Google Is Now Indexing Instagram Posts in Search. What Does That Mean for Your Small Business and SEO?
Back in July, Instagram began allowing search engines like Google and Bing to index public posts. What does that mean? That means Instagram is now allowing public posts to appear on search results pages. So, your public posts could show up in Google search results, which means more potential customers could see them!
This is potentially a huge boost for small businesses to increase their visibility, and Armada Digital is sharing what it all means for business owners.
Why This Change Matters for Small Businesses
- More Access: While we believe every small business should have its own website, this change means your business could be visible and discoverable without one.
- Expanded Discoverability: More customers have access to your content.
- Increase organic traffic: This change could increase traffic to your Instagram profile and your website.
- Reputation & branding: If you are using your Instagram as a visual portfolio, it will now appear alongside your website search results.
- Evergreen Content: Your content on Instagram can appear in search results long after it was published.
- Competitive Advantage: If you are optimizing your Instagram posts and presence for SEO early, you can stand out in local and niche searches.
How to Optimize Your Instagram for Google Search
We’ve discussed optimizing your content and profile for your social media platforms before. Now that is even more important if you want your Instagram account to show up in Google search results.
Steps to Optimize Your Instagram Account:
- Make your business account public—only public profiles can be indexed.
- Use keywords in your bio—include your business category, services, and location.
- Write descriptive captions—use keywords in your caption and make them descriptive!
- Use specific hashtags—there are varying opinions on whether hashtags are still relevant. But area-specific hashtags can help improve local search results.
- Link strategically—make sure the links in your bio are up to date and relevant.
- Engage consistently—regular posting helps signal relevance and activity.
- Use alt text for images—it not only improves SEO visibility but also improves accessibility.
Integrating Instagram Indexing into Your Overall Strategy
When it comes to SEO, content is STILL king, and this is even more important now that Google is able to index Instagram posts. This is your opportunity to lean into your industry expertise and provide examples from your own body of work. You will be able to provide value to users that they cannot get anywhere else.
Complement Your SEO Efforts With Instagram Posts
- Consistently optimized content helps to build brand authority and trust across your platforms and audience
- Instagram posts can reinforce the keyword signals Google sees on your website and Google Business profile.
- Posts that are indexed by Google can show up alongside your brand name, which helps with reputation management.
This shift further blurs the line between social media and traditional search, and it is an excellent opportunity for small businesses to now view their Instagram as a part of their search presence.
Leveraging your Instagram in search is just one small part of a successful Digital Marketing strategy. Book your exploratory today to start growing your online presence with our team.