Instagram meets SEO: A new way for course creators to get discovered on Google

Your Instagram posts aren’t blogs, but now they can do some of the same heavy lifting.
With Google’s latest update, public posts from professional Instagram accounts are starting to appear in search results. That means your reels, carousels, and captions, when optimized with relevant keywords, clean formatting, and alt text, can now surface in Google right alongside traditional blog posts and YouTube videos.

For course creators, this shift in Google SEO Instagram signals something bigger: a chance to be found by people not just browsing the app, but typing real search queries into Google. If your profile is public, and your content is structured clearly, you can expand your reach beyond followers, without launching a blog or funnel.

This blog post walks you through what changed, how it works, and how to make the content you’re already sharing more discoverable, without changing how you show up on Instagram. Whether you sell or teach business, coaching, wellness, or design, it’s time to think beyond the Explore tab.

What this means for course creators

Your Instagram content can now bring in search traffic, even if you don’t have a blog, website, or YouTube channel. That’s a shift worth paying attention to.

If you’re a course creator, or part of the growing wave of small businesses building online education products, this means your day-to-day Instagram posts can now serve a second purpose: driving traffic from Google.

When you create content like tips, lesson previews, or short how-tos, that same content can now show up on search engine results pages, reaching new audiences who are already searching for what you teach. And they don’t need to follow you to find it.

To make the most of this shift, you’ll need to go beyond “posting regularly.” Google still needs structure and keyword-rich content to understand what your post is about. Even visually appealing Reels need more context to be surfaced in results.

Here’s where this update really shines:

• If your posts are visual content, like fitness demos, beauty tutorials, cooking walkthroughs, or design showcases, they now have more surface area to get discovered.
• If your course funnel starts with search, not social, this bridges the gap between what you post and what your learners are Googling.
• If Instagram is your main platform, this gives you added SEO value without changing channels.

This isn’t a replacement for a full SEO strategy, but it’s a new layer of visibility that’s now open to creators who are already doing the work. You just need to make your relevant content easier for search engines to understand.

SEO meets LLMs – the rise of social search

Google doesn’t just crawl your Instagram captions, it interprets them. That’s thanks to large language models (LLMs), the same kind of AI that powers Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).
SGE is changing how people interact with traditional search engines. Instead of scrolling through a list of links, users now get AI-generated answers that pull from blogs, forums, and even social media platforms like Instagram. That means your posts don’t just compete with blog articles, they’re part of a new, blended discovery experience.

What does that mean for course creators?

• Your content can now appear in zero-click results (like AI snapshots or summaries) if it answers a “how to” or “what’s the best…” style question.
• Short-form, visual content, like Reels and carousels, can now act as entry points into your course funnel.
• Your social media posts are now treated as important elements of the search ecosystem, especially if they’re structured clearly and answer common learner questions.

To take advantage of this shift, you need to make your content easy to read—by both humans and AI:

• Use keyword-rich captions that match common search phrasing
• Add on-screen text that reinforces the topic visually
• Include alt-text that gives Google more context about your visuals

LLMs are built to recognize clarity, structure, and helpfulness. If your post teaches something useful, and is packaged in a way that search engines can parse, it has a real shot at showing up—even if you never touch a blog.
The takeaway? Social media content is now search content. But only when it’s designed for discoverability.

Eligibility – Can your posts be indexed?

Before optimizing anything, make sure your Instagram profile meets the basic requirements for indexing. Google can only discover your posts if they’re considered public content and follow a few specific rules.

Here’s a quick checklist to confirm your eligibility:

Once those boxes are ticked, your Reels, carousels, videos, and captions can begin appearing in Google search results.
Even if your profile is public, it’s worth double-checking the toggle inside your advanced settings. If you’ve changed your account type recently, this setting may have reverted without notice.
Google can also pick up your display name and basic bio information. So make sure those elements reflect what you teach (e.g., “Email Marketing Coach” or “UX Design Instructor”), not just your first name or brand.
And no—student-only accounts, Stories, Highlights, or DMs don’t get indexed. This update only applies to static, public-facing content.

Optimizing Instagram elements for Google Search

Getting your content indexed is one thing. But getting it to show up on page one? That takes structure.
Instagram doesn’t make it easy, there’s no built-in schema, no H1 tag, no meta description. That’s why you have to make every signal count. The right use of captions, hashtags, and alt-text can help Google understand your post and serve it to the right searcher.

Each of the following is one of the important elements of making your posts search-ready:

Captions = your title tag

Think of your caption as your blog’s H1. The first 90 characters are what Google pays the most attention to.

• Write SEO optimized captions using the exact phrasing your learners search for
• Avoid vague intros like “New post!” or “Here’s what I’ve been thinking…”
• Add clarity and value up front, use keywords, numbers, and outcomes

Alt-text = image schema

Alt-text isn’t just for accessibility anymore, it’s Google-readable content. And if you leave it blank, Instagram will auto-generate it with something like “image of text.”
Don’t let that be your SEO.

• Describe what’s in the image and what it teaches
• Use keyword-rich content naturally—don’t stuff
• Generate alt-text manually when you can (instead of relying on Instagram’s default “image with text”)

Bonus: it’s good practice for accessibility too (which LLMs are also trained to prioritize).

Hashtags = metadata 2.0

No, hashtags aren’t dead. But they’re evolving. Think of them less as “reach hacks” and more like categories that help both Instagram and Google contextualize your content.

• Use relevant hashtags that match your niche and learner intent
• Include 2–3 broad terms (#onlinecourse, #coursecreator)
• Add 2–3 specific terms tied to your course content (#copywritingforcoaches, #canvadesigntips)

Keep in mind that hashtags are visible to crawlers, so stuffing them may hurt more than help.

Geotags & local keywords

If your course serves a local audience, or includes location-based experiences, geotags help surface your post for local searches.

• Tag your city or region (especially in Reels or Events-related posts)
• Mention the location in your caption or alt-text
• Combine with local hashtags if relevant (e.g. #berlinuxbootcamp)

Still stuck on what to post?

Use common SEO-friendly content ideas like:

• FAQs: “Do I need certifications to become a life coach?”
• Micro-tutorials: “3 exercises to improve French pronunciation”
• Quick wins: “The easiest way to structure a 5-day challenge”
• Myth-busting: “No, you don’t need to post every day to grow on Instagram”
• Mini-lessons: “How to calculate macros: Beginner’s guide”

You don’t need to reinvent your strategy, just make small tweaks to make your content more findable.

Repurposing content for search discovery

Already sharing tips, lessons, or behind-the-scenes content on Instagram? Good. You don’t need to reinvent your feed, you just need to repurpose your content in ways that help with driving traffic beyond Instagram.

Here’s how to take what you already post and create content that also performs in search.

Carousels → mini-lesson slides

Instagram carousels already work well for engagement. But with the right formatting, they can work for search engine optimization too.

• Lead with a keyword-focused headline (“5 breathing exercises to reduce anxiety”)
• Break the topic down into steps, slides, or tips
• Add descriptive alt-text for each image
• Save the last slide for a CTA or related content teaser

H3: Reels → FAQ snippets

Reels aren’t just for entertainment anymore. Done right, they answer real questions your learners are Googling.

• Pick one question per video
• Use on-screen text for clarity and accessibility
• Mention the question in the caption and Reel title
• Keep the tone focused, helpful, and search-aligned

Tutorial posts → long-tail queries

Some of your most relevant content is hiding in posts that don’t look like SEO assets. You just need to repackage it for clarity and search intent.

• Use common search phrasing in your caption (How do I price my course?)
• Format it like a step-by-step or checklist
• Format it as a numbered list or short guide
• Cross-link it from your bio or highlight stories

Use tools like AlsoAsked or AnswerThePublic to find what your audience is Googling, and format your next post around that.

Monitoring impact & iterating

Once your content is set up for search, the next question is: Is anyone finding it?
Knowing what’s working is essential. Even though Instagram doesn’t offer detailed SEO analytics, you can still track which posts are gaining traction in Google, and then double down on those important elements in future posts.

Use Instagram Insights to spot search-friendly posts

Your Instagram profile won’t tell you “this came from Google,” but it will show how many users found your post from outside Instagram.

• Go to Insights → Content You Shared
• Filter by Reels, carousels, or videos
• Check for spikes in “Accounts reached” → From outside Instagram”
• Compare similar posts to spot patterns (e.g. alt-text vs. no alt-text)

Pro tip: SEO-optimized posts might show fewer likes, but higher reach. That’s normal, search traffic behaves differently from your existing followers.

Use UTM links to track search clicks

If you’re linking out to your course page or freebie from your bio or Stories, make the links trackable.

• Use UTM parameters with clear source/medium tags (e.g. utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=organicsearch)
• Shorten with Bit.ly or TinyURL for a clean look
• Monitor performance inside your course platform, CRM, or Google Analytics

Monitor in Google Search Console

If you’ve ever linked to Instagram posts from your site, or people are landing on your Instagram via branded search, those URLs may show up in Search Console.

• Go to Search Console > Performance > Pages
• Add a filter for URLs containing instagram.com
• Look for impressions, clicks, and keywords related to your Instagram content

Not every creator will see this data, but it’s a good sanity check if you’ve embedded Reels or shared Instagram posts from a blog or landing page.

Privacy & risk considerations

You might be thinking: “Wait… what if I don’t want my Instagram posts showing up in search?”

Totally fair.

By default, Instagram’s indexing update applies to public content from Business or Creator accounts. If your profile is public, your posts may already be visible to search engines—even if they weren’t created with SEO in mind.

Here’s what to know, and how to opt out if needed.

What’s visible (and what’s not)

If you’ve switched back and forth between personal and pro accounts, some older posts may still be indexed depending on their status at the time.

How to opt out of indexing

To turn off indexing for future content:

1. Go to Instagram Settings → Privacy
2. Scroll to Advanced settings
3. Toggle off: “Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engines”

Easy.
Note: Even if you delete or disable indexing, Google may keep a cached copy of the post for a while. It usually disappears over time, but if it’s urgent, you can request removal via Google’s Search Console tool.

A note for sensitive content

If you work with clients, offer premium material, or post behind-the-scenes content, it’s worth auditing your past feed.

• Unpublish anything that feels too personal or off-brand
• Reword posts that mention confidential pricing or coaching outcomes
• Remember: once something is indexed, it may stick around in cached results even after deletion

Bottom line?

• If your goal is visibility, this update helps
• If your goal is privacy, Instagram still gives you the tools to control what shows up

Tip for creators managing sensitive or premium content

Audit your feed for anything that may surface unintentionally. That includes posts with pricing breakdowns, behind-the-scenes shots, or anything that doesn’t represent your course at launch quality.

Your Instagram content just got a second job

You didn’t ask for your Reels to become SEO assets. But here we are.

With Google now indexing public content from professional accounts, your social media posts have the potential to show up alongside traditional web results, reaching people who are actively searching for what you teach.

That means your tips, micro-lessons, and FAQ Reels aren’t just helping your current followers. They’re building long-term discoverability for future learners and clients—without needing to start a blog.

If you’re already using Instagram to create content that teaches, inspires, or explains, you’re more than halfway there. A few small tweaks, keyword-rich captions, clear alt-text, and mindful hashtags, can help your content surface where it matters most.

Search visibility doesn’t require long-form writing anymore. It just requires relevant content, structured in a way Google can understand.

Want to make it even easier?

We’ve pulled together everything into a 1-page Instagram SEO checklist, designed specifically for course creators.

Rosemary Georgarakou

Rosemary is LearnWorlds’ Content Marketing Manager. She has over 2 decades of experience in omnichannel marketing and content writing for the IT and SaaS industry. Her expertise lies in crafting effective content marketing strategies that attract, engage, and nurture customers, enabling LearnWorlds to reach its target audiences with precision.