AI Is Reshaping SEO

In 2025 the rules of SEO have changed: a major update now allows Google to index Instagram content from public professional accounts, folding the world of social into the realm of search in ways we’ve never seen before.

For marketers, this is not just a trend to observe but a shift that demands knowledge about AI, new tools, and a radically different mindset.

The Shift in Search Behaviour

Search in 2025 is no longer just about matching keywords to content. With users increasingly relying on platforms like TikTok, ChatGPT, and Instagram to answer questions, the search journey has become multimodal, conversational, and visual-first. Gen Z in particular is bypassing traditional search engines in favour of content that feels curated and contextually relevant.

In response, Google has launched features like AI Overviews, video-first snippets, and a major pivot toward indexing social content. These updates mark a definitive move away from static SEO formulas and toward dynamic, real-time search experiences enabled by AI-powered tools.

Instagram’s New Role in Search

One of the most significant shifts is the integration of Instagram content into Google Search. As of mid-2025, Google can now index posts from public business or creator accounts. This includes captions, alt-text, hashtags, geotags, and usernames, effectively transforming Instagram into a searchable SEO surface.

For marketers, this means Instagram content can now contribute to organic search visibility. A well-written caption isn’t just about engagement anymore; it’s a searchable asset. Hashtags function like keywords, alt-text becomes metadata, and even location tags can influence local SEO rankings. Your social content is no longer separate from your web strategy but part of the same ecosystem, and a crucial element in building a media mix modelling in marketing.

What Marketers Need to Do Now

To adapt to these changes, marketers must reframe how they approach SEO. It’s no longer limited to blog posts and landing pages. Every caption, reel, and carousel is a potential search result. The following checklist ensures your Instagram content is SEO-optimized:

Instagram SEO Checklist for 2025:

• Use a Professional (Business or Creator) account
• Make your account public
• Write keyword-rich captions (think of them like micro-blog articles)
• Add custom alt-text to each post (avoid generic terms like “photo of a beach”)
• Use 3–5 hashtags that match your audience’s search intent
• Geo-tag relevant content, especially for local discovery
• Maintain visual consistency and strong branding to improve click-through from search

These tactics are no longer “nice-to-haves.” They’re baseline requirements to appear in increasingly competitive search results and take full advantage of proprietary marketing AI tools.

Creating Content That Works for Both People and Machines

With LLMs and AI summaries dominating search results, content must be both human-first and machine-readable. Instead of stuffing pages with keywords, focus on depth, clarity, and semantic relevance. Google now values content that demonstrates real expertise and intent alignment, not just surface-level optimisation.

Even LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini can be used as informal SEO checks: Ask them what content they surface for your brand or topic, and see how well you’re ranking in AI-powered spaces. These aren’t traditional metrics, but they reflect where real user attention is moving.

TL:DR

Search is no longer a single platform or a static list of blue links. It’s a dynamic, AI-curated experience across multiple content surfaces. As Google evolves to prioritize relevance, context, and multimodal inputs, marketers must evolve with it.  In 2025, every piece of content is a search entry point. The marketers who understand this and know how to optimize for both human curiosity and machine logic using AI-powered strategy development will define the next era of organic visibility.