Google Indexing API Approval Removed: 200 Requests a Day

On October 16, 2026, Google removed the usage approval and quota increase request form from the Indexing API documentation. In the Search Central updates log, Google said it updated the quota page to match current limits and procedures and deleted the outdated form. The API is still limited to job posting and livestream video pages, so most blog and online store owners have little to rethink.

What changed in the Google Indexing API quota documentation

The Google Indexing API lets site owners tell Google directly about new, updated, or deleted pages. It is like opening a new shop and dropping a grand opening notice into mailboxes yourself, instead of waiting for the neighborhood newsletter to notice. Google normally finds pages by following links and sitemaps, but with this API the owner can announce a URL first. Just as only certain kinds of shops may send such notices, the API is limited to certain kinds of pages.

According to Search Engine Roundtable's October 16 report, Google removed wording from three Indexing API documents. In the quota document, the explanation of the default test quota, the "Quota and approval requests" section, and the form for requesting a higher limit are gone. In the quickstart, the statement that you get 200 requests by default when starting out, the approval requirement, and the sentence recommending this API over sitemaps for sites with many short-lived pages are gone. In the usage guide, the line saying the default quota is for testing and needs approval was deleted.

The current quota document lists 200 publish requests per day per project as the default, with no guidance on approval or quota increases. There is no usage fee. Google has not explained whether the approval process is really gone or the documentation was only cleaned up.

Is your site eligible for the Indexing API

Eligibility has not changed. The usage guide says the API can only be used for pages with JobPosting structured data, or pages with BroadcastEvent inside VideoObject. In plain terms, these are job posting pages and livestream video pages.

Page type	Indexing API	How to manage indexing
Job posting (JobPosting)	Allowed	API or sitemap
Livestream video (BroadcastEvent inside VideoObject)	Allowed	API or sitemap
Blog posts, product pages, general info pages	Not eligible per the docs	Sitemap, Search Console URL Inspection

The approval step is gone, but eligibility was not widened. Using the API to index blog posts goes beyond its documented purpose. The quickstart warns that Google may revoke access if it detects attempts to abuse the API, including creating multiple accounts to get around the quota.

What to do now if you use the Google Indexing API

If you run eligible pages, learn your limits first. The defaults from the quota document are below. You can see your current values on the Indexing API quota screen in the Google API console.

Request type	Default limit
Publish requests (URL_UPDATED, URL_DELETED)	200 per day per project
Metadata lookups (getMetadata)	180 per minute
All endpoints combined	380 per minute

The daily limit resets at midnight Pacific time, and a new quota can take up to 24 hours to apply. A batch can carry up to 100 requests at once, but the quota counts each URL separately.

If more than 200 job postings change in a day, send the ones closing soon or just posted first, and signal the rest through the sitemap's last-modified time. Requests over the limit have to wait until the next day. Because a posting's value depends on when it becomes visible, setting an order costs you less. This is our judgment.

Check whether requests went through using the response code and getMetadata. HTTP 200 means Google may revisit soon. It does not mean indexing is finished. getMetadata only shows when the last request was received, so check the actual index status of the URL separately in Search Console URL Inspection. When you take down a job posting, the URL should return 404 or 410, or carry noindex, before you send the delete request.

You can test the limit and response with a single request. Pick one real job posting URL, send it to the publish endpoint as URL_UPDATED, then query the same URL with getMetadata and check that the request time you just sent is recorded. If the response is 200 and the record appears, authentication and ownership setup are done. Then check on the API console quota screen that daily usage went up by 1, which also confirms which limit the request counts against.

What to watch next

Google has not announced whether it will reopen a path for quota increases or widen the eligible pages. If your limit is too low, check the Indexing API entries in the Google Search Central updates log now and then. If you already use the API, first confirm in the console that your existing project's limit is unchanged.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the Indexing API to request indexing for regular blog posts?

Per the docs, only job posting and livestream video pages are eligible. For blog posts, request indexing through sitemap submission and URL Inspection in Search Console. The steps are covered in How to request indexing in Google Search Console.

What if I go over 200 requests a day?

The daily limit is 200, so requests over it have to be sent after the reset the next day. Since the increase request form is gone from the docs, the practical approach is to send the highest priority URLs first and signal the rest through the sitemap.