Google announced recently that it will now be indexing a range of content from eligible Instagram accounts, a long-awaited update following on from similar moves with TikTok and Pinterest in recent years. This means that user-generated content, such as reviews, and a business’s organic posts, will all have a greater impact on Google-based user journeys.
While Google has been indexing publicly available content since 2020, Meta has generally discouraged this until now. In a podcast interview last April, Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, confirmed that the platform is “starting to invest more in search on Instagram because there’s so much amazing content […], it’d be great to find that more easily”.
This is yet another sign of the evolution of search and social from two separate entities with their own purposes and ways of working, to being two branches of the same tree. 36% of Instagram users now utilise the platform to search for products, according to Forbes. With AI engines and Google prioritising organic, genuine opinions in their search/query results, social SEO is becoming more critical than ever for driving commercial traffic.
So, what exactly will be able to show up on Google, and how do you get it there? Caitlin Eatwell, SEO Account Executive, shares what you need to know…
Which Instagram Content is Indexable?
Only Business and Creator accounts where the user is at least 18 years old will be crawled for content. Brands should make sure their profile is set up as a Business account as a rule. Instagram does have an option for you to opt out of indexing, which you may want to do if existing content is outdated or doesn’t match your current brand image, or if you no longer use the account. However, if you do use Instagram for marketing, we would recommend optimising your account for indexing to benefit from the increased traffic opportunities. The account should be opted in by default, but you can double-check in your account’s privacy settings.
Google will index the following organic content as far back as January 2020:
- Reels
- Carousels
- Photos
- Captions
- Public Comments
It will not index highlights or story posts.
How Do I Make My Instagram Business Account Rank on Google?
If ranking for Instagram content is something you’re looking to achieve in light of recent announcements, the tips below are a good place to begin.
Give Your Bio a Spring Clean
Your Instagram bio is like your shop window; it tells users (and Google) precisely what your account is about, so make sure it is optimised for relevance and trustworthiness. Here are some of the steps you can take:
- Request verification of your account. The blue tick will help users and Google see that it is your company’s official profile.
- Make sure your profile picture contains a high-quality, up-to-date version of your company logo.
- Add a category to your bio, e.g. ‘Retail Company’, so Google better understands what type of business the account is promoting.
- Add an up-to-date link to your website to encourage click-throughs. Running a promotion or event? Business accounts can add up to five links in their bio, so you can link that too.
- Write a short, on-brand bio describing the business using one relevant keyword and any key call-to-actions, such as encouraging customers to use a brand hashtag when posting reviews or recommendations.
Make Your Photos and Videos Accessible
Using alt text and closed captions on your content benefits everyone, here’s why:
- Users with hearing or vision difficulties will be able to access your content more easily, giving them a better understanding of your brand and the products/services you sell, increasing chances of a website click-through and purchase.
- Google will be able to understand better the context of images and videos you post, helping them determine relevance to search queries and increasing chances of ranking.
Make sure that alt texts are descriptive but concise. For example, if you are a furniture brand promoting a new sofa, don’t just write ‘sofa’ as the alt text, put the full product name including core specifications such as the colour, material and how many people it seats.
Closed captions on Reels and longer-form videos should also be as accurate as possible. Instagram does have an option to auto-generate captions, but double-check these have been correctly interpreted before posting.
Optimise Post Captions with Keywords and Context
Instagram captions (including overlay captions on Reels) should be snappy and scroll-stopping, but make sure you’re also adding all the key information users are likely to search for:
- Tag relevant locations on a post when directing users to a physical location, such as a store or event.
- Include context for promotions such as discounts and end-dates.
- Include relevant keywords that your audience is likely to search for, e.g. long-lasting matte lipstick’ or ‘wedding centrepiece ideas’.
Be careful not to stuff your post with keywords, though: your Instagram users will be disengaged, and Google will disregard the post as spammy. Keep your Instagram followers in mind and ensure the captions are written in a natural, on-brand tone.
User-Generated Content is Key
Genuine, organic recommendations have a significant impact on potential customers’ buying decisions, which is why AI engines pull from forums such as Reddit when answering commercial queries, while Google is placing more value on forum and social media reviews.
UGC social media campaigns, such as encouraging consumers to share how they use your products/services (and tagging you or using a campaign hashtag), can boost brand awareness on Instagram as well as increase chances of organic reviews ranking on Google.
My Business Isn’t on Instagram, Should it Be?
If your business isn’t on Instagram, don’t panic – Instagram is only one way to market.
It’s essential to keep your audience at the forefront when deciding where to market your business, so if your audience is not on Instagram, you don’t need to be. That said, it is always worth considering if any social media platforms should fit into your marketing plan; a strong and impactful social media presence can result in higher external traffic to your website, more backlink opportunities, and higher brand searches on search engines.
In conclusion, Instagram SEO can bring a whole new user base to your website, both through social media and Google search rankings. While it’s still early days in seeing how impactful Google’s Instagram indexing will be for businesses’ overall SEO success, brands that start optimising now will be able to review what works and form a solid strategy before their competitors, potentially carving out space in search terms that industry giants and high domain-authority sites usually dominate.
We believe this to be something of a developing story and will aim to update this as updates continue to be revealed, as well as providing further SEO, Paid Search and Paid Social insights on the blog, as usual. Keep your eyes peeled for further insights from the GGD team on this, and much more!
