- What’s New and Who’s Impacted?
- Why This Is a Big Deal for Businesses
- Combining Paid & Organic for Maximum Impact
- Real Stats to Guide Your Strategy
- Guide to Optimising Your Instagram for Google
- Privacy & Control
- The danger of outdated or incorrect archived content
- How to Measure Success from Organic Instagram Traffic
- Your Top Instagram Indexing Questions Answered
- Citing the Facts
- The Takeaway
Notes
Instagram Posts Are Now Indexable by Google.
Article — Your Instagram posts can now rank on Google. This is a game-changing move for brands of all sizes: your Instagram feed just turned into a whole new way to get discovered.
Posted by Marina Cheveleva
25.07.2025
Instagram Meets Google Search - Why Your Posts Might Start Ranking And What To Do About It
Your Instagram posts can now rank on Google. This changes everything.
On July 10, 2025, Instagram lowered its walls. Public posts from business and creator accounts, reels, carousels, captions, hashtags, can now appear directly in Google results. This is a game-changing move for brands of all sizes: your Instagram feed just turned into a whole new way to get discovered.
Why does this matter? Because Google is now connecting your visual content, captions, and hashtags to what people are already searching for. For many businesses, being found on Google just got a major upgrade, even if you don’t have a website.
Everything you need to know:
What’s New and Who’s Impacted?
- Who gets indexed: Public business and creator accounts, age 18+, with posts dating back to January 2020.
- What shows up: Photos, reels, carousels, alt text, captions, hashtags, and profile info.
- Who’s not included: Personal/private accounts and anyone under 18 remain out of Google’s reach.
- Total control: Don’t want your posts on Google? In Settings, there’s a privacy toggle for search visibility.
In short: Instagram has quickly become a true search platform, not just a social feed.
Why This Is a Big Deal for Businesses
- Turn posts into Google results. Every Instagram post is now a potential entry point for new customers searching online.
- Ideal for smaller brands. Local shops and solo creatives can show up in Google, no website required.
- Longer content life. Where an Instagram post might fade after 48 hours, Google can keep driving visitors for months.
- SERPs are changing. Some Instagram posts are claiming top-4 Google rankings for visual and local queries.
Level Up: Combining Paid & Organic for Maximum Impact
The most effective brands are going a step further, linking their Instagram, Google Business Profile, and paid ads to really own those first-page results.
How to pull it all together
- Match your business info on Instagram with your Google Business Profile, consistency boosts trust and local SEO.
- Use keywords, locations, and hashtags strategically in both places so Google connects the dots.
- Top-performing Instagram posts? Consider promoting those same themes in Google Ads or Discovery campaigns.
- Work with local partners for shoutouts, backlinks, and community engagement.
Brands who weave all these pieces together don’t just show up, they dominate Google’s search page.
Real Stats to Guide Your Strategy
Bringing proof to the table makes your strategy more convincing:
- Reels are winning. In 2025, reels make up nearly 39% of Instagram’s feed and average twice the reach of photo posts.
- Gen Z leads the search shift. Worldwide, 46% of Gen Z starts searches on platforms like Instagram or TikTok, not classic search engines.
These trends show how search habits, and what it means to be “searchable”, are changing dramatically.
Step-by-Step Guide to Optimising Your Instagram for Google
Most of the advice out there sounds like a broken record, “write better captions,” “use hashtags,” “optimise your alt text.” But let’s go further.
1. Write with search intent in mind
If someone Googles a problem, a need, or a local service, could your post help answer that? That’s your north star.
Instead of:
“Just wrapped up this project and we’re obsessed.”
Try:
“Coastal kitchen renovation in Mornington with brass tapware, timber benchtops and a curved island.”
You’re not just writing for your audience anymore. You’re writing for search engines, and for people who’ve never seen your brand before.
2. Use alt text like metadata
Instagram lets you manually add alt text for accessibility. But now, it doubles as indexable metadata.
Use it to describe what’s in the image, plainly and clearly:
“Handmade terrazzo dining table with curved steel base, styled with dried florals.”
Don’t stuff it with keywords. Just describe what’s there. Google’s better at understanding context than you might think.
3. Refresh your old posts
Posts from 2020 onward are eligible for indexing. So if you’ve got evergreen content from the past few years, product demos, tips, before-and-afters, update the captions and alt text.
A simple rewording could turn a forgettable post into one that ranks.
4. Add meaningful on-screen text to Reels and videos
When you overlay text on your videos, think subtitles, step-by-step instructions, checklists, or product features, it’s not just helping viewers. It’s likely helping Google, too. On-screen text becomes part of your discoverable content. That means it can help your Reel rank for long-tail keywords and more specific queries like “how to re-grout tiles” or “DIY mud kitchen tutorial”.
Accessibility: Win-Win for Users and Brands
Accessibility isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s a smart move for search visibility.
Why it matters:
With Instagram content now indexed by Google, accessible posts help both users and search engines understand your content.
Alt text = SEO metadata
Instagram lets you add alt text to images and carousels. Most brands ignore it, but Google doesn’t.
- Write clear, descriptive alt text using natural keywords
- Avoid vague phrases like “Image of…” or keyword stuffing. Think: “Flatlay of ceramic mugs on timber shelf” vs “coffee cups”
Subtitles and on-screen text = extra keyword context
Google can’t hear your video, but it can often read your captions and overlay text.
- Use subtitles for spoken content
- Add on-screen context to explain steps or product details
- Reinforce keyword themes naturally
Accessible content is clearer, more inclusive, and now more discoverable.
Risk mitigation: The danger of outdated or incorrect archived content
So you’ve deleted a post on Instagram. It’s gone from your grid, it’s out of your head, and you assume it’s off the internet. But if it was public and indexed, it may still be cached by Google and show up in search for weeks or months after.
And that can be a serious brand liability.
Why this matters
Old promos can resurface: If you once ran a “20% off this week only” campaign, that content could appear months later in search, misleading customers and breaching advertising standards.
Outdated messaging lingers: Team changes, discontinued services, rebrands, none of that matters to Google’s cache if you’re not proactive.
Legal and compliance risks: For regulated industries (finance, health, education), having outdated or non-compliant messaging publicly visible, even unintentionally, could raise privacy, accuracy or legal concerns.
What you can do
- Regularly audit your indexed content: Google yourself. Use site:instagram.com/yourhandle + keyword combinations to see what’s visible.
- Update or archive problematic posts: Don’t just delete. Replace captions with updated messaging where appropriate before removal.
- Submit removal requests: In some cases, you can request snippet updates via Google’s Remove Outdated Content tool, but full removal of Instagram links isn’t guaranteed unless the post returns a 404 or has changed significantly.”
- Consider using expiry windows: For time-sensitive content, write captions that make timelines explicit: “Offer valid until 31 July 2025”, etc.
- Monitor mentions via Google Alerts: Set alerts for branded terms to spot old content still circulating or indexed.
This is where SEO meets reputation management. If you're unsure how much content is still visible, or how risky it might be, we can help with an SEO audit to analyse your indexed presence.
How to Measure Success from Organic Instagram Traffic (without fluff metrics)
You don’t want to chase likes. You want to know: Is this actually working? Is Instagram bringing in new eyeballs, leads, or customers via search?
Here’s how to track it meaningfully.
1. Set up trackable links in your bio and content
Use UTM parameters in your bio link (via tools like Bitly, Linktree, or directly on your site). This allows you to differentiate between Instagram feed traffic and search-driven traffic.
Example:
https://yourwebsite.com?utm_so...
2. Monitor branded search volume in Google Search Console
Watch for increases in impressions and clicks tied to your business name or product/services after you start optimising Instagram content. Instagram indexing may drive more curiosity searches.
3. Use Google Analytics to view referral traffic
Look under Acquisition → Source/Medium → referral / instagram.com
It won’t capture everything from search indexing, but it’s a directional signal, especially for profile visits that lead to your website.
4. Compare post engagement vs search lift
Use Instagram Insights to benchmark how well optimised posts perform versus others. Posts with keyword-rich captions and alt text often show longer engagement tails.
5. Look at content lifespan
Track how long a post continues to drive engagement or traffic after publishing. Indexed posts often deliver a long tail, weeks of activity instead of days.
Your Top Instagram Indexing Questions Answered
Can I really show up in Google with just Instagram?
Yes, if you optimise well and create search-friendly posts, Google may list them, sometimes even for competitive keywords.
Will every post show up?
Only qualifying posts: business or creator accounts, public, 18+, posted after Jan 2020, and relevant enough for Google. Not everything gets indexed.
Does this mean I don’t need a website?
No, but it’s a massive boost in visibility and a great option for businesses still building their site or wanting extra exposure.
What about privacy controls?
Instagram lets you choose, use privacy settings to opt out of search as needed.
Citing the Facts
This update is backed by announcements and support documents from Instagram and Google, the platforms themselves offer help docs and privacy guides with step-by-step control instructions.
Media outlets and analytics providers have published the latest statistics on Instagram Reels, search habits, and demographic trends, all confirming the growing shift to social-first discovery.
The Takeaway
Treat Instagram as more than just a place to please your followers. Every post is a chance to reach someone searching Google, the world’s biggest audience. Sync up your paid and organic efforts, support your social presence with real data, and keep your privacy choices in your own hands.
With these moves, your content won’t just blend in. It’ll stand out, on Instagram, on Google, and in the places people are actually looking.
Need help?
We help businesses think bigger than hashtags and filters. Our SEO strategies don’t just focus on your website, we look at your entire digital presence, Instagram included.
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