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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

From pay, hours and time off to discipline, grievance and hiring and firing employees, find out about your legal responsibilities as an employer.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Instagram posts to appear in Google searches from July

24 June 2025

Businesses using Instagram for brand promotion could get a boost from July when Meta's latest update will allow public Instagram posts to be indexed and ranked by Google.

Instagram posts, including reels, are to become searchable from 10 July. Meta's latest update will allow public Instagram posts to be indexed and ranked by Google.

It means that Instagram content will start appearing in Google search results, even when users aren't logged into the social media platform. Bella Roebuck, senior social and outreach executive at Manchester agency Banc, has said it heralds "a significant shift in how brands and creators approach social content".

Roebuck says that the move will blur the line between social content and web content. She said: "The update creates fresh opportunities to increase visibility, discoverability and traffic to Instagram profiles. As such, Instagram will function more like a search-friendly platform effectively turning posts into mini landing pages."

Roebuck says that businesses can get ready for the change by taking some key steps:

  • Optimise Instagram content for SEO, using relevant keywords and alt text;
  • Make sure hashtags are searchable and align with your brand;
  • Create imagery and copy that fit with your brand's keywords;
  • Create web pages to support Instagram content.

Roebuck also recommends that businesses audit their existing content and consider removing or updating anything that is no longer on-message. It's worth noting that removing content from search engines is much harder than deleting a post on Instagram. Once it has been indexed by a search engine, content is cached and stored. Businesses and brands that don't want to be indexed can opt out by going to Account Privacy in their Settings and selecting OFF on "Allow public photos and videos to appear in search engine results".

The likelihood is that with this update, Instagram posts and reels will increasingly feature in Google search results as more users interact with social media content online. Those businesses that use captions and sub-titles on their Instagram posts are also more likely to be found by Google.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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