Getting your Instagram store found on Google: your own domain, Search Console and a sitemap

Instagram is a feed: people see what the app decides to show them today. Google is a search box: people type exactly what they want — 'hand-block print cotton kurta', 'custom name necklace Pune', or your brand name after they saw a reel and forgot your handle.

Instagram posts rarely show up for those product searches. A store with a page for every product can. You do not need to become an SEO expert to get there; you need a findable store, a few one-time setup steps, and product pages written for people. This guide covers all three.

What makes a store findable

• Every product has its own page with its own address, name, photos, description and price — not a single page of buttons.
• The store tells search engines which pages exist through a sitemap, and keeps it current as you add products.
• Each page carries structured data — machine-readable name, price and availability — which helps Google show your products properly.
• There is one main address for the store, so Google does not see two copies and split your visibility between them.
• Product names and descriptions use the words buyers actually search for.

On Slaby, the first four come built in: product pages, an automatic sitemap at /sitemap.xml, structured data on product pages, and one canonical address. The fifth is your job, and it matters most.

Step by step: from Instagram-only to findable

1. 1

   Check the store is visible to search engines

   Settings → Marketing & SEO

   Make sure 'Let search engines find the store' is on. It is on for new stores; it exists so you can hide a store while you build it.

2. 2

   Write your search title and description

   Settings → Marketing & SEO

   The search result title and description are what people see on Google before they click. Say what you sell and where you ship, in plain words: 'Handmade silver-tone jewellery, shipped across India'.

3. 3

   Connect your own domain (Starter and above)

   A domain like yourlabel.in is easier to remember, looks like a brand, and is yours if you ever change platforms. Once it is live, people and search engines who open your Slaby address are sent to your domain automatically, so Google sees one copy of the store and old links in your posts keep working.

   Custom domain guide
4. 4

   Verify the store in Google Search Console

   Search Console is Google's free tool that shows which searches bring people to your store and flags pages it cannot read. Add your store address as a URL-prefix property, copy the verification code from the HTML-tag option, and paste it into Slaby's Marketing & SEO settings. Then click Verify in Search Console.

   Search Console guide
5. 5

   Submit your sitemap

   In Google Search Console

   Open Sitemaps, enter sitemap.xml and submit. You do this once; Slaby keeps the sitemap updated as you add or remove products.

6. 6

   List your products on Google Shopping

   Connect your product feed to Google Merchant Center so your products can appear in Google's shopping results and image search, with price and photo.

   Merchant Center guide

Write product pages for searchers

Name each product the way a buyer would search for it: material, type, colour, style. 'Maroon Banarasi silk saree with zari border' tells Google and the buyer what the page is; 'Rani — Drop 4' tells neither.

Write a description of your own for each product. Copying the supplier's text, or pasting the same paragraph on twenty products, gives Google no reason to prefer your page. Even three honest sentences about the material, fit and occasion are better.

Use categories that match how people shop: 'Cotton kurtas', 'Silk sarees', 'Earrings', rather than 'Collection 1'. Category pages can rank too.

Help Google find you from elsewhere

• Put your store address in your Instagram bio, WhatsApp Business profile and on your parcel cards. Every place the link appears helps people, and some help search engines.
• If you sell locally — a bakery, a boutique with a shop — add your store link to your Google Business Profile.
• Ask happy buyers to mention your brand name when they post. People who search for your name should find your store first.

Be patient New stores usually take a few weeks to show up for searches, and longer to rank well for competitive ones. Search Console's Performance report will show the first searches and clicks long before sales follow. Keep adding products and writing good descriptions in the meantime.

Common questions

Do I need my own domain to appear on Google?

No. Stores on a Slaby subdomain can be found too, and the sitemap and product pages work the same way. Your own domain helps with trust and memorability, and keeps your address if you ever move.

I connected a domain later. Do I need to redo Search Console?

Add a new property in Search Console for the domain. The same verification code you saved in Slaby works for it, and submit the sitemap at the new address.

Will my old Slaby links stop working when I switch to my domain?

No. Visitors to the Slaby address are sent to the same page on your domain, so links in old posts and stories still reach the store.

How long before I see results?

Expect weeks, not days. Use Search Console to see which searches you start appearing for, then improve those product pages.

Does Slaby do SEO for me?

The technical parts, yes: sitemap, structured data, one canonical address and fast pages. The words — product names, descriptions and your store's search title — have to come from you, because you know your products and buyers.

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