What It Means Now That Meta Posts Will Be Indexed on Search Engines
In a huge shift for social media and search, Meta (Instagram and Facebook) public professional posts, like Reels, carousels, and videos, can now be indexed by search engines. This change, which took effect on July 10, 2025, marks a profound evolution in how content is discovered and consumed online.
Here is what you need to know as a business:
Your Social Posts Have Now Expanded Your SEO Exposure
While LinkedIn posts have been visible for some time in SERPs, this is new for your Instagram and Facebook posts. Previously, Meta content was largely locked behind its own app(s). Now, all public posts from professional (business or creator) accounts are eligible for indexing as long as the account is public, professional, and the owner is 18+.
The change is reflective of a broader shift that more users, especially younger generations, are searching directly on social platforms. This has prompted Google to integrate this content more deeply into its results, but it also means that businesses should reassess their social media strategy.
If you don’t want your posts indexed, you have some options to control it:
Set your account to private
Switch from a professional to a personal account
Toggle off search engine indexing in privacy settings
Rethinking Your Social Media Strategy
Your social posts now function like traditional SEO assets, appearing in SERPs alongside blog posts and product pages, which can unlock new potential traffic to your business. Traditionally, social posts have had a fleeting lifespan, but that is not the case anymore. With search indexing, your content is now evergreen. Posts that used to vanish from view after a couple days can now attract visitors for much longer, especially if it is optimized for search.
This means there should be less separation between your SEO and social media strategy (aka, a more Holistic approach):
Captions Become SEO Assets
Think of them as mini “meta descriptions”—crafted with clear keywords, descriptive context, and search intent in mind. As a note, we always like to remind clients not to lose their brand voice since this is part of the reason your followers/audience choose you.
Alt-text, Hashtags, and Geotags Matter More
These elements can boost your visibility in image and local searches, making your posts more discoverable and meaningful in search results. Make sure you are not “over-optimizing” your Alt Text; this should be natural sounding and relevant to your audience.
Adding Alt Text on Facebook: Click Edit Photo and Select Alt Text.
Adding Alt Text on Instagram: On the final upload screen, scroll to advanced settings. Under Accessibility, tap Write Alt Text. For old posts, select “...” on your post, tap Edit, and then choose Edit Alt Text.
Measuring the Impact of Social
Now that social posts are being indexed on traditional search, you may be wondering how to measure the impact this has on your business. As of right now, social media platforms don’t allow external analytics tools, like Google Analytics, to be connected. This means you can directly track traffic that comes to your social media posts from search, but there are some measurement insights to be gained.
Instagram + Facebook Page Insights
The data on both platforms often show you how people found your profile (search, suggestions, or external website). This isn't always granular, but it can give an indication of performance if you have noticed trends in your reach.
Google Search Console
Within the Performance section of GSC, you can see how many impressions and clicks queries related to your social media profiles are getting.
SEMrush
Utilizing this tool either on a free or paid plan will allow you to use your social profile URL to analyze the organic keywords your profile is showing up for, in what position, and the intent behind those keywords.
While the data is not comprehensive at this point, we are sure this space will continue to evolve.
TL;DR
Meta’s new indexing policy is reshaping the social media and search landscapes. Your posts can now be seen by a broader, search-driven audience, extending their reach, relevance, and lifespan. Whether you're a creator, a small business, or a brand, it's time to rethink social strategy with SEO in mind. If you would like help creating guidelines for your social media posts, feel free to reach out!