Last Updated on August 3, 2026 by Jane Nriapia
You may be surprised to hear that Instagram isn’t just a social media platform anymore. Since July 2025, public Instagram posts can now appear directly in Google search results.
This update means your content is no longer limited to Instagram users. Your posts can now show up for anyone searching on Google, even if they don’t use social media.
Having your Instagram posts appear in Google’s search results means there is a lot more opportunity to get eyes on your clinic. And the good news is, Instagram is a bit like your website, in that you can optimise it for increased visibility.
Why Does Instagram SEO Matter for Clinics?
Many clinics still skip social media optimisation because they assume SEO only applies to websites, but this is not the case.
If you optimise your Instagram, you have more chances of showing up for the keywords you target when users search inside the platform, AND when they search on Google.
Does the Amount of Followers I Have Matter?
If you have a popular account with lots of followers and engagement, you may find that your Instagram posts get indexed on the search engine results pages more quickly than accounts that receive less engagement.
That said, posts with less engagement also do get indexed on Google, and sometimes just as quickly!
Does Instagram SEO Work if I Have a Smaller Following?
The answer is a resounding yes!
Your Instagram posts can get indexed on Google and show up when users search inside Instagram, even if you don’t have a huge number of followers or much engagement.
However, when you search within Instagram, you may notice that the top posts are often those with lots of likes and comments.
Don’t let this put you off!
How Can Smaller Instagram Accounts Compete?
By choosing to optimise your posts for longer-tail, less competitive keywords, you can still appear at the top of Instagram search results.
Look at this search term ‘HArmonyCa Filler Newcastle‘. The post that ranks No1 only has 5 likes and is surrounded by high engagement posts with 1000’s of likes.
This is also how regular SEO works. If your clinic website is brand new, it makes sense to optimise for keywords that have less competition, as they’re easier to rank for.
As your website (or Instagram account) grows its authority through consistent posting, you can then start to compete for higher-volume keywords.
Aesthetics SEO
In this example, you can see my Instagram ranks for the search term ‘Aesthetics SEO’. This is a less competitive term that I use in my bio, captions and hashtags.
It’s a very specific search term so if people are searching for it, there’s a good chance they’re looking for a niche medical aesthetics SEO agency
This is the kind of visibility that’s perfect for my brand while I grow my account.
Posting consistently is the key
It can feel disheartening to post consistently, especially if your account doesn’t see a lot of engagement. However, regular posting is a social signal and it does impact your online visibility.
The more you are seen, the more likely users are to end up on your website to book an appointment.
And, if it makes you feel any better, likes are not a reflection of you as a person!
With consistent posts, you’re also more likely to hit on some long-tail keyword gems where your clinic shows up despite the competition.
How social media impacts your website rankings
As someone who has worked on many aesthetics clinic websites, I have seen a direct correlation between active social media accounts and sites that rank well. That’s not to say websites that don’t use social media can’t rank.
They can, but it often takes longer.
The theory (in layman’s terms)
Think of Google as one big ecosystem of websites. Your website is at the centre of your universe, surrounded by over a billion other websites. Google has to work out which of these websites should rank over all the others.
The Google algorithm is made up of lots of different signals:
- The content you put on your site tells Google what the site is about.
- A good site structure allows Google to read your website semantically and gives signals of how to rank it.
- Your Google Business Profile gives Google an indication of your locality and whether customers think you offer a useful service via the reviews they leave.
- And if other websites in the ecosystem link to you, this also gives Google positive signals.
Backlinks from social media
Many SEO agencies don’t even offer backlinks as a service, but they are an essential part of the bigger picture. One of the easiest backlinks you can get is from a social media page by linking it to your website.
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Reddit and X are some of the top websites in the world for domain authority.
By having social media and placing your website link in your bio, you’re increasing the chances of people clicking through to your website and sending a huge social signal to Google about how to rank your site.
Pro tip: If you’ve got a huge social media following and your website still isn’t ranking, the problem is with your SEO strategy.
How to do SEO on Instagram
Enough of my waffling about the importance of Instagram SEO (and all SEO, for that matter). Let’s break down what you need to do to optimise your Instagram account so you don’t miss out on visibility opportunities.
This will include optimising:
- Your profile name and username
- Your bio
- Links
- Captions
- Hashtags
- Alt text
- Reels
- Location
Your profile name and username
Your profile name should be your clinic’s brand name. Most people get this right. The confusion often sets in with the username.
To make the most of it, choose something different from your brand name.
The profile name and username are two separate SEO signals. As I mentioned earlier, one of the less competitive keywords I optimise for on Instagram is ‘Aesthetics SEO’, which is a service I offer. That’s why I’ve chosen this term as my username.
You might choose something like ‘Aesthetics Clinic Glasgow’ or ‘Medspa in Mayfair’, depending on where you are and how you describe your clinic.
You have 30 characters, so use them well!
Make sure you choose something your users are likely to search for when looking for your services. Here, you can see how your Instagram can show on Google for these search terms
This is another opportunity to use keywords that you may not have been able to include in your username due to character limits. Again, you’re restricted by the number of characters here too. You have 150 characters to explain what you offer.
You also want to think about how you format your bio. Long, rambling sentences don’t work as well as bullet-pointed lists that clearly tell users what you do the moment they land on your profile.
If you’re stuck, you can use ChatGPT to give you a head start. Here is an example prompt I used to create a bio for a fictitious clinic in Plymouth:
ChatGPT prompt:
Can you write me an SEO optimised Instagram bio using emojis for an aesthetics clinic in Plymouth. We offer injectable treatments and skin treatments. Anti-wrinkle injections and fillers are our biggest sellers, but we can’t say Botox. We are an award-winning clinic. We only have 150 characters and we would like a bullet-pointed list that instantly tells people who drop on our profile who we are and what we do.
Links
As mentioned earlier, a backlink from Instagram is a powerful SEO signal. It’s one of the easiest backlinks you can get, so if you haven’t set this up on your profile…
Stop everything and do it now!
You can only add links to Instagram using the mobile app, not on desktop. You can add up to five links in your bio. Make use of this!
My Instagram links to:
- My website
- YouTube
- My aesthetics clinic marketing playbook
- Whatever blog post I’m promoting at the time
Tools like Linktree are helpful if you need more, but a dedicated links page on your website is better for tracking and authority.
Captions
By now, you’ll see the pattern: wherever Instagram lets you type, you can add your keywords. This includes captions.
For aesthetics clinics, this is pretty straightforward. Let’s say you post a before and after lip filler photo.
Example caption:
“This is a lip filler before and after picture of one of our beautiful clients who visited us in our aesthetics clinic in Fulwood, Preston.
She had 0.5ml of lip filler to add subtle volume to her lips.
We use Teoxane filler for these lip injections because they give a really soft, natural-looking result. This treatment costs £200. We still have a couple of lip filler appointments available before the end of the week, so DM us if you’d like to book in.”
This caption naturally includes the keywords (in bold) that your patients are searching for and ends with a clear call to action.
Do Hashtags Still Matter?
There is an ongoing debate about this. A lot of large accounts say hashtags don’t matter. My thoughts are that big accounts don’t need them because they already get huge exposure.
Hashtags don’t harm your reach, and from my own testing, posts still appear when you search the hashtags you’ve used. My advice? Use them sparingly and only where relevant to your post and niche.
Use a mix of:
- Treatment-specific: #lipfiller #profhilo #antiwrinkle
- Location-based: #LeedsClinic #LondonAesthetics #LipFillersCornwall
- Clinic keywords: #medspa #aestheticclinic #skindoctor
Alt Text (Alternative Text)
Alt text helps visually impaired users understand your image. It also helps Instagram and Google understand to them too.
To add alt text when uploading a post (not a reel):
- Click on More options
- Scroll to Write alt text
- Add your description
Example Alt Text:
“Before and after lip filler treatment, Manchester”
Reels
Optimising reels is a bit trickier than posts, but you can still boost visibility by:
- Using keywords in your on-screen text overlays
- Using keywords in your audio where possible
- Writing reel captions that include keywords
Location
Always add your location when you post. This is especially important for local businesses like aesthetics clinics. It sends signals to Instagram and Google about where your clinic is based. This is essential for local SEO.
The Benefits of Instagram SEO
Optimising your Instagram for SEO might sound like extra work, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes and the more visibility your clinic gains.
SEO-optimised Instagram posts can appear in Google search results, driving users to your profile and website. Search engines use social signals, brand searches, mentions, and consistent content as trust and authority markers.
When users discover your clinic on Instagram and later search for you on Google, this increases brand searches which are strong SEO signals.
And the most important benefit is that: More visibility = more patients and more profit.
If you want to learn more about how your website and Instagram strategy can work together to increase your clinic’s enquiries, follow me on Instagram or drop me an email at [email protected]
