IndexNow
IndexNow tells participating search engines that an important store URL was added, updated or removed. It can speed discovery of changes, but it does not guarantee crawling, indexing or ranking.
- 1Choose the right store and complete key/verification setup shown in the component.
- 2Change a disposable public product URL or manually queue a relevant public URL.
- 3Check the IndexNow queue/status after the configured job runs, then inspect the verification key URL if required.
The queued item moves to a processed/accepted state or shows an actionable error. It is not a promise of search rankings or indexing.
Remember: If nothing processes, inspect the shared Cron Manager and job logs. Frontend verification guide →
Recommended setup
- Select the store.
- Generate a key.
- Open the public key file and verify it.
- Enable IndexNow and automatic notifications.
- Keep the IndexNow Queue job enabled in Cron Manager.
Why is there a Store dropdown?
The dropdown is necessary. IndexNow verification happens against a public hostname, and each OpenCart store can have a different domain. HuntBee therefore keeps IndexNow status, verification and queue context per store.
store-a.example.com and store-b.example.com can share the same HuntBee installation, but each domain still needs a valid public verification URL and its own queue context.What is the verification key?
IndexNow uses a text file named after your key. Search engines can request that file to confirm that the store is allowed to submit URLs for the hostname.
Why did older setups show “403 Forbidden”?
OpenCart commonly protects ordinary .txt files through Apache rules. HuntBee now adds a narrow Apache exception for only the active IndexNow verification filename. It does not expose every text file.
What gets queued automatically?
When automatic notifications are enabled, supported OpenCart content changes can add the affected public URL to the IndexNow queue. Typical examples include products, categories, manufacturers, information pages and supported CMS content.
The queue is intentional: the admin page does not need to wait for a remote search-engine request every time you save a product.
Submission Queue in simple terms
| Pending | Waiting for the background worker. |
| Failed | A submission attempt failed and may need retrying. |
| Attempts | How many times HuntBee tried this queue item. |
| Submit Queue Now | Processes queued items immediately for testing/manual maintenance. |
| Retry Failed | Requeues failed items so they can be tried again. |
Recommended settings
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Enable IndexNow | On after key verification | Allows automatic change notifications. |
| Verification Key | Generate with HuntBee | Avoids formatting mistakes. |
| Automatic content notifications | Enable for the content types you actively publish | Lets HuntBee queue real catalog/content changes. |
| Diagnostics retention | Keep the default unless you have a storage reason to change it | Old diagnostics are operational history, not permanent SEO data. |
| Cron Manager → IndexNow Queue | Enabled, every 5 minutes | Processes queued URL changes automatically. |
Do I need to submit every URL once?
No. IndexNow is mainly for changes going forward. Your XML Sitemap remains the complete discovery source for the existing catalog. There is normally no reason to flood IndexNow with the entire store just because you installed the component.
Manual URL queueing
Use manual queueing for a changed or removed public URL that HuntBee could not detect automatically. It is not a replacement for the sitemap or a “force Google to index me” button.
Troubleshooting
- Key file forbidden: save/generate the key again so HuntBee can install the narrow access rule, then test Open Key File.
- Verification fails: confirm the public key URL loads from the selected store domain.
- Queue never processes: check Cron Manager Scheduler Health and the IndexNow Queue job.
- Many failures: inspect the queue result and OpenCart error log before repeatedly retrying.