Search Console API: a sitemap's `contents[].indexed` is deprecated — a 0 there does not mean nothing is indexed
The Sitemaps resource still returns contents[].submitted, but contents[].indexed is documented as "Deprecated; do not use." Observed on 2026-10-01: it returned "0" for all 7 sitemaps of one account, including sites the same API shows getting search clicks.
Symptom
A report built on the Search Console API shows 0 indexed URLs for a sitemap, while the site gets search impressions and clicks.
What the docs say
In the Sitemaps resource, contents[].submitted is live, but contents[].indexed is marked "Deprecated; do not use."
What it returned (observed 2026-10-01)
GET /webmasters/v3/sites/{site}/sitemaps for every property of one account: 7 sitemaps with 2 to 11,884 submitted URLs. Every one returned "indexed": "0" (a string). Several of those sites had clicks in the Search Analytics API over the same period, so pages were indexed. Other accounts may see different values; the point is that the field is not an index count.
Use instead
- URL Inspection API (
urlInspection.index.inspect) for the index status of specific URLs, within its quota. - Search Analytics API impressions per page, as evidence a page is indexed and shown.
- The Page indexing report in the Search Console UI for totals.
Conditions
- api
- Search Console API v1 (webmasters/v3)
- sitemaps_checked
- 7
- observed_via
- API calls plus documentation
- observed
- 2026-10-01
Sources
- Search Console API: Sitemaps resource — contents[].indexed: Deprecated; do not use.
- Search Console API: URL Inspection — Index status for individual URLs.