Meta supports Instagram in search results. What it means for you.
In a move that blurs the lines between social and search, it’s official – Meta supports Instagram in search results. For brands with professional accounts (business or creator) your content can now be directly visible in search engine results pages (SERPS). This update means that brand content on Instagram, whether a product post, a behind-the-scenes reel, or user generated mention, can now appear on search engines alongside traditional website content.
For brands that depend on lifestyle-driven storytelling, visual appeal, and trust-building through social proof, it’s a great time to reevaluate your Instagram strategy. It changes Instagram from a platform for engagement to an extension of a brand’s organic search profile and provides another way to increase your brand’s surface area.
Here’s what changed at Meta.
Before this change, Instagram content lived on…well, Instagram. It was a closed platform with limited search presence. Now, this same content has the potential to be included right in search results with links directly to the content on Instagram, even for people who don’t follow the account on Instagram.
To be clear, Google and other engines have indexed Instagram content for years. This change signals that Meta (who owns Instagram) is now supporting this feature and allowing professional accounts to choose whether or not their public content can be indexed. Up to this point, Meta had asked that engines not index Instagram content, except for public content uploaded after January 2020. This new update means that Meta supports Instagram content in search engines by default. That’s the big change, and it’s on all search engines, not just Google.
The change applies only to professional accounts, that is, business or creator accounts across both desktop and mobile. It is turned on by default.
Why Meta supporting Instagram in search results matters to brands.
The update from Meta means your Instagram posts can now appear in search results when someone looks up your brand, your product, or a relevant topic. It expands the traditional definition of SEO beyond web pages, blogs, and product lists. Social content is now a more integral part of your search strategy.
Everything on your Instagram account from your posts to your profile now matters more:
- A consistent, thoughtful, cohesive feed on Instagram builds trust. An off-brand or outdated feed does not.
- Soft branding factors like colors, brand voice, brand tone, and your interaction style with comments and engagement now play a measurable role in organic discovery.
- Encouraging your audience to use your branded hashtag (you’ve got one of those, right?) now has a potential SEO upside.
What types of brands benefit most from the Meta Instagram change?
Most brands can benefit from increased surface area, but it must be done strategically and authentically. Simply creating an Instagram account and expecting organic leads to come rolling in is a fool’s errand.
Instead, evaluate the platforms fit for your brand first. If there’s a fit, define your goals for Instagram and develop a strategy to get there. Here are some hallmarks of brands that will benefit most:
- Highly visual storytelling
- A strong visual identity, consistent posting
- An authentic brand voice
- Focused on the audience, not selling or promoting
- Content that sparks emotion or action
Strategic takeaways for brands on Instagram
For brands already on Instagram, here’s a punch list of steps you can take right now to improve your chances of showing up in search results. If you aren’t on Instagram, we suggest evaluating the platform carefully for brand and culture fit before proceeding. Need help with that? Let us know.
Opt-in
- Ensure your account is set to “professional” and not set to “private”. Here’s how.
- Double check that “Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results” is On. This page has a link to do that directly in your account.
Review your existing content
- Audit your past posts, updating captions with relevant keywords your audience searches for. Avoid keyword stuffing or using keywords that aren’t relevant for that post.
- Archive or revise content that may not reflect your current brand image.
- Make sure your last 9 posts are on brand, on message, and use relevant keywords. This is what people see when they visit your profile grid.
Optimize for SEO
- Use clear keyword-driven descriptions for your captions.
- Add descriptinve alt-text with relevant keywords to every image or video. Here’s how.
- Use strategically relevant hashtags that align with questions people ask in search.
- Include primary keywords and location for your local SEO profile in your bio. Yes, bios matter.
Monitor performance
- Set up a Google Alert for “your brand + Instagram” to monitor visibility. Here’s how.
- Set up your analytics to track if Google is driving new traffic from Instagram.
What you can expect if you make these changes
This article presents some best practices and advice on how to navigate this change by Meta. Your results, like the SEO from your website, will vary based on search volumes and how well you pinpoint what audiences are looking for. What isn’t likely to happen is droves of new traffic and conversions immediately following changes. Remember…SEO is a long game. At minimum, following these best practices will improve the potential surface area fo your brand to be discovered. That’s always a win.
This update marks a meaningful shift in how brands are discovered and evaluated online. Instagram is no longer just a place to post—it’s now part of your surface area, your reputation, and your lead funnel. For brands who leverage visual storytelling and understand the value of brand cohesion, this change is an opportunity to expand visibility without buying more impressions. But to benefit, you have to be intentional, and you need a platform strategy.
