Google removed the Indexing API approval form from its documentation on Oct. 16, along with the instructions telling developers to ask for approval.
In September, I reported that job board operators had waited months for responses to their approval requests. Google’s changelog says it updated the quota page “to reflect the current quota limits and process” and to “remove an outdated form.” It doesn’t say whether the approval requirement itself has changed.
What Google Removed
Before the Oct. 16 update, the quota page said the API “provides initial default quota for testing, and it requires additional approval for usage and resource provisioning.” A section titled “Request quota and approval” linked to the form and said “the quota may increase or decrease based on the document quality.” Both are gone.
The quickstart is no longer listing “Request approval and quota” as an initial set-up action. The usage page dropped three identical notes stating the API has a default quota “for testing,” in addition to instructions on how to request approval and quota. While both are dated Oct. 16 (the same), the changelog only mentions the quota page.
Google had clarified the testing language in September 2024, when its changelog said the aim was “to better explain that the default quota is for initial setup and testing.”
What’s Still In The Docs
The quota page still lists the default limits. Each project gets 200 publish requests per day, counting both updates and removals. Per minute, a project gets 180 metadata requests and 380 requests across all endpoints. The daily limit resets at midnight Pacific Time.
The API is still limited to pages with JobPosting or BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject. The usage page still says Google’s spam policies apply to submissions and tells developers not to get around submission limits, “such as by using multiple accounts.”
Google’s job posting guide, which was last updated Sept. 8, still recommends the Indexing API over sitemaps for job posting URLs and a sitemap for full-site coverage. The quickstart itself did away with the paragraph comparing the two.
Why This Matters
Job board owners in my September report stated they had waited months without receiving an update regarding the status of their approval requests, and Google’s documents gave no timelines for reviewing such requests.
In addition, I noticed that the newly-updated Indexing API documentation no longer provides information on how to submit your application to be allowed to utilize the API; nor does it provide information as to what will happen to applications that have been previously submitted to be reviewed, or if a project that never received approval can now utilize its default quota for live job postings or livestreams.
Looking Ahead
You can check your project’s current quota in the Google API Console, where the quota page still directs you. Keep an eye on that page and the changelog for any new way to request a higher quota.
Featured Image: Tetiana Yurchenko/Shutterstock. Source: Google.
