Google has updated the indexing API documentation; this includes three different pages within the documentation. I think the big takeaway is that Google removed the old approval process and initial testing explanation, the sitemap recommendation, and, most importantly, the default quota details.
The pages that were updated include:
Google did announce one of the pages were updated but not all three pages. Google said it "Updated the Indexing API quota page to reflect the current quota limits and process." Google did this to "document the current quota limits for the Indexing API and remove an outdated form," they added.
What was removed? Google removed the details about the "default quota" - I guess there is no more a default quota for the Indexing API.
Here is what was removed from the quota page:
- The Indexing API provides initial default quota for testing, and it requires additional approval for usage and resource provisioning.
- Initial default quota: The Indexing API provides the following default quota for initial API onboarding and testing submissions.
- Request quota and approval: The Indexing API can only be used to crawl pages with either JobPosting or BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject. To request quota beyond the initial default quota and gain approval to use the API for pages with JobPosting or BroadcastEvent markup, fill out this form. You'll need to know the details of your project in the Google Cloud console. The quota may increase or decrease based on the document quality.
Those lines were all removed, here is a diff side by side:
On the quickstart page Google removed the section of the sitemaps. It read:
Sitemaps and the Indexing API: For websites with many short-lived pages like job postings or livestream videos, we recommend using the Indexing API instead of sitemaps because the Indexing API prompts Googlebot to crawl your pages sooner than updating the sitemap. However, we still recommend submitting a sitemap for coverage of your entire site.
Google also removed the default quota of 200 - it read:
Request approval and quota. The Indexing API provides a default 200 quota for API onboarding and submission testing, and it requires additional approval for usage and resource provisioning.
Then on the using the API page Google removed this line a few times on the default quota:
The Indexing API provides a default quota for testing. To use the API, request approval and quota.
Google also removed that the API is for job postings and livestreaming on some pages but not the main page, so I guess that restriction is still in place.
Forum discussion at X.
