Have you ever shared something on Instagram and thought, “I wish more people could see this”? Well, I have some good news for you! From 10 July 2025, that wish might come true in a bigger way than you expected.

Instagram has confirmed that public content from your Meta accounts will soon be visible in Google search results. That means your Reels, carousels, and grid posts could show up when someone searches on Google, not just when they scroll through Instagram.

This change will happen automatically unless you choose to opt out in your privacy settings.

For small businesses like yours, this could be a huge win. It’s free visibility. It’s traffic you didn’t have to pay for or post about a second time. It can get more eyes on your business, help you grow your brand and of course increase your enquiries.

What’s not to love, right?

Well, it also raises some big questions, especially for those who use both their business and personal accounts to post content publicly for their business, and of course, for those who don’t have a business to promote but have a public personal account.

So let’s take a look at what’s happening, what it means for your business, how to make it work in your favour, and what to check before anything starts showing up in search.

I was talking to my friend Claire from Hop Skip fly Social recently and like many of us in this space, she sees this as a big opportunity especially for small business owners who already create useful, well-thought-out content on Instagram, this could give that content a second life outside the app and a chance to be seen by a whole new audience,

But as she pointed out “Instagram rolls out changes all the time, it can be hard to know which ones are worth paying attention to, nit this one is a genuine opportunity to improve your business discoverability!”

She also gave us a great quick tip to get you started without getting overwhelmed ” Simply looking through your content and edit your captions to include keywords like your location, what you offer, and use natural phrases that someon might type into Google. If you’re a caption minamilist you might want to rethink your copywriting strategy on instagram moving forward”

Angela from Clydeside Social agrees this will be a great thing for small businesses:
“This update due from July 10th is such a huge step for reach and discoverability for businesses and creators on IG.

It could increase visibility from outside of Instagram, it could increase the shelf life of a piece of content and the intent of search is much higher- people are actually looking for what you do at that moment.

So What’s important – start treating your IG like a search engine, keywords, alt text, using geo tags and hashtags with purpose” Angela, Clydeside Social

Sooz Young from Technology Coaching online believes that while the potential is there for business owners, personal users really need to be careful to protect their data

“It’s a very good thing for businesses. Maybe not so good a thing for personal users. We have to be more data aware and cyber aware with it too!”

While content strategy expert Juliet Menabney thinks it’s a fantastic opportunity for business owners to gain more visibility, especially those who currently use platforms like stan store or Kajabi, which tend to not be favoured in search results so this gives them a chance of being visible in the search results

She added “ for businesses with a smaller marketing budget this could be huge because it’s organic visibility for your products and services but it will mean thinking about SEO for instagram content will become even more important …. Things like using keywords in your captions, adding alt text to your images and picking relevant hashtags will be really boost your chances of being discovered.

For award winning social media mentor Amanda Hughes the focus will be on making sure you know your clients well enough to know what they might be searching on Google

As you can see from these social media marketing pros, it will be really important to make sure your profile is ready. That means checking your bio to include a clear description of what you do, adding a working link to your website or booking page, and writing captions that explain the post using keywords someone might actually search for.

It’s not about becoming an SEO expert overnight. It’s about getting the basics in place so your content can be found by people who are actively looking for what you do.

Instagram has always been a great place to be seen, but up until now, most of your reach stayed within the app. You posted something, people liked it, and unless they followed you or it went semi-viral, that was usually the end of the road for that post.

Don’t get me wrong it’s a brilliant place for story telling and really establishing the personal brand behind your business.

I know, I know we are all getting sick of hearing about growing your personal brand for your business but the truth is it’s one of the best ways to grow and instagram has always

Now that same content might start showing up when someone searches on Google is a big deal especially if you rely on visuals to explain or sell what you offer.

It’s also a bonus for small business who only use social media for promotion and don’t have a website yet ( not something I recommend cause you are building a business on land you don’t own but I understand why it happens)

Let’s take my wonderful nail tech, Amanda, from Gel Nails By Amanda. Amanda is amazing at what she does and she regularly shares images of her clients nails on instagram feed. With the right optimisation those posts could now rank and come up for anyone searching Google etc for searches like BIAB nails paisley, or summer nails paisley etc and then she has access to a whole new client base.

Here is an other example, our client Adie is a makeup artist and she posts the process during and after bridal looks. Someone searching “natural bridal makeup London” might land on her Instagram carousel from last month and reach out to her for their wedding.

Or a celebrant like our client, Susan, could show up for “humanist celebrant Glasgow.”

If your post matches what someone is looking for, it stands a better chance of showing up.

Search Engine Journal reports that visual content appears in nearly 40% of mobile search results. That’s not a trend. It’s already happening.

While Scottish business Kid Locale thinks it will offer her business some really good potential traffic while hopefully creating not too much more work for her business “This would be really helpful to me as an online business owner as it would provide more content and links to information for our users without having to duplicate everything”

If you are reading all this and feeling overwhelmed at one more job on your to list then don’t panic, you don’t need to overhaul your whole strategy.

You just need to give your content a bit more structure so it can be found by the right people in the right places.

Here are some simple ways to get started:

• Write clear, keyword-friendly captions. Think about what someone might type into Google. “Tips for getting Married at Loch Lomond” is better than “Dreamy day at Loch Lomond.”
• Use alt text. Add a short, descriptive line to your photos using Instagram’s accessibility settings. This can help search engines understand what the image is about.
• Tag your location. Especially important for local service businesses. It gives both Instagram and Google a clue about where you operate.
• Use a working link in your bio. Whether it’s your website, contact form, or booking calendar, make it easy for people to take the next step.
• Keep your bio search-friendly. Instead of “Helping you shine online,” go with something like “Brand Photographer, Glasgow.”
• Use hashtags that match what people actually search for. Not just the biggest ones. Mix in location, niche, and intent-based tags.
• Turn carousels into value posts. Think FAQs, mini tutorials, quick tips, or myth-busting. These are more likely to match search intent. Question and answer content will be key here!
• Review your grid. Are there old posts you no longer want to be public? Now is the time to archive anything too personal or out of date.

This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about making sure the work you’re already doing gets seen by more people who need it.

• Informational intent: These searches typically start with “how to,” “why,” or “best ways to.” Example: “How to create an SEO-friendly blog post.” “Why Yoga is helpful in pregnancy” etc.
• Transactional intent: These are searches where people are ready to buy. Example: “Best SEO course for small business owners” “Cost of dental implants”.

Most of us have posted useful, informative, or creative content that felt wasted after 48 hours. This update gives that content a longer shelf life and another way to reach people.

You’re not writing new blogs. You’re not uploading to your website. You’re just being a bit more strategic with what you’re already sharing.

Let’s say you’re a double glazing specialist in Glasgow with a reel explaining what windows are best for energy saving.. Or you’re a company that specialises in workplace assessments with a carousel showing which chair is best for larger people in the workplace.

That’s content someone could be searching for on Google right now. And now, they might land on your post or products instead of a blog from 2018.

If you’ve been consistent, thoughtful, and helpful in your posts, this is your moment to be seen beyond Instagram’s algorithm.

You’ve already done the work. This just helps it go further.

Ok, now for the not-so-good part. This change won’t just affect business content. It will affect any public content, including posts from accounts that blur the line between business and personal. Or even just those who have an open personal account.

And here’s the bit that matters. This is an opt-out update. Unless you switch it off, your public posts will be eligible to show in search results.

If you’ve posted photos of your kids, your home, school uniforms, or any personal moments, now is the time to check your settings.

I know I have used my personal and professional social media accounts in the past to help grow my business, but my personal account also has loads of images and info about my kids, my house renovation, holidays, etc.

So I will be opting out when it comes to my content, and in fact, I’m seriously considering removing the reels, etc, that include my kids from when they were younger. One is an official adult now, and one will be before I know it, and neither likes being on social media, so you can be happy about this change for your business, but be careful with your data and posts, even in this era of “growing a personal brand”

Just because something feels private doesn’t mean it’s hidden.

Search engines can cache content. Even if you delete a post like I plan to do, it could still show in search results for a while. If there’s anything you don’t want searchable, go and review your grid now.

To check or change your settings:

1. Go to your Instagram profile.
2. Tap the menu and head to Settings and Privacy.
3. Select Account Privacy.
4. Tap Search Engine Visibility.
5. Turn it off if you don’t want your public posts indexed.

Double-check it, even if you think you’re fine. Especially if your account started as personal and has become more work-focused over time.

Instagram hasn’t released the full timeline, but here’s what we do know. The rollout will be gradual. You won’t suddenly see every post you’ve ever made appear in Google search the next day.

Google will begin crawling public Instagram content in phases. It will likely prioritise newer posts and those that already get good engagement.

Carousels and Reels are expected to appear first, especially if they’re helpful, well-tagged, or include keyword-friendly captions.

If your post explains something, shows results, or answers a common question, it has a better chance of being picked up. This could include:

• Service explainers
• Before and after
• Seasonal offers
• Educational content
• Local collaborations or events

Don’t be surprised if you see an old post resurface in a search result. That’s exactly what this update is designed to do. The content you created months ago might still be useful to someone searching today.

You might also notice some posts come and go in the results. That’s normal. Google will test, adjust, and refine what it shows.

If one of your posts gets a few clicks and good engagement, it may start appearing more regularly.

Now is a good time to revisit your best-performing posts. Update the caption, tag your location, add alt text, and re-share to your stories.

Keep creating content that’s useful and searchable. That’s what will stand the test of time.

Instagram posts showing up in Google search is a big shift. For small businesses, this could be an easy win. You’ve already been putting effort into content.

Now it can work harder for you, outside the app.

But like any platform update, it comes with responsibility. If you’ve got personal content on your feed, check your privacy settings.

If you’ve got helpful business content, give it a refresh and make it search-ready.

The content you’ve already created could start doing more for you but only if you take five minutes to make sure it’s ready to be found.

Want to help make this part of your SEO strategy? Why Not Book an SEO power hour and we can map it out together!