Instagram posts now appear in Google searches. This is what PRs need to know

Since Instagram was launched in the UK in 2010, it’s been a vital publicity tool for PR and comms professionals. But however much PR and comms teams have carefully crafted behind-the-scenes videos for Stories or trowelled on the hashtags to boost visibility, there was one flaw: if somebody Googled the brand’s name, their Instagram content didn’t crop up in the results. 

What’s happening with Meta/Instagram’s search indexing rules?

Until now. As of last week [10 July], search engines such as Google and Microsoft Bing can index Instagram posts and profiles. This means any content shared on Instagram professional accounts will now appear in the search results – just like any other website content.

Instagram owners, Meta, confirmed this by sending out in-app notifications to some users: “Your public photos and videos may soon appear in search engine results. From 10th July 2025, search engines will automatically be allowed to show all photos and videos on result pages.” 

These changes will only apply to professional Instagram accounts (ie those used by businesses, content creators and public figures) that are also public (rather than set to personal) and owned by people over 18 years old.

Previously, a brand’s Instagram content was largely limited in in-app discovery. Now, with their captions, photos, videos, reels and carousels surfacing in search results, brands have a powerful new way to increase their reach and attract new customers. It’s set to be particularly valuable for smaller businesses, who may not have a website but rely on Instagram as their sole marketing outlet.

The feature is enabled by default, but users can opt out by turning it off through their account privacy settings.

Why is Meta allowing search engines to index Instagram content?

It reflects changing user behaviour. Today, increasing numbers of people are using social media as their go-to search engine. Last year, Forbes found nearly a quarter of people (24%) use social media as their primary search tool. This is especially true for younger generations: while 94% of baby boomers use Google to search for brands, only 64% of gen Z do the same. 

Of course, social media giants such as Meta want users to continue searching within their social media apps. But allowing search engines to index content will drive even more traffic to the platforms. With Google’s AI Overviews pulling content from websites, having indexable Instagram posts is a way of ensuring users’ posts, images and videos stay relevant. Meanwhile, with content from YouTube (owned by Google) and TikTok (owned by ByteDance) appearing in Google Serps (search engine results pages), Instagram is relatively late to the indexation party.

What do these changes mean for PR and comms?

There could be many benefits for smaller businesses, or new companies in the process of building their brand. Many of these businesses – particularly those in retail and hospitality – already use Instagram as their main (or only) marketing vehicle. The changes should see them gain a foothold on Google too, perhaps driving more organic traffic to their Instagram profiles. 

Because of this, Instagram should now be an integral part of any wider SEO strategy for clients.

How can PR and comms optimise Instagram content for Google search?

• Determine what terms and keywords your client’s target audience will be searching for in Google, before weaving them into Instagram captions and video text (in a natural, non-clunky way of course). Remember: names of locations and products work well. 
• The first line of an Instagram caption will work as a headline in search, so make sure the brand or product name is mentioned here.
• Add alt text (a description of an image that isn’t visible to the user) to your images and photos.
• Hashtags also count as metadata, so will appear in Google’s indexing. Choose relevant hashtags which relate to the post topic.
• This advice also applies subtitles and on-screen text for videos, reels and carousels.
• Don’t forget to update the Instagram bio by adding keywords related to the brand’s industry and location.
• ‘How to’ guides, educational posts, tutorials and listicles are always good for SEO.
• The new rules mean your client’s Instagram grid will become part of their digital footprint, meaning that posts published many years ago may resurface in Google searches. Your client may wish to conduct an audit of old content to see if there’s anything embarrassing, outdated or negative lurking there which may cause reputational damage. 
• Ask press to link to specific Instagram posts in their articles. 

Learn more about how you can optimise your content for search at the CIPR’s PR, SEO and AI course on 12 November.

Christian Koch is an award-winning journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant.

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