The new SEO positioning of Instagram: guide for SMEs
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Since last July, Instagram has allowed its posts to be indexed by Google, which substantially increases the visibility of content beyond this social network. For SMEs and self-employed businesses, this means increasing their impact and recognition.
But to leverage Instagram as a positioning engine, you need to follow a strategy, and we’ll tell you how to implement it!
New Instagram SEO: implications
Google and other search engines have started indexing content from professional Instagram accounts (Business or Creator), including photos, reels, videos, carousels, and texts, as long as the profile is public.
This turns each post into an SEO asset capable of appearing directly in Google results, which extends visibility beyond Instagram and is a great advantage in every sense, especially for businesses without their own website or with websites with very few visits.
Adapt your social media strategy and make the most of this functionality
- Public and professional profile: for a business's Instagram account to be indexed on Google and other search engines, it must be a Business or Creator account with a public profile.
- Keywords in name and biography: include your type of business or location (“restaurant Madrid”, “healthy food”) to facilitate searches.
- Captions for SEO: a brief optimised description that accompanies an image, video, or post. Its purpose is not only to describe the content but also to respond to the user's search intent, incorporating relevant keywords naturally to improve visibility in search engines and attract more interaction.
- Alternative text: add descriptive “alt text”* in images, useful for both accessibility and positioning. (*A brief text that describes an image, helping visually impaired people understand its content and improving the image’s visibility in search engines)
- Strategic hashtags: use relevant and local combinations; they improve indexing, although their use is now standardised and not as powerful.
- Geolocation: tag the location in posts because it increases visibility when a local search is made, such as “vegan restaurant in Gijón”.
- Varied formats and evergreen* content: alternate reels, carousels, and images with timeless content that continues to generate visits over time and, of course, with content related to current events and the current interests of audiences. (*Content that is always relevant and useful, regardless of time)
- Active interaction: encourage comments, saves, and shares, as Google positively values content that generates interaction.
How to disable indexing
If you prefer your posts not to appear on Google, you have several options:
- Disable indexing from Settings
- From the “Settings and Privacy” menu, access “Account Privacy” and then “Content in search engines” and disable “Allow search engines to show your content”.
- Convert professional account to personal
- From “Creator controls and tools”, select “Switch to personal account”. This automatically disables indexing, although this practice is not recommended for an SME.
- Make the account private
- Set your profile as private and the content will no longer be accessible or indexable by search engines, which is also not advisable for small and medium-sized business accounts.
And, finally, it should be noted that although indexing is disabled, Google may take time to deindex already visible content due to caches or shared links.
How to add value to automatic indexing
Now that Instagram content becomes a new SEO avenue, it is time to boost business accounts to increase SMEs’ visibility with less effort. To achieve this, it is essential to publish quality, innovative content to differentiate from the competition, making it accessible and attractive.
All in all, this milestone is a great opportunity for SMEs and self-employed individuals.
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