afternoon and you do not need to pay anyone. Get help if key pages are still unindexed four to six weeks after a clean launch, if the Pages report shows hundreds of URLs you did not expect, if Google sees your JavaScript site as blank, or if you have just changed domains (migrations need their own redirect plan).
In our pricing, a one-time SEO audit is ₹24,999 plus 18% GST, worth it only when one of those problems is real; see our SEO services. If a site is being built for you, put “Search Console verified in our account, sitemap submitted, noindex removed” on the handover list of any website development job.
New website indexing checklist
- “Discourage search engines” unticked; no password or coming-soon page.
- robots.txt allows crawling and lists your sitemap.
- No stray noindex tags; canonicals and redirects point to one live version of the domain.
- Search Console Domain property verified in the business’s own account.
- Sitemap submitted, loading, and listing only live, indexable URLs.
- Live test passed; indexing requested for the homepage and top pages.
- Every page linked from the menu, homepage or a related page.
- Website added to your Google Business Profile and social profiles.
- Bing Webmaster Tools imported from Search Console; IndexNow switched on.
- Pages report reviewed at two weeks and again at one month.
The short version
- Unblock first: noindex, robots.txt, passwords and staging canonicals.
- Verify a Domain property, submit a clean sitemap, and request indexing only for top pages; the daily quota is small.
- “Discovered” usually means not crawled yet; “Crawled – currently not indexed” usually means the page needs to be more useful or less like its neighbours.
- Expect indexing in days to weeks and ranking in months. Indexing is free, so skip paid “instant” tricks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for Google to index a new website?
For a new site with no history, the homepage is usually indexed within a few days to a few weeks after you verify Search Console, submit a sitemap and request indexing. Google’s own documentation says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Deeper pages can take longer, especially if they have few internal links. Ranking for competitive searches is a separate process that takes months.
How many URLs can I submit with Request indexing per day?
Google does not publish the exact number, and it can change. It is a small daily quota per property, commonly reported at around ten URLs, after which Search Console shows a quota message and asks you to try again the next day. Use it for your homepage and most important pages, and let your XML sitemap and internal links handle everything else.
Is getting a website indexed on Google free?
Yes. Search Console, sitemap submission, URL Inspection and Bing Webmaster Tools are all free, and nobody can pay Google to index a page faster. Paid “instant indexing” services usually rely on Google’s Indexing API, which Google limits to job listing and livestream pages. What costs money is SEO work to help indexed pages rank, which is a separate job from indexing.
Why is my page crawled but not indexed?
“Crawled – currently not indexed” means Google fetched the page and decided not to add it for now. Common causes are thin content, pages that are near-copies of other pages on your site, and low-value URLs such as empty tag archives. Improve the page so it answers a real question better, merge near-duplicates, and link to it from relevant pages. Resubmitting it every day does not help.
Does IndexNow work for Google?
No. As of 2026 Google does not use IndexNow. It is used by Bing, Yandex and a few other search engines, and it is still worth setting up because Bing’s index feeds other search tools too. For Google, rely on Search Console, a clean XML sitemap, the URL Inspection tool and sensible internal links. Setting up IndexNow takes a few minutes on WordPress or Cloudflare.
