Standard Indexing Tool

The following article is our English interpretation of an post originally published on Baidu Webmaster Help pages in Chinese language. If you'd like to check out the original article, you can find it here: https://ziyuan.baidu.com/college/courseinfo?id=267&page=2

The Standard Indexing Tool lets websites actively push content to Baidu. It helps Baidu’s crawler find new content faster, especially time-sensitive updates. There are three main submission methods:

  1. API Push (Recommended for real-time updates)
  2. Sitemap Submission
  3. Manual URL Submission

Which Submission Method Should You Use?

  • API Push:
    Fastest and most effective. Ideal for pushing new URLs immediately after publishing.
  • Sitemap:
    Best for regularly updated or bulk content. Baidu fetches and processes your sitemap periodically but slower than API.
  • Manual Submission:
    A simple option for those who prefer not to automate. Submit individual URLs manually via the platform.

Benefits of API Push

  • Faster Indexing: Baidu finds new content on your site faster.
  • Protects Original Content: Helps Baidu recognize your original work before others republish it.

How to Use the API Push Tool

  1. Generate a Push Interface
    • Log into the API push tool to get your unique token, a 16-character alphanumeric key.
  2. Push Methods (Examples)

cURL Example

Save URLs to a urls.txt file (one per line) and run:

curl -H 'Content-Type:text/plain' --data-binary @urls.txt \
"http://data.zz.baidu.com/urls?site=www.example.com&token=YOUR_TOKEN"

POST Request Example

POST /urls?site=www.example.com&token=YOUR_TOKEN HTTP/1.1
User-Agent: curl/7.12.1
Host: data.zz.baidu.com
Content-Length: 83

http://www.example.com/page1.html
http://www.example.com/page2.html

PHP Example

$urls = ['http://www.example.com/1.html', 'http://www.example.com/2.html'];
$api = 'http://data.zz.baidu.com/urls?site=www.example.com&token=YOUR_TOKEN';
$ch = curl_init();
$options =  [
    CURLOPT_URL => $api,
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => implode("\n", $urls),
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ['Content-Type: text/plain'],
];
curl_setopt_array($ch, $options);
$result = curl_exec($ch);
echo $result;

Ruby Example

require 'net/http'
urls = ['http://www.example.com/1.html', 'http://www.example.com/2.html']
uri = URI.parse('http://data.zz.baidu.com/urls?site=www.example.com&token=YOUR_TOKEN')
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri.request_uri)
req.body = urls.join("\n")
req.content_type = 'text/plain'
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port) { |http| http.request(req) }
puts res.body

How to Read API Push Responses

  • Status 200 = Success
    Example response: 
{
"remain": 4999998,
"success": 2,
"not_same_site": [],
"not_valid": []
}
  • Status 4XX or 5XX = Error
    Common issues:
    • 400 site error: Site not verified on Baidu platform
    • 401 token is not valid: Token is incorrect
    • 404 not found: Incorrect API URL
    • 500 internal error: Temporary server error

FAQ: API Push

  1. How is API Push different from Sitemap submission?
    • Real-time feedback without logging in to the platform.
  2. Do I need to update my sitemap submission code?
    • Yes. Change the submission endpoint and handle the API’s response for error management.
  3. Why don’t I see results after a successful submission?
    • Duplicate submissions aren’t counted.
  4. Best time to push via API?
    • Right when the page goes live.
  5. Is there a difference between submitting one URL or many?
    • No difference.
  6. What happens if I repeatedly resubmit the same URL?
    • Wastes your quota. Repeated abuse may reduce your submission limit or block access.
  7. How many URLs can I push?
    • Limits are based on how often you submit fresh, high-quality links. Baidu may adjust this dynamically.

What Is a Sitemap?

A Sitemap is a list of all pages on your website. Submitting it helps Baidu understand your site structure and discover new content. However, submitting a sitemap does not guarantee all URLs will be indexed.

Also, submitting a sitemap does not impact rankings.

Sitemap Format: What’s Supported

  • Text (.txt) – One URL per line
    • Max: 50,000 URLs or 10MB per file
    • Must be UTF-8 or GBK encoded
  • XML – More structured, with extra metadata
<url>
  <loc>http://www.example.com/page.html</loc>
  <lastmod>2023-12-01</lastmod>
  <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
  <priority>0.8</priority>
</url>

Creating and Submitting a Sitemap

  1. Create a sitemap file (.txt or .xml)
  2. Upload it to your website’s root directory (e.g., example.com/sitemap.xml)
  3. Log into Baidu Search Resource Platform
  4. Go to the Sitemap tool, click Add New Data
  5. Enter crawl frequency and sitemap URL
  6. Submit and monitor via the platform dashboard

Sitemap Submission Quotas

Sitemap submission limits vary by site and are based on:

  • Content quality
  • User engagement
  • Presence of duplicate or low-value links

Sites with excessive invalid or repeated links may see quota reductions or automatic file removals.

Mobile Sitemap Protocol

To support mobile-first indexing, Baidu has a Mobile Sitemap format. It adds a <mobile:mobile> tag to standard sitemap entries:

<mobile:mobile type="mobile"/>       
<!-- For mobile pages -->

<mobile:mobile type="pc,mobile"/>    
<!-- For responsive design -->

<mobile:mobile type="htmladapt"/>    
<!-- For code-adapted pages -->

Once your Mobile Sitemap is ready, submit it just like a regular sitemap.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sitemaps

Can URLs include Chinese characters?
It’s best to avoid them due to encoding issues.

What does crawl frequency mean?
It’s how often Baidu should check your sitemap. Use it only for new URLs, not just updated page content.

How soon after submission will Baidu process the sitemap?
Typically within an hour.

Will all submitted URLs be indexed?
No. It depends on content quality.

Does “priority” affect search rankings?
Not at all—it’s just a hint about page importance within your own site.

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