The updated search now hunts through hashtags, users’ accounts, and general terms for those times you’d rather go browsing on the desktop rather than fiddling with your phone.

Instagram has long been a mobile first experience putting the web experience off to the wayside in favor of robust smartphone apps.

The changes are part of Instagram’s drive to improve its erstwhile, lacklustre web interface which faced wide criticism from many quarters.

Instagram’s website is still not as full-featured as the app as the Explore tab and the ability to post photos still only live in the app. But by adding search, the company is making it much easier to find posts. The application allows users to snap photos and share them with friends, as well as apply filters to add artistic flare.

In the background is Instagram’s new search engine, which the company has promised will “dramatically” improve the quality of the results it surfaces.

Aside from enabling simple search, can also look for images by exploring geotags and hashtags such as El Capitan and #Pluto.

“While Instagram.com is designed to be complementary to the mobile apps, it’s important to the global conversations that happen on Instagram”, an Instagram spokesperson said. “Instagram.com allows you to view Instagram content from anywhere, and brings the Web at large into the Instagram community”. Besides amping up search for the Web, today’s new feature will also build out the landing pages for locations and hashtags.