Do Instagram Posts Get Picked Up By Google? They Do Now…

If you run a professional Instagram account, your content may now be appearing in more places than you realised. As of 10 July 2025, Meta has quietly rolled out a major change that gives your content new visibility in Google Search, and it could be a game-changer for SMEs looking to boost organic reach.

Here’s what’s changed, what it means for your brand, and how to take advantage of it.

The Update: Instagram Posts Now Automatically Indexed by Google

Until recently, Instagram has largely prevented search engines from indexing most user content. Aside from a few exceptions, such as specific public posts from 2020 onwards, much of what you posted lived only within the Instagram app. That has just changed.
From 10 July, any public content from a professional Instagram account will now be automatically indexed and may appear in Google’s search results. This follows similar treatment already given to content from YouTube and TikTok.

To be eligible, your account must meet these three criteria:

• You are over 18
• Your account is public
• Your account is set to professional

If that sounds like you, then your Instagram content is now eligible to be discovered via search, not just within the platform itself.

Can You Opt Out?

Yes. You still have full control over whether your content appears in search results. If you prefer to keep your content off Google, you can change this in your privacy settings.

To disable Instagram’s automatic indexing:

• Go to Settings and Activity
• Tap Account Privacy
• Turn off “Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results”

You can also opt out by switching your account to private or changing it from a professional to a personal profile.

Why This Matters for Businesses

For businesses, especially SMEs, this update could represent a new route to visibility. Until now, Instagram has been a self-contained platform. Posts lived and died within the app, restricted by the absence of clickable links and limited discoverability.

That’s changing. With Instagram posts now being indexed, your content can appear on Google alongside website results, news stories and other media. In short, Instagram is no longer just a social tool, it’s now part of your search strategy.

Of course, this also means your content needs to work harder. The captions that once only served your followers now need to serve search intent too.

Instagram content should now be:

• Valuable and informative
• Optimised with keywords your audience is searching for
• Clear and relevant, even when seen out of context

This shift makes content quality more important than ever. Google’s evolving algorithms and AI-driven results favour helpful, user-focused content. The same applies here.

Why Now?

In a recent interview on the Build Your Tribe podcast, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri shared the reasoning behind this shift. He said, “The ability to search for content on Instagram is not satisfactory at the moment… Now the function of searching for the content itself, not finding an account, is becoming more important.”

And he’s right. Social media is rapidly becoming a search engine in its own right, especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These users often discover content first and only then look at who created it. With TikTok and YouTube already appearing in Google search results, Instagram needed to catch up.

With this update, it has.

What You Should Do Next

If your brand is active on Instagram and you meet the eligibility criteria, this is a moment to rethink your content strategy.

Ask yourself:

• Are your posts discoverable through keywords?
• Do your captions make sense outside of Instagram?
• Is your content providing real value to new audiences?

Treat each Instagram post like a small content asset. Write with clarity. Use relevant keywords. Think beyond your immediate followers.

Instagram’s new approach to search visibility is a real opportunity to be found by new audiences and to align your social content with your broader digital strategy.

The brands that act now will have a head start. Your content is already eligible to show up on Google. Make sure it is worth finding. If you want to align your social media strategy with your wider digital search marketing strategy, get in touch today.