Google Indexing API Quota: 200 Requests a Day, Free, for Pakistani Job and Livestream Sites

Google's Indexing API gives each project 200 publish requests a day, 180 metadata requests a minute and 380 requests a minute in total, free of charge, and may only be used for pages carrying JobPosting structured data or a BroadcastEvent inside a VideoObject. Google updated its quota page on 8 October 2026 to state these limits and to remove an outdated form. A Pakistani job board or livestream site can push up to 200 new, changed or deleted URLs a day; every other kind of page should go through a sitemap.

We read the updated quota page, the quickstart and the documentation updates log on Google Search Central on 19 October 2026. The Indexing API is the tool that lets a site tell Google directly that a page was added or removed, instead of waiting for a crawl. It is useful for pages that live days, like job adverts, and it is widely misused by sites that push ordinary articles through it.

The default quota is 200 publish requests a day per project

Google's page lists three defaults. DefaultPublishRequestsPerDayPerProject is 200, covering both URL_UPDATED and URL_DELETED requests. DefaultMetadataRequestsPerMinutePerProject is 180 for read-only status checks. DefaultRequestsPerMinutePerProject is 380 across all endpoints. The daily quota resets at midnight Pacific Time.

Midnight Pacific is 12:00 noon in Pakistan while the United States is on daylight time, and 1:00 pm PKT from early November when it switches back. Google adds that new quota can take up to 24 hours to become effective. So a job board in Lahore that uses its 200 requests by morning gets the next batch around lunchtime, not at midnight local time.

A project here means a Google Cloud project with the API enabled, linked through a service account to a property you have verified in Search Console. The 200 counts the URLs you notify, not the pages Google crawls, and a batch request that bundles 100 calls into one HTTP request still uses 100 of the daily 200.

The 8 October 2026 update states the limits and removes an outdated form

Google's documentation log for October 2026 says it updated the Indexing API quota page to reflect the current quota limits and process, and that the reason was to document the limits and remove an outdated form. The page itself was last updated on 16 October 2026 and now points to the Google API Console to view your quota.

Earlier versions of the page linked a request form for a higher quota. That link is gone. The current page says only that you can view your quota at the API Console's quota screen for indexing.googleapis.com, and it does not describe a route to ask for more. We could not find a request path on the page, so if your site genuinely needs more than 200 a day, the API Console's own quota controls are the place to look, and we cannot promise a form exists.

Nothing in the update changes the numbers themselves, as far as the page shows. The value of the update is that the limits are now written down in one place, which ends a long run of guesswork in SEO forums about whether the daily figure was 200 or something else.

Only job postings and livestream pages are allowed through the API

Google's quickstart says the Indexing API can only be used to crawl pages with either JobPosting structured data or BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject. It is built for sites with many short-lived pages, where an individual push keeps the listing fresh. Any other page type is outside the API's terms.

That rules out most Pakistani sites. A news site, a shop, a property portal without job adverts and a blog have no business sending URLs through it, whatever a plugin promises. Google's guidelines for the API say so, and a site that sends thousands of ordinary pages risks its access and its standing. For those sites, the right tools are the sitemap and Search Console, covered in the steps to submit a sitemap in Search Console and to fix a page not indexed.

A Pakistani job board is the clear fit. Rozee-style listings, a university's vacancy page, a recruiter's site or a classifieds site with a jobs section all publish pages that expire. Pushing a URL_DELETED when a post closes is as useful as the URL_UPDATED on the day it opens, because it stops Google sending applicants to a dead page.

How to set up the Indexing API for a Pakistani job site

Enable the Indexing API in a Google Cloud project, create a service account, add that account as an owner of your verified Search Console property, get an access token, then send URL_UPDATED or URL_DELETED requests for each job page, up to 200 a day. Check status with getMetadata, and batch up to 100 calls in one request.

1. In the Google Cloud console, create or pick a project and enable the Indexing API.
2. Create a service account and download its JSON key. Keep the key off the public web.
3. In Search Console, add the service account's email as an owner of the property that hosts the job pages. The property must already be verified.
4. Confirm every job page carries valid JobPosting structured data, including validThrough for the closing date.
5. Send a URL_UPDATED request when a job is posted or changed, and URL_DELETED when it closes or the page is removed.
6. Use batch requests, up to 100 calls per HTTP request, to cut connections, and count them against the 200 a day.
7. Use getMetadata to check when Google last received a notification for a URL, within 180 requests a minute.

The access token and the service account steps are on Google's prerequisites page, and the request format is on its using the API page. If the property is a Domain property, make sure the service account is added there, not to a URL-prefix property that does not cover the job pages. Owners added this way show up in the user list, and the guide to adding a user to Search Console explains the difference between owner and full permission, which matters here because the API needs an owner.

Plan the 200 a day around Pakistani posting hours

Count expected posts, edits and closures per day. A board that posts 60 jobs and closes 60 uses 120 requests, leaving 80 for edits. If closures pile up, send the URL_DELETED batches in the afternoon, after the Pacific midnight reset, and keep a log of what was sent so the count does not run out before the morning rush.

Two mistakes we see on Pakistani sites. The first is pushing every page edit, which burns the quota on typos. Push a job only when the title, closing date, salary or location changes. The second is leaving closed jobs in the sitemap and never sending URL_DELETED, so Google keeps the page until its next crawl; the sitemap and the API should agree. Keep the sitemap as the base record and use the API for the day's changes, and the two together keep the listing honest for a job seeker in Karachi or Quetta who taps a result at 9 am.

Common questions about the Indexing API quota

How many URLs can I send to the Indexing API per day?

200 publish requests a day per project by default, covering both updates and deletions. The quota resets at midnight Pacific Time, which is noon or 1:00 pm in Pakistan.

Is the Indexing API free?

Yes. Google's quota page says all use of the Indexing API is available without payment.

Can I use the Indexing API for a news site or blog?

No. Google's quickstart says it can only be used for pages with JobPosting structured data or a BroadcastEvent in a VideoObject. Use a sitemap for other pages.

What changed on 8 October 2026?

Google updated the quota page to state the current limits and process and removed an outdated form. The page now sends you to the Google API Console to view your quota.

How do I ask for a higher quota?

The page no longer links a request form and does not describe a route. Check the quota controls for the API in the Google API Console; we could not confirm a request process from Google's page.

Does a batch request save quota?

No. A batch combines up to 100 calls into one HTTP request to save connections, but each URL in it still counts towards the 200 a day.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 19 October 2026. The quota figures, the Pacific reset, the 24 hour note and the free pricing come from Google's Indexing API quota and pricing page, last updated 16 October 2026. The allowed page types and the batch limit come from the Indexing API quickstart. The 8 October 2026 change and its reason come from Google Search Central's documentation updates page. All three were read on 19 October 2026. The PKT conversion of the reset time is our own. We could not find on Google's page how to request a quota above 200, and we did not test the API on a live site for this article.