Starting July 10, 2025, your Instagram posts might start showing up in a place you never expected: Google Search.
Yep. You heard right. That grid of flatlays, product demos, and soft-launch selfies is about to become searchable outside the app. Thanks to a new update, public posts from professional accounts on Instagram will be automatically indexed by Google — meaning your content (whether influencer, user-generated content or statics and carousels) could appear right alongside blogs, news articles, product listings and you guessed it, your competitors..
This is big. For creators, it’s a new window of visibility. For brands, it’s a shift in how creator content supports your digital strategy. And for everyone? It’s proof that SEO and social are no longer separate worlds — they’re a shared feed.
But before you go panic-archiving that 2016 pic with the Rio de Janeiro filter and a caption that just says “vibes,” let’s break down what’s actually changing — and how to make it work in your favour.
Starting July 10, 2025, Instagram will begin allowing Google to index public posts from professional accounts, meaning, if your account is set to “Professional” (either Creator or Business) and your posts are public, your photos, videos, and reels may start showing up in Google Search.
This doesn’t mean every post will instantly appear in the wild. But it does mean Google’s crawlers are now allowed to peek inside the ‘gram and pull out content it thinks is relevant to searchers. Think: a makeup tutorial showing up in a “best dewy foundations” search, or a creator’s reel appearing when someone googles a trending challenge.
Nope. This is opt-out. The update will apply automatically, and while you can switch your profile type or toggle privacy settings to avoid being indexed, most creators and brands are staying put and leaning in.
Because let’s be real: if your content is good enough to stop the scroll on Instagram, it might just be good enough to stop the search on Google too.
This isn’t just a minor platform tweak. It’s a shift in how your Instagram content lives on the internet. Where posts once stayed locked inside the app, reliant on the algorithm to show up in-feed or maybe land on Explore, they’re now eligible to appear in Google search results. Right next to blog posts, media coverage, product pages, and yes, your competitors.
For brands investing in high-quality organic or creator content, this is a chance to stretch that content further. It’s no longer just about engagement on the app. Your posts can now support mid-funnel search behaviour, amplify SEO efforts, and even intercept competitor traffic — without lifting a finger on the ad budget.
Imagine someone searches for “best vitamin C serum for sensitive skin” and your creator’s reel appears in the results, walking through texture, scent and how it layers under SPF. Or someone researching “gluten-free protein bars” lands on your educational carousel, complete with flavour callouts and macros.
Of course, this only works if your content is set up to be found.
If your captions are vague, your creators don’t mention your brand, or your posts rely too heavily on in-jokes and TikTok-isms, Google’s not going to pick up what you’re putting down. To make the most of this shift, you need to think like a search engine without losing your brand voice.
If you’re an influencer or user-generated content creator, this shift means your content has the potential to reach people who’ve never seen your Reels, never followed your account, and maybe never even opened Instagram. That tutorial you filmed? It could show up when someone googles “how to apply blush without looking like a clown.” That haul? It might appear when someone’s comparing brands before they buy.
Your content — if it’s public and on a professional account — is no longer just playing to the algorithm. It’s entering the world of search.
This is good news, if you play it right.
Because Google isn’t looking for vibes. It’s looking for clarity.
More eyeballs. From a totally different audience. Brands already love creators who make content that performs in feed. Now they’re going to value creators who can show up in search, and drive traffic outside the bubble of social.
This is a chance to future-proof your content, build evergreen visibility, and become even more valuable to the brands you work with. Not just a vibe curator, but a visibility partner.
While this update opens up opportunities, it also opens up your content — quite literally — to a wider audience. And not everyone’s thrilled about that.
For creators and brands who’ve relied on the relative containment of Instagram’s walled garden, the idea that posts could now appear on Google might feel… exposed. Especially if your content strategy includes region-locked campaigns, price testing, or creator partnerships that weren’t intended to live forever in search.
Here’s what to know:
This isn’t about being paranoid — it’s about being aware. Visibility cuts both ways, and if your Instagram is now playing in public, it’s worth treating every post like it could be screenshot, archived, and served to a whole new audience months (or years) from now.
If that makes you nervous, that’s fine. Just be intentional. The best defence isn’t to panic-delete — it’s to post with purpose.
Instagram posts weren’t originally designed to be search engine–friendly — but now that they’re being pulled into Google’s world, it’s worth tweaking your approach so your best content actually shows up, and shows up well.
Here’s how to make your content more crawlable, more indexable, and more likely to be seen by the right people.
Google can’t “read” your image like a human — it needs help. Your captions should clearly explain what the post is about. That doesn’t mean stuffing it with awkward keywords — it means using everyday search language. Think “best vitamin C serum for sensitive skin,” not “✨glow goals✨”.
Alt text isn’t just for accessibility — it’s another place for Google to understand what your image is showing. Skip the vague stuff (“me being silly lol”) and go with specifics (“flat lay of skincare products including Brand X moisturiser and SPF”).
If your Reel relies on voiceover alone, it won’t be searchable. Add on-screen text that says what’s happening or being shown — especially if it mentions product names, benefits, or results.
If your Instagram handle is something cute but disconnected from your brand name, it might be time for a rethink. Your username, display name, and bio should include your brand name and ideally what you do or sell. You want Google to connect the dots between your Instagram, your website, and your product pages.
This one’s not strictly about Google indexing — but if you’re repurposing content or working across platforms, use descriptive file names when saving images or UGC (especially for owned content). It’s a small habit that can improve organisation and future-proof your assets across SEO and beyond.
Good news: you don’t need to blow up your entire Instagram approach just because your posts might now show up in Google. You just need to be a little more intentional.
Think of it as a layer — not a rewrite. Your organic and creator content can keep doing what it does best: building trust, showing personality, and driving engagement. But now, with a few smart tweaks, it can also start doing something new: being found.
So, take a breath. Then take five steps:
At the end of the day, this change is a chance — not a chore. And the brands that treat it that way? They’re the ones that will show up first.
If you're ready to make creator content that doesn’t just perform in feed but shows up in search, we can help. Whether you need fresh UGC, fully briefed influencer work, or someone to handle the strategy start to finish — we’ve got you.
Reach out to Sticki. We make content that sticks, scrolls, and now… ranks.
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