Meta just changed the SEO landscape, and it’s a doozy.
Be honest, posting content online sucks. We’d much rather use social media to chat with friends and laugh at videos than create content. Content creation is work, and it’s easier to say ‘I’ll post it later’ and focus on other ways to promote your business.
Well, that just changed.
On July 10th, Meta (Facebook & Instagram) launched a new update that will start indexing posts from brand accounts on Google’s search results. This means your brand will have to completely rethink its online presence, whether you like it or not. Let’s go through how it all works and see what you can do to keep up with the change.
All About the New Meta Update
The new update is going to start indexing posts from brand/professional accounts across Instagram and Facebook. Any posts or reels published after January 1st, 2020 are eligible for indexing, which means it might be a good time to go back to those old posts and clean up the descriptions.
But why does this matter?
Prior to this, Meta didn’t allow search engines to index their content, meaning you had to actually navigate into the app to see it. For as popular as social media is, search engines are still the main way to get your information. Now, you don’t need to worry about people only seeing your social posts if they are on Facebook or Instagram. Rather, they have a chance at seeing them when they search for things on Google.
Why This is Great for Local & Small Businesses
Let’s say you’re a small startup business that sells handmade jewelry in your local area. Before, when you would promote on Meta, those posts could only be viewed within Meta. Now, your posts have a chance to show up on Google, greatly improving the chances of your business being found.
But there is a catch.
All of this only works if you’re adapting your SEO strategies to match this new shift. Let’s run through some simple ways you can do this and keep your brand optimized for this ever-changing landscape.
Optimizing and Improving Your Visibility
Remember earlier when I said it might be a good time to go back to some older posts from a year or two ago? Maybe you wrote your descriptions quickly just to get the content out there. Now with this new update, it’s definitely worth it to go back and check what you wrote to see if it’s as effective for your SEO as it could be.
The tried and true method is to make sure you’re using all the right keywords. Sticking with the handmade jewelry example, caption your posts with what you made, like bracelets or necklaces. Write about what the jewelry was for, like a gift for Mother’s Day. Include whether or not the items are for sale, and if so, where they can be purchased.
Right there, your post visibility just improved tenfold. It isn’t just showing up in searches for ‘handmade jewelry ideas’. Now, it might also show up under ‘handmade jewelry ideas for Mother’s Day’ or ‘handmade bracelets for sale’. But let’s not stop there. If you have an actual storefront, include a location tag both on the post and in the description. If your business is in Brantford, doing this means it might show up under searches for things like ‘handmade necklaces for sale in (your area)’. All it takes is one well-thought out caption, and suddenly your post is appearing in many different searches.
Video Content is Growing
So now you have a well-optimized caption for your post that will increase your visibility and search indexing. But what about the actual content it’s attached to? The algorithm loves video content. TikTok has been allowing its content to be indexed for a while, and Google clearly favours those videos in search results. Instagram has its own video content called Reels, and now that those are eligible for indexing, there is a high likelihood they’ll get favoured too.
The key here is to make sure your Reels have substance. Make videos that reveal your brand’s personal side. Share behind-the-scenes clips, DIY projects, or expert tips. This creates a real connection with your audience. When users engage, Google takes notice.
In Conclusion
This new update is going to transform how users find your content. You no longer have to advertise on Meta, and then advertise the Meta account itself. Now your content can be found much more organically, provided you’re taking advantage of those SEO tricks we talked about. Discoverability is the only way you’ll be found, so if you’re not using these accounts to your advantage, then now is the time to start.
About the Author: Trevor Cherewka
Some Brands We Work With
Join the list of organisations we’ve helped to grow.
