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How to make your Instagram posts appear on Google
28 Aug 2025
Instagram is no longer just a social network: it has become an SEO lever. Your posts can now rank on Google and generate qualified traffic for free. In this article, we provide you with the complete guide to take advantage of it right now.
Since 10 July 2025, digital marketing has entered a new era.
From now on, content published on professional Instagram accounts (Business and Creator) is indexed by Google and thus visible in search results.
In simple terms, your Reels, carousels, videos, and photos can appear on the first page of Google, just like a blog post or a web page. This opens up a unique opportunity: to capture free, qualified, and sustainable traffic without spending on advertising.
In this guide, we will look in detail at:
Why this evolution is a revolution for creators and brands
How Instagram post indexing works
What SEO signals Google considers when ranking your content
Concrete examples and results that are already visible
A clear action plan to take advantage of this novelty before your competitors
Why Instagram indexing on Google is a huge opportunity
For a long time, Instagram was a closed ecosystem.
Content lived solely within the app: it was impossible to gain external visibility, except by sharing a link.
With this new indexing, the rules change. From now on:
Your Instagram posts become SEO pages capable of appearing on Google.
You can attract organic traffic directly from the search engine.
Brands and creators can develop visibility off-platform without solely depending on Instagram's algorithm.
👉 In other words, Instagram is no longer just a social network: it becomes a complementary SEO lever to your blogs, YouTube channels, or TikTok content.
How Google indexes Instagram posts
Google now treats Instagram content as indexable pages.
The mechanism relies on a combination of textual and visual analysis, which allows understanding of both your captions and your images or videos.
Indexed Content ✅
Reels and videos: analyzed with the caption text, metadata, and even visual scene recognition.
Carousels: each image of a carousel is indexed separately.
Static images: Google reads the alt text, captions and applies visual recognition.
Text and captions: treated as primary content, just like text on a web page.
Profiles: the bio, username, and account category are part of the indexed data.
Public comments: scanned and indexed, which can strengthen certain keywords.
Excluded Content ❌
Stories and Highlights: too ephemeral to be considered.
Private accounts: no content is indexed if it is not public.
DMs (direct messages): completely excluded from indexing.
👉 Result: each public post becomes a potential gateway to your profile and your offers.
The SEO signals used by Google to rank your posts
Google applies the major principles of natural referencing... but adapted to social content.
Traditional SEO factors applied to Instagram
Keyword relevance in the caption and the alt text
Content quality, partially measured by engagement
Freshness: recent posts receive a temporary boost
Authority: account credibility (followers, verification, consistency)
Search intent: the content must match what the user types on Google
Social media specific factors
Engagement speed: likes and comments in the first few hours
Bookmarks: a strong value indicator in Google's eyes
Shares (DMs, Stories, external reposts)
Comment quality: real interactions > simple emojis
External traffic: backlinks to your post, clicks from other platforms
👉 Unlike traditional web SEO, where backlinks dominate, here it is social signals that make the difference.
First observed results
Indexing is still recent, but concrete results are already appearing.
Beauty: the brand Rhode Skincare ranks on Google for the query “glazing mist tricks”.
Travel: geolocated posts appear for queries like “things to do in Rome”.
Tutorials: how-to Reels (“how to...”) are already gaining visibility.
Product reviews: posts from creators are directly competing with review sites.
👉 According to our estimates, Instagram could capture 15 to 25% of social searches on Google within the first year.
Strategic Opportunities for Creators and Brands
SEO Checklist for Your Instagram Posts
Integrate your keywords from the very first line of the caption
Optimize the alt text for each image
Use between 5 and 8 relevant hashtags (popular + niche mix)
Create evergreen content: tutorials, guides, FAQs
Add links to your site to strengthen authority
For Brands
Treat each post as a full SEO page
Create geo-targeted content to capture local traffic
Produce thematic carousels (visual SEO clusters)
Highlight UGC (user-generated content) to cover more keywords
👉 The first to apply these methods will gain a significant advantage in their industry.
Comparison with TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest
TikTok dominates in quick trends and is already a search engine for Gen Z.
YouTube remains essential for how-to and educational content.
Pinterest excels in visual inspiration and e-commerce SEO.
👉 Instagram positions itself between the three: quick like TikTok, visual like Pinterest, and increasingly educational like YouTube.
Concrete Action Plan
For Creators (1 to 3 months)
Optimize the profile and enable indexing
Revise old posts with SEO captions
Set up an optimized content calendar
Analyze results with Google Search Console + Instagram Insights
For Brands (3 to 12 months)
Conduct an SEO + social audit
Create FAQ and product content optimized for Google
Work with creators to multiply keywords
Target local and e-commerce queries
Expand the strategy internationally if needed
FAQ: Your Common Questions About Instagram and Google
1. Are all Instagram accounts indexed on Google?
No, only professional profiles (Business and Creator), public and belonging to users over 18 years old.
2. Will my Stories and Highlights appear on Google?
No, these formats remain ephemeral and are not indexed.
3. Do I still need a blog if Instagram is indexed?
Yes, both are complementary. A blog provides SEO depth, while Instagram captures visual and social queries.
4. How can I tell if my posts are already indexed?
You can test by typing on Google:
site:instagram.com/your_username keyword
Conclusion: A Marketing Revolution to Seize Right Now
The indexing of Instagram by Google is a marketing revolution.
Those who adapt today will benefit from free and lasting visibility, while others will continue to struggle solely within the Instagram algorithm.
At My name is Bond, we are already supporting our clients to:
Optimize their Instagram posts for Google
Develop an integrated SEO-social strategy
Grow their community in a qualified (and organic) manner
Automate the conversion of new traffic with smart DMs
👉 Do you want to be among the first to take advantage of this opportunity?
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