June 2025
Written by
Abbie Mason
E-commerce
Marketing strategy
Product launch
Tech
Instagram SEO 2025: Google Will Index Your Posts — Here’s What to Do
If you’re still treating Instagram as a closed ecosystem, it’s time to reconsider. From 10 July 2025, Instagram will allow Google to index public content from Business and Creator accounts by default.
From 10 July 2025, Instagram will allow Google to index public content from Business and Creator accounts by default.
That means your posts—photos, Reels, carousels—could start showing up in Google Search results. This quiet shift has big implications for how businesses approach content strategy, SEO, and discoverability.
And it’s not optional anymore.
“Starting July 10th, Instagram business and creator accounts with public profiles will automatically be eligible to appear in search engine results.”
– Meta Help Centre
Instagram SEO – Why This Matters to Brands
For years, Instagram was effectively invisible to Google. A siloed platform with no search indexing meant organic discovery was limited to hashtags and in-app virality. Now, your Instagram content will live beyond the platform, in the biggest search engine in the world.
Here’s what that unlocks:
1. A New SEO Surface Area
Your Instagram page becomes another branded touchpoint in Google’s ecosystem. That means:
Posts can show up in search results for your business name or category
Reels could surface in YouTube-style video results
Captions, alt-text and location tags start contributing to search ranking
According to Search Engine Journal, this move “essentially turns Instagram into a searchable microsite.”
2. Extended Shelf Life for Content
Social content is typically short-lived. But indexed posts on Google have the potential to drive traffic months after publication, especially if they’re:
Evergreen (e.g. FAQs, product demos)
Geolocated (e.g. “London cocktail bar summer 2025”)
Informational (e.g. “how to style kidswear”)
3. Multi-Platform Brand Consistency
Your SEO strategy can now include Instagram. Strong performing keywords can be echoed across:
Website product pages
Google Business listings
Instagram captions and alt-text
Press coverage or blog features
Consistency across these platforms reinforces your authority in Google’s eyes.
What You Need to Do
Check Your Settings
Go to Instagram > Settings > Privacy > “Search engine indexing”.
It’s turned on by default for Professional accounts—so audit what you’re posting.
Optimise Like It’s a Web Page
Instagram captions should now follow basic SEO rules:
Lead with keywords
Use relevant phrases like product names, categories, and geolocations
Write clean alt-text for every image (even Reels thumbnails)
Tools like Coffee & Contracts offer helpful prompts for writing search-smart content.
Use Local and Branded Tags
Tag your city, venue or store.
Include branded hashtags that people may search for in Google.
E.g. instead of #OOTD, try “#kidsfashionUK” or “#AngelAndRocketSummer”.
Think Distribution, Not Just Posting
Embed Instagram posts in blog content
Link to your IG feed in Google-indexed articles
Encourage media outlets or partners to link directly to key Reels
This creates contextual backlinks, which boost SEO value.
Risks to Consider when working with Instagram SEO
If you work in sensitive categories (e.g. private events, UGC-heavy posts), you may want to opt out of indexing
Archived or deleted posts may still appear in search temporarily, depending on how quickly Google re-crawls your profile
Meta notes that it may take up to 90 days for search engines to remove deleted content from their cache.
The Lala POV
This isn’t just a product update, it’s a structural change to how Instagram fits into a brand’s digital presence. Your social content is no longer ephemeral. It’s indexable, findable, and, done right, convertible. For brands we work with, this means: New ways to surface products without ad spend Improved local SEO for physical locations Extended ROI from organic content creation In short: if Instagram is your brand’s visual storefront, it just got a front-row spot in Google’s window display. Ready to Rework Your Instagram Strategy? We’re already helping clients restructure captions, rethink alt-text, and align post formats with Google’s new crawling behaviour. If you’d like a quick Instagram SEO audit or want support restructuring your social content strategy for Google visibility—get in touch.