## **🧭 Overview**

Instant Indexing in Search Atlas uses a dedicated Google service account to submit URLs directly to Google's Indexing API. Before any URLs can be submitted, that service account must be granted **Owner**-level access inside Google Search Console (GSC). Until ownership is confirmed, the **Has Access** flag in your Search Atlas dashboard remains **False** and no indexing requests will process.

Two common approaches fail to satisfy this requirement: the OTTO auto-provisioning flow and the WordPress plugin method. Both are blocked because Google does not allow service account email addresses to claim GSC ownership through automated requests alone. Ownership must be explicitly delegated by a verified human owner inside GSC. The only supported path is the provisioning flow built into the Search Atlas dashboard, paired with a manual ownership grant in GSC.

## **⚠️ Why Auto-Provisioning and the WP Plugin Fail**

Understanding why these approaches are rejected saves time before you begin the correct process.

- **OTTO auto-provisioning:** OTTO generates a service account and attempts to register it automatically. Google's Indexing API requires the service account to hold **Owner** permission in GSC — a level that Google restricts to manual grants by an existing verified owner. Automated registration requests are rejected at Google's end, so ownership is never confirmed regardless of how many times the flow runs.
- **WordPress plugin approach:** The WP plugin authenticates at the site level but cannot elevate a service account to Owner in GSC. Plugin-level credentials carry **Full User** permission at best, which is insufficient for the Indexing API. Google silently ignores indexing submissions from accounts below Owner level.
- **Google Cloud Console only:** Creating or downloading a service account key directly from Google Cloud Console without linking it through the Search Atlas dashboard means the platform never registers the account. The **Has Access** flag is set by Search Atlas after verifying the ownership grant, so bypassing the dashboard leaves it permanently **False**.

## **✅ What the Has Access Flag Actually Means**

The **Has Access** flag is a status indicator inside the Search Atlas dashboard. It reflects whether the service account attached to your property has been verified as an **Owner** in GSC and is ready to submit indexing requests.

- **False:** The service account exists but Google has not confirmed Owner-level permission. No URLs will be submitted.
- **True:** Search Atlas has verified that the service account holds Owner permission in GSC. Instant Indexing submissions are active.

The flag flips to **True** only after you complete both steps: provisioning the service account through the Search Atlas dashboard **and** manually granting that service account Owner-level permission inside GSC as a verified human owner.

## **🛠️ How to Correctly Set Up Instant Indexing**

1. Navigate to Authority → Indexer (URL Indexer) in your Search Atlas dashboard and use the built-in provisioning flow to generate your dedicated service account.
2. Copy the service account email address provided by the dashboard.
3. Log in to Google Search Console with an account that already holds **Owner** verification for your property.
4. Go to **Settings > Users and permissions** and add the copied service account email as an **Owner**.
5. Return to your Search Atlas dashboard. Once Google confirms the ownership grant, the **Has Access** flag will update to **True** and Instant Indexing submissions will become active.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.