With Instagram’s latest update, posts can now boost your SEO

Real estate is changing fast, and so must you. Inman Connect San Diego is where you turn uncertainty into strategy — with real talk, real tools and the connections that matter. If you’re serious about staying ahead of the game, this is where you need to be. Register now!

The “social media silo” is over. Beginning July 10, Instagram has rolled out a new setting that allows public posts from professional accounts (those labeled Business or Creator) to be indexed by major search engines, such as Google.

This means that for the first time, eligible Instagram content, such as Reels, single-image posts, carousel posts and videos can appear in search engine results, offering new visibility to those who are not following you. Professional accounts will automatically have the ability to opt in (or opt out) of indexing.

For real estate agents, this update means that the content you work so hard on will now be able to be found by a wider audience. With search engine indexing enabled, your Instagram posts, such as property listings, home tours, market updates, etc., can now appear in Google search. How?

When users type in phrases like “Atlanta modern home for sale” or “Nashville waterfront property,” if you have posts matching this, they will appear on Google. This marks a pretty major shift, positioning your Instagram profile and content as searchable, almost like a mini-website. Your social media posts turn into evergreen marketing tools, which means the quality of content means more now than ever. 

Whether potential clients use Instagram or not, they now have the ability to find you and connect with you. 

Follow these steps to ensure your real estate content appears in search results:

Verify you’ve switched to a professional account

Go to Profile → ☰ → Settings & Privacy → Account type and tools → Switch to professional (business or creator).

Confirm your profile is public

Navigate to Settings & Privacy → Privacy → Account privacy, and ensure Private Account is off.

Locate and enable the search engine indexing toggle

In Settings & Privacy → Privacy, look for “Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results” and toggle it on.

By default, this has been enabled starting July 10.

Reevaluating your content for social media indexing

Once indexing is active, it’s essential to review your past, current and future content ideas. Like I said before, your social media content is going to be more evergreen, so you need to make sure it is quality content that is accurate and reflects your brand well.

Anything that does not align with your professional brand needs to be removed or edited. For example, overly personal posts on your business account, outdated announcements, inaccurate market updates or off-topic content could surface in search, so reviewing your profile and content is important (hopefully, you are already doing this regularly). 

Moving forward, it’s important to remember that posts need to be optimized for search engine results. Using keyword-rich captions and common search terms (for example: “charming bungalow in [location]“) is a simple way to do this.

Make sure to emphasize what you are posting about and where it is located. Chances are, people searching on Google will use simple phrases such as that.

I think specific neighborhood and community spotlights are about to take off. For example, there is a neighborhood here in Knoxville called Whittington Creek. I imagine a lot of people may search on Google for “Whittington Creek homes for sale,” and because it’s not a postal zone area, agent websites and, now, social media posts will be the first options to pop up (compared to the big MLS-powered search portals). 

Using keywords, relevant hashtags and describing your posts in-depth will make a big impact. These small changes can significantly increase the likelihood of your content appearing in search results.

This small update represents a huge opportunity for real estate agents to merge social media and basic search engine optimization strategy. By enabling search engine indexing, your posts are no longer confined to Instagram’s app, but now they become part of the open web. This increases your reach, credibility and visibility to potential clients, which, as we know, is key in real estate marketing.

With just a few settings updates and content tweaks, your Instagram feed can become a discoverable showcase of your listings, expertise and brand. For agents looking to stand out in a competitive market, this is a strategic shift worth leaning into.

Kyle Basila is director of communications and PR at Realty Executives. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.