Mark the Date – July 10, 2025 was the Day Instagram Became Bigger than JUST a Social Media Platform

Everyone (okay, a lot of people) has been talking about the changes on Instagram that went into effect on July 10, 2025. Professional accounts with public photos and videos now display in search results. So, when someone Googles or Bings (go with it) your business, your brand, or your professional account, that content can now display in the results. 

Some people are cheering about this and their boost in visibility, but not everyone is. At a high level, let’s break down what you need to know. 

Who Does This Impact?

This information is especially important for professional accounts–business or creator–set to public, over the age of 18, and that posts photos and/or reels. 

If you have a personal and/or private account, this update is not affecting your profile. 

Why Does This Matter? 

Now that your Instagram content can be indexed by search engines, the increased visibility will have a much greater impact on your brand’s online presence. Here’s the thing, up to this point, your Instagram content has likely and largely been created for your followers directly and to grow said followers. Now the question is, will that content resonate in a broader search? Does it have the potential to have a negative impact with a search? 

Here’s another post on this topic that we like and that includes some real-world examples. 

What Should I Do?

Regardless of your reaction to this change–good, bad, indifferent–the key takeaway from all of this is what you do next. That means, including Instagram in your overall SEO strategy if you’re not already. You need to think of both your followers AND where, how, and what your content says about your brand or business in a search. 

Now, for all the talk this is getting (which isn’t bad or wrong), we wouldn’t say that this change is all that surprising. Instagram has been telling us for some time about the importance of keywords and phrases on the platform; it seems sort of natural that this shift into broader SEO strategy was on the way. 

Thought this was helpful? Here’s another resource for you: Marketing Happy Hour podcast episode with Brie. In this episode, Cassie and Brie chat about common branding mistakes, knowing your “why,” and how real stories are the real magic behind a brand and marketing.