🗺️ Overview
Bing IndexNow lets Search Atlas submit URLs directly to Bing for faster indexing. However, IndexNow connections are governed by platform-wide daily quotas managed by Bing. If your connection attempt fails — even after following the correct setup steps — a quota limit is almost always the cause. This article explains how quotas work, how to recognise exhaustion, and how to restore a working connection.
⚙️ How to Connect Bing IndexNow
If you have not yet connected IndexNow, follow these steps first:
- In the left sidebar, go to Authority → Indexer.
- Click Index URLs.
- Select Bing IndexNow as your indexing channel.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to authenticate and activate the connection.
If the connection completes without errors, you are ready to submit URLs. If you see a connection failure or an error message at step 4, continue to the quota section below before retrying.
📊 Understanding Platform-Wide Daily Quotas
Search Atlas uses a shared pool of IndexNow submissions allocated by Bing. Key points to understand:
- The quota is platform-wide. It is not tied to your individual account — it is shared across all Search Atlas users submitting to Bing IndexNow on the same day.
- Quotas reset daily. Bing resets the available submission pool once every 24 hours, typically in the early hours UTC. Exact reset timing can vary slightly day to day.
- High-demand periods exhaust the quota faster. During peak usage hours (roughly mid-morning to early afternoon UTC), the shared pool can be consumed quickly, leaving later connection attempts or URL submissions unable to complete.
- Your account settings and API key remain intact. A quota-related failure does not break your integration — it simply means no submissions can be sent until the pool refreshes.
🚨 Symptoms of Quota Exhaustion
You are likely hitting a quota limit — not a configuration problem — if you observe any of the following:
- The IndexNow connection shows as failed or inactive despite previously working correctly.
- URL submission attempts return an error or silently fail with no confirmation.
- The issue appeared suddenly without any changes to your account or settings.
- Retrying the connection immediately produces the same failure.
- Other Search Atlas users report similar IndexNow issues on the same day.
If your setup was working before and none of your credentials or project settings changed, assume quota exhaustion first and proceed to the troubleshooting steps below.
🔧 Troubleshooting Steps When a Connection Fails
- Check the Quotas panel. Click the Quotas icon in the global header (visible on every page). This panel shows current usage and may indicate whether the Bing IndexNow pool is exhausted for the day.
- Do not retry immediately. Repeated connection attempts while the quota is exhausted will not succeed and may count against rate limits. Wait for the daily reset instead.
- Note the time of failure. If the failure occurs during peak hours (mid-morning to early afternoon UTC), plan to retry after the daily reset in early UTC morning hours.
- Verify your configuration has not changed. Go to Authority → Indexer and confirm your project is still selected and your IndexNow channel is listed. If settings appear altered, re-enter your credentials and save before waiting for the reset.
- Retry after the daily reset. Once the quota pool refreshes, return to Authority → Indexer, click Index URLs, and attempt the connection or submission again.
- Confirm success. A successful submission will show a confirmation message. If the failure persists after the reset, escalate using the chat widget (see below).
✅ Best Practices to Minimise Quota Failures
- Schedule submissions for off-peak hours. Submit URLs in the early UTC morning (approximately 00:00–06:00 UTC) when the quota pool has recently reset and platform-wide demand is lowest.
- Batch your URLs efficiently. Rather than submitting URLs one at a time throughout the day, group submissions to make the most of available quota in a single session.
- Prioritise high-value URLs. If quota is limited, submit your most important new or updated pages first rather than resubmitting already-indexed content.
- Monitor the Quotas panel regularly. Check the Quotas icon in the global header before large submission runs to confirm capacity is available.
- Avoid peak hours for large batches. Mid-morning to early afternoon UTC sees the highest platform-wide usage. Save bulk submissions for quieter periods.
💬 Still Need Help?
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.