Google Indexing API Setup Guide

Overview

This guide explains the entire process of setting up the Indexing API on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in a very friendly way so that even non-developers can follow along.

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Prerequisites

Please check the items below before starting.

• Google Account: A regular Gmail account is sufficient.
• Web Browser: We recommend using the Chrome browser if possible.

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Step 1. Creating a GCP Project

1-1. Access the GCP Console

Click the link below to access the Google Cloud Console.

👉 Go to Google Cloud Console

1-2. Create a new project

1. Click the Select a project button at the top left of the screen, just to the right of the Google Cloud logo.
2. When the popup window appears, click the New project button (blue + icon) in the upper right corner.

1-3. Enter project name

1. Enter google-indexing-example in the Project name field.
2. The Project ID is generated automatically. (Note that it cannot be changed later.)
3. Parent resource can be left as the default (No organization).
4. Click the blue Create button at the bottom.

1-4. Confirm project creation

After a few seconds, a notification (bell icon) appears in the upper right corner of the screen. When you see a message saying Create Project: google-indexing-example along with a Select Project link, click it to go to the project you just created.

Success if Project name: google-indexing-example is displayed in the project dashboard!

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Step 2. Activating the Indexing API

2-1. Search for Indexing API

1. Click the search bar at the top center of the screen.
2. Enter Indexing API.
3. In the Marketplace section of the search results, click the Web Search Indexing API item.

2-2. Activate API (Enable)

1. Once you arrive at the detail page, click the blue Enable button.

2-3. Confirm activation

Wait a moment and it will display Status: Enabled. The API is now ready for use!

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Step 3. Creating a Service Account

3-1. Go to the service account creation page

Click Menu (☰) → IAM & Admin → Service Accounts → + Create service account at the top.

3-2. Enter service account information

1. Enter indexing-bot for Service account name.
2. An Email address is automatically generated. This email will be used later, so be sure to copy it!
3. Click the Create and continue button.

3-3. Grant Role (Permissions)

1. Select Basic → Owner from the Select a role dropdown.
2. Click the Done button at the bottom.

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Step 4. Generate the JSON key

The tool needs a private JSON key to authenticate API requests securely.

1. Open the newly created service account.
2. Switch to the Keys tab.
3. Click Add key → Create new key.
4. Keep JSON selected and press Create.

Your browser will download the credential file immediately.

The file will look similar to this:

{
  "type": "service_account",
  "project_id": "your-project-id",
  "private_key_id": "key-id",
  "private_key": "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n",
  "client_email": "indexing-bot@your-project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com",
  "client_id": "client-id",
  "token_uri": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token"
}

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Step 5. Add the service account in Search Console

Once you have downloaded the JSON key, the final step is to grant the service account access to your Search Console property. Please refer to the following guide for detailed instructions.

👉 View Google Search Console Setup Guide

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Final checklist