Google has launched a new API aimed at making the Google job search features more real-time and up-to-date.
The new API, named the Indexing API, can currently only be used to crawl job posting pages marked up with job posting structured data, Google said. But the non-job-specific nature of the API’s name invites speculation as to the company’s plans for its future.
Google says it is releasing this specific API for job posting URLs because job listings come and go quickly, and it wants its job search database to reflect these changes as they happen. Google says the API allows “any site owner to directly notify Google when job posting pages are added or removed.” This results in a “fresh crawl, which can lead to higher quality user traffic and job applicant satisfaction,” Google added.
Google made this quick start guide for those developers and webmasters who want to give it a try.
I am curious to see if and when Google will release the Indexing API to be used more widely and not solely for job-posting URLs.
About The Author
Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.