IndexNow for Smarter AI Search and Shopping SEO

Using IndexNow alongside Schema structured data has become an effective method for ensuring that AI search engines receive the most current product information.

According to a recent announcement by Microsoft Bing, IndexNow is proving to be a valuable tool for ecommerce businesses. It helps surface fresh and accurate shopping data in AI-driven search results and search engine shopping features.

Generative Search Requires Timely Shopping Information

Ecommerce websites often rely on a combination of merchant feeds, search engine crawling, and updates to Schema.org structured data to relay product details. This includes information about what’s available, newly listed items, discontinued stock, pricing changes, availability, and other key attributes. However, these systems can sometimes fail due to slow crawl rates or inconsistent data updates, which may result in outdated or incorrect information being shown in AI-driven search and shopping results.

IndexNow offers a solution to this issue. Developed by Microsoft, IndexNow is supported by popular content platforms such as Wix, Duda, Shopify, and WooCommerce. It allows for faster indexing of newly published or updated content. When used alongside Schema.org structured data, it ensures that accurate information is quickly picked up and displayed in AI-powered search and shopping experiences.

To make the most of IndexNow, Microsoft recommends using specific Schema.org Product Type properties. These include:

Title (or name in JSON-LD)
Description
Price (either list or retail price)
Link (the URL of the product’s landing page)
Image link (as specified in JSON-LD)
Shipping details (particularly crucial for Germany and Austria)
ID (a unique identifier for the product)
Brand
GTIN
MPN
Date published
Date modified

There are also optional fields that can enhance how the product is categorised and displayed:

Category (useful for organising products across search and shopping platforms)
Seller (important for marketplaces and resellers)
Item condition (such as NewCondition or UsedCondition)