Instagram Content Becomes Discoverable on Google

Jul. 16, 2025

Public Instagram content from the platform’s more than 200 million professional accounts is now searchable through Google and other search engines.

Instagram’s new indexing feature means professional content that has traditionally been confined to the Instagram ecosystem - including photos, videos, carousels and reels - is now discoverable beyond the platform, enabling professional accounts to reach far wider audiences than before. Captions and hashtags will also function as searchable text, assisting SEO.

In a potentially significant shift for performance marketers, the update also means Instagram content will directly compete will traditionally indexed content, including news articles, blog posts and e-commerce listings.

Claire Elsworth, Strategy Director at performance marketing agency Impression said:

“Reels and carousels could now outrank traditional articles when they better match search intent - especially as Google’s evolving ranking systems increasingly favour engaging, multichannel content over static, keyword-heavy pages for certain terms."

 

She added:

"Brands will now need to start optimising Instagram content in the same way they would a product page or landing page. That means developing Social content with Search intent in mind, including writing captions, using alt text properly, and making sure hashtags actually reflect how people are looking for your products or category."

 

Instagram’s more than 200 million professional accounts are comprised of either “business” or “creator” accounts, with over 90% of Instagram users following at least one professional profile. The indexing feature will be enabled by default, but can be opted out through user privacy settings.

Instagram isn’t the first social media site to make its posts discoverable on Google: content from TikTok has been visible since the early 2020s, while X (formerly Twitter) allowed Tweets to be indexed by Google in 2009. 

Elsworth concluded:

“Brands will also need to review their past content and start treating Instagram with the same editorial discipline they apply to their websites. Ultimately, those brands that adopt an integrated Social-SEO strategy will be best placed to capitalise on this shift."