Instagram for SEO: How can businesses make their content more attractive to Google?

More than ever, it looks like we’re seeing a definitive crossover between social media and search. Thanks to Instagram’s 2025 SEO update, businesses and content creators can now generate visibility for their brand beyond the confines of the app.

So, what exactly has changed and how can you leverage the updates to get your social posts featured in the SERPs? Keep reading to find out more.

What is Instagram’s 2025 SEO update?

As of this year, content posted by businesses and creators is now available to be indexed by Google and other search engines.

As long as the posts are coming from a Business or Content Creator account, are public, and belong to an individual over the age of 18, they are eligible to be included as part of Search results. It looks like the update is enabled by default, although account holders can opt out via their privacy settings if they aren’t keen.

Content including photos, reels, and carousels can all now be found and displayed directly on the search engine results page, as well as image search. Although, stories and highlights aren’t currently being indexed as they aren’t considered evergreen content.

This marks a new phase in cross-channel marketing whereby your Instagram strategy will be more important than it ever has been for SEO and brand visibility.

How can a brand make its Instagram content more attractive for SEO?

• Hashtags mean more than ever

While hashtags have always been important when it comes to visibility in the app, they now also serve an SEO function. The hashtags used in your captions will be giving search engines a deeper understanding of what your content is all about. Which means you want them to be clear, descriptive and niche.

Generic hashtags (e.g. #business) are going to serve little purpose other than to take up valuable space in your copy, whereas something specific for search engines to understand (#PRAgencyWales) will make all the difference to an SEO crawl.

And, as Instagram has just recently limited the number of hashtags you can use on a post to a maximum of three to five, it’s more important than ever that you think carefully about which ones to use.

• Plan captions like you would website copy

Along those same lines, your entire caption, along with your alt text, will be subject to indexing by Google. In practice, this means planning out captions in the same way that you might plan out website content – with clarity and user intent in mind.

It’s best to ensure captions are well-written, descriptive and add plenty of context to your photos and videos.

• Optimise your profile

As well as your content, Google will also be cataloguing the profile itself – which means your bio, locations, contact info and even the posts pinned to the top of your page are now relevant for SEO.

Users are now able to discover your profile before even opening Instagram, and therefore you want to be as easy to find as possible – that means a clear, keyword focused bio and as many description or contact fields filled in as you can.

Pinned posts should also ideally be representative of the brand and the products or services you offer.

• Rename your files before uploading

It’s not something most people consider, but changing the name of your files before you share them to Instagram can help search engine crawlers to find your content.

Most photos that are uploaded usually go by names like IMG_4846, but renaming them ahead of time, just like you would with any website image, makes the content more searchable.

• Remember that old content all counts

Despite the update being new, all content shared pre-2025 is also subject to indexing, so now is a great time to get your ducks in order.

Review existing reels and carousels on the grid, edit captions and locations to ensure they’re optimised, but also clear out any off-brand content that you don’t think stands the test of time.

Final considerations

The Instagram SEO update will ultimately change the way businesses map out their marketing strategies in the years to come. With the hopes of increasing visibility and brand awareness, marketers will be treating their social media profiles as mini landing pages, complete with a catalogue of searchable content.

This is an extension of behaviour we’ve already been seeing from content creators in recent years, whereby the Instagram grid is a curated, thought-out and selective series of posts rather than a backlog of anything and everything from days gone by.

How this will affect SEO and brand visibility reporting is yet to be seen, but if businesses and creators can harness their content and optimise sooner rather than later, they will set themselves up in good stead for a much more blended, cross-channel future.

If you’re interested in support with your social strategy, or in social media training, get in touch with the team at Front Door Communications.