seo-index-request

name	seo-index-request
argument-hint	<URL(s) to index, e.g. https://example.com/new-page>
description	Request Google to index specific URLs. Checks current indexing status, identifies pages not in Google's index, and triggers re-crawl/indexing. Supports URL Inspection API (gcloud), Chrome DevTools CDP, and indirect crawl triggering. Use this skill when: new pages aren't showing in search, you submitted new content, pages got deindexed, you fixed indexing issues, or need to check why a URL isn't ranking. Also triggers on: "index this page", "request indexing", "submit to Google", "reindex page", "force reindex", "why not indexed", "check indexing status", "update Google index", or any request to get URLs into Google's index.

SEO Index Request

You are an indexing specialist. Your job is to help users get their URLs into Google's index and keep them there. You check indexing status, identify issues, and trigger re-crawling when needed.

---

Phase 0 — Get Target URLs

Ask the user for the URL(s) to check or index:

"Enter the URL(s) you want to check or index (comma-separated, or one per line)"

Accept:

• Single URL: https://example.com/blog/new-post
• Multiple URLs: https://example.com/page1, https://example.com/page2
• URL list (ask user to paste)

Derive domain if not provided:

DOMAIN=$(python3 -c "import sys; from urllib.parse import urlparse; print(urlparse(sys.argv[1]).netloc.lstrip('www.'))" "$PAGE_URL")

---

Phase 1 — Check Indexing Status

Choose the method based on available tools:

Method A: URL Inspection API (requires gcloud)

SKILL_SCRIPTS=$(find ~/.claude/plugins ~/.claude/skills .agents/skills -type d -name scripts -path "*seo-index-request*" 2>/dev/null | head -1)
[ -z "$SKILL_SCRIPTS" ] && SKILL_SCRIPTS="./seo/seo-index-request/scripts"

python3 "$SKILL_SCRIPTS/index_request.py" \
  --domain "$DOMAIN" \
  --url "https://example.com/page" \
  --method api \
  --output /tmp/index_status.json

Method B: CDP-based (via chrome-devtools)

If no gcloud available, use CDP to navigate GSC:

# Navigate to GSC URL Inspection
chrome-devtools_new_page(url="https://search.google.com/search-console/inspect?url={ENCODED_URL}")

# Extract status via evaluate_script
chrome-devtools_evaluate_script(() => {
  return document.querySelector('.index-status')?.innerText || 'Not found';
})

Method C: Check if page is indexed (quick)

Use Google search to check if indexed:

# Search for the URL in Google
site:example.com/page-to-check

---

Phase 2 — Analyze Results

Indexing Status Categories

Status	Meaning	Action Needed?
INDEXED	Page is in Google's index	No
NOT_INDEXED	Page not indexed	Yes - find why
CRAWLED_NOT_INDEXED	Google crawled but didn't index	Yes - fix issues
SUBMITTED	Submitted but not yet indexed	Wait or re-submit
UNKNOWN	Could not determine	Check manually

Common Reasons for Not Indexing

Issue	Check	Fix
Noindex tag	View page source	Remove noindex
Canonical to other URL	Check canonical tag	Fix canonical
Blocked by robots.txt	Check robots.txt	Allow in robots.txt
Thin/duplicate content	Compare to similar pages	Add unique content
4xx/5xx error	Check response code	Fix server issues
Not in sitemap	Check sitemap	Add to sitemap
Very new	Wait 24-48 hours	Be patient

---

Phase 3 — Request Indexing

For pages NOT indexed, trigger indexing:

Option 1: Submit via GSC URL Inspection

Navigate to:

https://search.google.com/search-console/inspect?url={ENCODED_URL}

Click "Request Indexing" button in the UI.

Option 2: Use CDP to automate

# Navigate to inspection page
chrome-devtools_navigate_page(url="https://search.google.com/search-console/inspect?url={ENCODED_URL}")

# Click the indexing button
chrome-devtools_click(uid="<button-uid>")  # Find the "Request Indexing" button

Option 3: Trigger via sitemap

If URL is in sitemap, resubmit sitemap:

1. Go to GSC → Sitemaps
2. Click "Resubmit" next to your sitemap

Option 4: Indirect trigger (live fetch)

# Fetch the URL - Googlebot may re-crawl
python3 "$SKILL_SCRIPTS/index_request.py" \
  --url "https://example.com/page" \
  --method fetch

This triggers a fetch which notifies Googlebot.

---

Phase 4 — Report Results

Output a structured report:

---

Index Request Report — [domain.com]

[date]

Summary

Metric	Count
URLs Checked	N
Indexed	N
Not Indexed	N
Errors	N

Detailed Results

URL	Status	Coverage State	Action
/page1	Indexed	-	None needed
/page2	Not Indexed	Exclusion: noindex	Remove noindex tag
/page3	Crawled Not Indexed	-	Fix thin content

Actions Taken

• /page2: Remove <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> from HTML
• /page3: Add more unique content (minimum 300 words)
• /page4: Fix canonical URL to point to itself

Next Steps

1. Fix identified issues
2. Wait 24-48 hours for re-crawl
3. Run /seo-analysis to verify indexing

---

Tips for Faster Indexing

1. Internal links: Ensure the page is linked from at least 1 other indexed page
2. Sitemap: Add new pages to sitemap and resubmit in GSC
3. Share on social: Social signals can trigger faster crawling
4. Google News: If news content, submit to Google News
5. API: For bulk indexing, use URL Inspection API (requires gcloud setup)

---

Batch Processing

For multiple URLs:

# Create URL list
echo "https://example.com/page1
https://example.com/page2
https://example.com/page3" > /tmp/urls.txt

# Process batch
python3 "$SKILL_SCRIPTS/index_request.py" \
  --domain "$DOMAIN" \
  --urls-file /tmp/urls.txt \
  --method api \
  --delay 2 \
  --output /tmp/batch_index.json

Note: Google's indexing has rate limits. Use --delay 2 or higher between requests to avoid 429 errors.