How do you do Instagram SEO?
Put the words people search into your name field, bio and captions, then keep posting: more than half of the posts in Instagram's search results are under a month old. Across 5,141 searches we tracked with the same words in the same country on Instagram and TikTok, the median Instagram result was 15 days old, against 161 days on TikTok. Likes are more closely linked to position on Instagram than on TikTok, but almost three in four posts that ranked had fewer than 100.
By Angelica Handover, Co-founder and CEO, SocialSeal Published Updated
More than half of the posts that rank are under a month old
We compared the age of the top 20 results for 5,141 searches tracked on both Instagram and TikTok, with the same words in the same country.
| Age of top-20 results | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 15 days | 161 days |
| 30 days old or less | 56% | 15% |
Instagram’s results were newer than TikTok’s in 88% of these searches. Across all 5,465 Instagram searches we track, 69% of top-20 posts were 90 days old or less, and 8% were over a year old. On TikTok, a quarter were over a year old.
On TikTok, old videos still compete. On Instagram, more than half of what ranks was posted in the last month. To be found on Instagram, you need recent posts on each topic.
The usual setup advice still applies: keywords in your name field and bio, keywords in captions, alt text, a few relevant hashtags, a public professional account. What changes the plan is how quickly posts age out.
Posts with few likes rank, but likes are more closely linked to position than on TikTok
Most posts that ranked had few likes. The median top-20 Instagram post had 14, and 73% had fewer than 100.
More-liked posts did tend to rank higher. The most-liked post in a top 20 was in first place in 13.5% of searches, against 5% by chance and 6% for the most-liked video on TikTok. Its median position was 5. The rank correlation between likes and position was 0.33, on a scale where 0 means no link and 1 a perfect one: a moderate link. Still, in 87% of searches the first result wasn’t the most-liked post.
Most ranking posts share words with the search
In Instagram searches written in the Latin alphabet, 79% of top-20 posts had at least one of the search’s words in the caption, and 12% had all of them. Use the words people type, in plain sentences. You don’t need to repeat the exact phrase.
Write in the market’s language. In 135 Instagram searches typed in Japanese from Japan, 89% of the posts that ranked had Japanese captions.
Businesses do better on Instagram than on TikTok
In New Zealand travel searches we classified by hand, businesses held 15 to 26% of Instagram’s top-20 results, against 6 to 8% on TikTok. See can a business rank in TikTok search? for the breakdown by market.
A plan for Instagram SEO
- List the searches your customers make, market by market, in their language. Type your topic into Instagram’s search bar and note the suggestions.
- Set up your profile. Put your main topic in your name field, alongside your brand name. Say what you offer, and where, in your bio.
- Post on each topic regularly. The median ranking post was two weeks old.
- Caption each post in plain words that include the search. Add alt text, and a location where it applies.
- Search from your customers’ country to see what they see. Two countries shared about half of their Instagram results for the same search.
- Re-check often. More than half of ranking posts were under a month old.
For TikTok, where older videos keep competing, see how to do TikTok SEO.
How we know
- Searches: 5,465 Instagram searches and 18,140 TikTok searches tracked in SocialSeal, mostly for travel and hospitality brands, plus finance, rental and consumer-goods brands. 5,141 of the searches used the same words in the same country on both platforms, across 21 countries.
- Results: The latest capture of each search, between November 2025 and 30 October 2026, top 20 results each: 101,218 Instagram results. Instagram showed a publication date for 91,246 of them and a like count for 88,280. Likes are the latest recorded. Caption language: 135 Instagram and 305 TikTok searches typed in Japanese from Japan.
- Limits: We and our clients chose which searches to track, so they aren't a random sample. Each capture shows how old the ranking posts were, not how long they keep their place.
Other questions
- How often should you post on Instagram for search?
- Often enough to have recent posts on each topic you want to be found for. Across 5,465 Instagram searches, 57% of top-20 posts were 30 days old or less.
- Do Instagram posts show up on Google?
- They can. Public posts from professional accounts can appear in Google results, and Instagram has a setting that controls this. Check it's on if you want your posts found outside the app.
- Is Instagram SEO different from TikTok SEO?
- The basics are the same: use the words people search. The difference is age. For the same words in the same country, Instagram's results were newer than TikTok's in 88% of searches, so a steady flow of posts matters more on Instagram.
- Do Instagram results change by country?
- Less than TikTok's, but still a lot. For the same words searched on the same day, two countries shared about half (53%) of their Instagram top 20, against about a quarter on TikTok.
See who Instagram shows in your market
Run your customers' Instagram searches from their country with the free Visibility Check, alongside TikTok and YouTube, and see whose posts they find.
Get your free Visibility Check