Why does the Google Indexing API require a custom domain?

Cavuno requires a connected custom domain for its automated Search Console ownership and Indexing API flow. Google also supports URL-prefix verification for subdomains when the site owner can place an accepted verification token, but Cavuno's shared board subdomains are not configured through that customer-controlled flow.

What happens if I hit the Google Indexing API quota?

Google documents an initial default quota of 200 publish requests per project per day, covering both URL_UPDATED and URL_DELETED. Production use and higher quota require Google's approval. Check the Google Cloud console for the quota that applies to the project.

Will indexing requests be sent for password-protected boards?

No. Password-protected pages are not publicly crawlable, so Cavuno skips Indexing API notifications while protection is enabled. After making the board public, use Search Console to confirm that Google can access and index the pages.

Do I need to manually add the service account to Search Console?

No. When you connect Google Search Console, Cavuno automatically adds the service account as an owner and enables the Indexing API. You only need to add it manually if the automatic setup didn't complete.

Should I use the Google Indexing API together with IndexNow?

Yes. They complement each other. The Google Indexing API handles Google, while IndexNow covers Bing, Yandex, and other participating search engines. See the IndexNow guide for details.

Google Indexing API

Notify Google when eligible job pages are published, updated, or removed.

By Abi Tyas Tunggal and Jack Walsh

The Google Indexing API tells Google that an eligible URL was updated or removed. Google permits this API for pages with JobPosting markup and livestream pages with the supported BroadcastEvent markup. A successful notification means Google received the request; Google still decides whether and when to crawl or index the URL.

Cavuno auto-provisions a Google Cloud service account for each board and configures everything when you connect Search Console. No GCP project to create and no manual steps required.

For change notifications to participating IndexNow engines, see the IndexNow guide.

Prerequisites

A custom domain connected to your board (required by Cavuno's automated ownership flow)
Google Search Console connected (see How to connect Search Console)

Setup

When you connect Google Search Console, Cavuno automatically enables the Indexing API for your board. Behind the scenes it adds the service account as an owner on your Search Console property and turns on indexing. No extra steps needed.

If you haven't connected Search Console yet, follow the Search Console setup guide. The Indexing API activates as part of that process.

Once enabled, Cavuno automatically submits URLs to Google whenever jobs are published, updated, or removed. No manual URL submission is needed.

Manual setup

If the automatic setup didn't complete (for example, if the service account wasn't added as an owner), you can configure it manually:

Go to Settings → Indexing
Under Google Indexing API, copy the service account email
Open Google Search Console
Select your property, then go to Settings > Users and permissions
Click Add user, paste the service account email, and set the permission to Owner
Return to Settings → Indexing and toggle Google Indexing API on
Click Save changes

What gets submitted

Cavuno sends requests to Google when:

A job is published: a URL update notification is sent
A job is edited: a URL update notification is sent
A job is removed: a URL removal notification is sent after the URL is removed
A job expires: Cavuno updates the job's expiry state and sends the corresponding removal notification so Google can refresh the result

An expiry notification does not mean the visitor-facing URL must disappear. Google accepts an expiry date in the past, removal of the JobPosting markup, or a 404/410 response as valid closed-job states. See Google's expired job guidance.

Quota

Google documents an initial default quota of 200 publish requests per project per day, shared by URL_UPDATED and URL_DELETED. Google requires approval for production use and additional quota. Check the Indexing API quota documentation and the Google Cloud console for the current project limit.

Quota acceptance does not guarantee crawling or indexing. If a notification fails, use Cavuno's indexing status and Search Console to verify the page instead of assuming it will be retried on a fixed schedule.

When indexing is skipped

Cavuno skips Google Indexing API submissions in two cases:

Password-protected boards: pages are not publicly accessible, so notifying Google would be pointless
Boards temporarily offline: submissions are paused while pages are unavailable

After the board becomes public and available, confirm important URLs with Search Console's URL Inspection tool.

Verify a submission

Go to Settings → Indexing
Confirm Google Indexing API is on and the daily quota meter is visible
Publish a test job or make a meaningful update to a public job
Open the More options menu beside Google Indexing API
Select View submissions
Find the job URL and review its action, state, submission time, and any error
Use Search Console's URL Inspection tool to check Google's latest view of the URL

A submitted state confirms that Cavuno sent the notification. It does not confirm that Google crawled, indexed, or displayed the job.

If setup or submission fails

If the card says a custom domain is required, connect the domain first
If setup has not started, select Start setup; if provisioning shows an error, select Retry
If the service-account email is shown, add that account as an Owner in the matching Search Console property, then turn indexing on again
If password protection is enabled, make the board public before testing
If the quota meter is full, wait for the quota reset or use More options → Request more quota; Google reviews quota requests
If a submission row shows an error, keep the URL, action, and error message when contacting Cavuno support

Tips

Use each protocol for its participants. The Google Indexing API supports Google's eligible job pages; IndexNow notifies its participating engines.
Submit your sitemap too. The Indexing API reports eligible job-page changes, while a sitemap provides broader URL discovery. See Sitemap submission.
Check Search Console for results. After enabling, monitor the Pages report and inspect individual URLs. A notification is not confirmation that a job was indexed.