Should You Really Submit All Your URLs to Google Every Month to Prevent It from Forgetting Them?

This statement from John Mueller corrects a persistent misconception that still circulates on social media: the need to regularly submit all URLs of a site to Google to maintain their indexation.

The modern Googlebot operates on a principle of continuous and automatic crawling. If Google regularly "forgets" a site's pages to the point of requiring monthly submission, this reveals major structural problems: insufficient crawl budget, failing internal linking, technical issues blocking exploration, or very low-quality content.

This remark references the obsolete practices of search engines from the 90s-2000s (Lycos, Altavista) which indeed required regular manual submissions.

• Google crawls and indexes automatically websites without repeated manual intervention
• A single submission via Search Console is sufficient to help discover new important pages
• The XML sitemap and internal linking are the preferred tools to facilitate discovery
• Recurring omissions signal technical or quality problems to be resolved as a priority
• Massive monthly resubmission is a waste of time with no added SEO value

Mueller's position is perfectly consistent with Google's observable functioning for over a decade. Well-structured sites with proper internal linking see their pages explored regularly without any manual intervention.

However, there are a few specific cases where occasional submission remains relevant: launching a new site with zero backlinks, publishing urgent content requiring immediate indexing, or fixing major technical errors that had blocked indexation. But even in these situations, it's a one-time action, never a recurring monthly process.

• Permanently abandon any practice of systematic monthly submission of your URLs
• Set up a clean and up-to-date XML sitemap, submitted once in Google Search Console
• Invest in your internal linking so that each page is accessible within 3-4 clicks maximum from the homepage
• Monitor the coverage report in Search Console to identify real indexation problems
• Use URL inspection only for new or modified strategic pages (sparingly)
• Audit your crawl budget if Google doesn't regularly visit your important pages
• Resolve technical issues (speed, server errors, redirects) rather than compensating with submissions
• Create quality content that naturally deserves to be crawled and indexed