How Instagram’s New Activity-Based Ranking Could Impact Your Brand Strategy
Instagram’s latest changes are reshaping how content performs on the platform. With the Instagram activity update that rolled out in July 2025, content visibility is now tied more directly to user behavior. This includes how often someone interacts with your posts, visits your profile, or engages with your stories and DMs.
Alongside this shift in the engagement-driven algorithm, Instagram has also started allowing professional accounts’ public posts to be indexed by search engines like Google and Bing. This means your content can now appear in off-platform search results, adding a new dimension to your social media strategy.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
- What the Instagram activity update means for content ranking
- How Instagram’s integration with Google indexing can enhance visibility
- Practical tips for brands and creators to adapt their strategies
- Why engagement depth now matters more than vanity metrics
- How Gutenberg helps brands align with these changes
Understanding the Instagram Activity Update
A Shift from Global Metrics to Personal Signals
Previously, Instagram’s algorithm favored posts that performed well in terms of likes, shares, and comments on a platform-wide scale. Now, the Instagram content ranking model is more individualized. What shows up in your feed or Explore tab depends heavily on your personal behavior on the app.
So, if someone regularly watches your Reels, sends your posts via DM, or saves your carousels, your future content is more likely to appear on their feed. This makes high-quality, engaging content a central part of any social media strategy.
What Drives Visibility Now?
Signals like profile visits, direct messages, comment interactions, saves, and even time spent viewing specific types of content all influence what a user sees. This move signals a platform that wants to prioritize meaningful, sustained engagement rather than surface-level reach.
The impact of this engagement-driven algorithm is that consistency, connection, and context now matter far more than chasing trends or quick wins.
July Instagram Changes: Beyond Ranking
Instagram Content Becomes Searchable on Google
Instagram now allows public posts from professional accounts to be indexed on Google and Bing. This means posts can show up in web search results, offering an additional route for content discovery outside the platform.
If your business runs a public professional profile, your Reels, static posts, and carousels can be found through search queries. With this change, July Instagram changes have expanded content visibility far beyond Instagram’s app ecosystem.
Implications for GEO and SEO
This indexing opens the door for better GEO optimization. If you run a location-specific business, tagging your location, mentioning city names in captions, and using region-based hashtags can now impact both in-app discovery and external search engine visibility.
Alt-text, keyword-rich captions, and local language usage now support both SEO and Generative Engine Optimization. This makes Instagram an even more strategic tool for regional campaigns and localized content planning.
Aligning Brand Strategy with the New Ranking Logic
Re-Evaluate What Engagement Means:
With the Instagram activity update, the focus has moved from getting more likes to prompting deeper forms of interaction. If users are saving your content, rewatching videos, or engaging in DMs, Instagram now sees your content as relevant to them.
This makes it essential for brands to audit what type of content drives personal interactions rather than just public engagement.
Rethink Scheduling and Formats:
Not all formats trigger the same kind of engagement. Carousel posts may prompt saves, while short-form videos might be shared more often. Stories with polls or slides may drive more DMs.
Use Instagram insights to find patterns. Posting at optimal times is now not just about general audience availability but about individual behavior trends over time.
Creator Content Tips for Engagement-Centric Visibility
Focus on Depth of Interaction:
Prioritize content that encourages users to take small but meaningful actions:
- Save for later
- Watch till the end
- Send to a friend
- Comment with questions
This shows Instagram that your content is relevant to the viewer.
Build Series or Recurring Formats:
Creating weekly formats like “Tuesday Tools” or “Friday Facts” can help build a pattern that users return to. These formats also increase the chances of comments, saves, and consistent viewing — all of which support the Instagram content ranking model.
GEO-Target Your Content Thoughtfully:
Use local references in your captions, mention city or neighborhood names, and geotag relevant locations. GEO content now improves both in-app discovery and external searchability, especially if you’re targeting location-based audiences.
Maximizing Instagram’s Google Indexing for Better Visibility
SEO Tactics Apply to Instagram Now:
Captions with meaningful keywords, alt-text images, and the use of structured hashtags all contribute to how well your content performs on Google.
This means brands should treat each Instagram post like a miniature webpage: keyword optimized, GEO tagged, and formatted for both mobile and web discovery.
Build Post Clusters Around Key Topics:
Instead of publishing disconnected posts, build content in clusters. For example, a series of posts around summer skincare routines or regional cuisine helps Google understand your content themes.
This also improves internal engagement, as followers who interact with one post are more likely to engage with related ones — a win for the Instagram activity update.
Immediate Actions Brands Should Take Now
Key Actions to Optimize Your Social Media Strategy:
- Make sure your account is set as a professional public profile.
- Conduct a content audit: which posts drive DMs, saves, or profile visits?
- Add local context and keywords into captions, alt-text, and hashtags.
- Refresh your content calendar to include more series-based content.
- Use platform insights to understand behavior at the individual level.
- Avoid only posting trend-driven content — focus on depth and relevance.
How Gutenberg Helps Brands Adapt
Instagram’s new updates require brands to go beyond routine scheduling and adopt a content strategy built for discovery, interaction, and retention. This is where Gutenberg comes in.
Strategic Content That Aligns with the Algorithm: Gutenberg helps brands decode audience behavior and build content maps tailored for deeper engagement. From DM-friendly posts to story flows that prompt interaction, the goal is to design intent.
SEO, GEO, and Gen Engine Ready by Default: Every content plan developed by Gutenberg is optimized for search visibility, location-based targeting, and Generative Engine Optimization. The result: better discoverability on Instagram and across platforms like Google.
Looking to align your Instagram strategy with the platform’s latest updates? Let’s talk.
Conclusion: 7 Key Takeaways for Brands
- Instagram activity update means personalized behavior is now the main ranking signal.
- Visibility depends on user-level actions like saves, shares, and profile visits.
- Professional accounts with public posts are now indexed by Google.
- Instagram content ranking favors depth of engagement over likes.
- Localized content supports both in-platform and search visibility.
- Brands must prioritize content that prompts for direct user interaction.
- Working with agencies like Gutenberg helps implement strategies designed for this new model of content discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does the new Instagram activity update affect local business visibility?
The update prioritizes personalized user engagement. Local businesses can improve visibility by using location tags, city mentions, and local keywords. A content partner like Gutenberg can help build a strategy that supports both in-app reach and search visibility.
2. Will Instagram posts now show up in Google search results?
Yes. As of July 2025, public posts from professional accounts are eligible to appear in Google and Bing search results. Using keyword-rich captions and alt-text increases the chances of your content being indexed.
3. How can I improve my Instagram content ranking with the new algorithm?
Focus on deeper interactions such as saves, profile visits, and DMs. Engagement quality now has more weight than likes or views. Gutenberg helps brands develop content plans that align with these engagement signals.
4. What type of content performs best under Instagram’s engagement-driven algorithm?
Content that prompts consistent interaction tends to perform well. Reels that start conversations, carousels that get saved, and stories with polls or questions are all effective under this new model.
5. Does geo-tagging still matter for Instagram SEO?
Yes. Geo-tagging your content helps with both Instagram’s in-app discoverability and external search visibility. This is especially useful for businesses targeting specific cities, regions, or neighborhoods.
6. How should brands adjust their social media strategy after the July Instagram changes?
Brands should focus on creating content that reflects user interests and behaviors. This includes personalizing formats, timing posts based on insights, and adding geo-specific keywords. Gutenberg supports brands in implementing these changes effectively.
7. Can Instagram content be optimized for both SEO and Generative Engines?
Yes. Use structured captions, keyword clusters, alt-text, and clear location references. Gutenberg helps brands create content that performs well across search engines, AI results, and Instagram itself.
