Index status

Overview

Index status (/content/index-status) shows every published post on your connected subdomains and lets you run Google URL Inspection per URL. See verdict, coverage state, last crawl time, and a link to the full inspection result in Search Console.

The page also provides sitemap submission actions so Google can discover new posts faster after you publish.

Who it's for

• SEO teams confirming new AEO content is indexed on a blog subdomain
• Content marketers closing the loop after publishing from Obsurfable
• Pro users with connected subdomains who want index visibility without leaving the app

Prerequisites

1. Pro plan and at least one connected, verified subdomain.
2. At least one published post.
3. Google Search Console access: Add Obsurfable's service account email (shown on the page) as an owner on the subdomain property — or on the root domain property if the subdomain property does not work.
4. Server configuration: GOOGLE_INDEXING_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON must be set on the Obsurfable deployment for inspect and auto-indexing features.

Step-by-step

Open Index status

1. From /content, click Index status or go to /content/index-status.
2. Copy the Google Search Console owner email displayed at the top.

Grant Search Console access

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Select or add the property for your blog subdomain (e.g. https://blog.example.com/).
3. Go to Settings → Users and permissions.
4. Add the service account email as an Owner.
5. If subdomain-level access fails, add the same email to your root domain property instead.

Submit your sitemap

1. On the Index status page, use Sitemap actions to submit the sitemap for each connected subdomain.
2. This points Google at https://<subdomain>/sitemap.xml (see Feeds & discovery).
3. Re-submit after publishing several new posts or restructuring slugs.

Inspect a post URL

1. The table lists each published post with its full URL on each connected subdomain.
2. Click Inspect on a row to run URL Inspection via the Google API.
3. Review the returned Verdict, Coverage state, and Last crawl time.
4. Click the inspection link to open the full result in Search Console when available.
5. Previous inspection results are stored and shown on return visits.

Act on indexing issues

1. If a post is not indexed, confirm the post is published, the subdomain is verified, and the URL loads in a browser.
2. Re-run Inspect after fixing issues or waiting for crawl.
3. Re-submit the sitemap if the post is new.
4. Re-run prompts after indexed content is live to measure AI visibility changes.

Tips

• Connect subdomains and publish a test post before bulk production — index checks require live URLs.
• Add the service account to Search Console before your first inspect — otherwise API calls return permission errors.
• Inspect is per-URL; sitemap submission helps discovery for all published posts at once.
• Pair index checks with Search performance once queries and impressions appear in GSC.
• Published posts only appear here — drafts are excluded until status is published.

FAQ

Why do I see "Connect at least one subdomain"?

Index status builds URLs from your connected subdomains. Connect and verify a subdomain first.

Why is Inspect failing?

Common causes: the service account is not an owner in Search Console, the URL is not reachable publicly, or the Google indexing integration is not configured on the deployment.

What's the difference between Inspect and sitemap submit?

Sitemap submit tells Google about all URLs in your blog sitemap. Inspect returns Google's current index status for one specific URL.

How often should I inspect?

Inspect after publishing important posts or when troubleshooting. There is no need to inspect every post daily — Google crawl cadence varies.

Does Obsurfable auto-request indexing?

When the indexing integration is configured and Search Console permissions are in place, publishing workflows can trigger indexing requests. Manual Inspect confirms the outcome.

Which property type should I use in Search Console?

A URL-prefix property for https://blog.yoursite.com/ works well. Domain properties also work if the service account is added as owner.