What is SEO for Instagram?

What is SEO for Instagram?

Prior to this time, you could only search for companies or people on Instagram using hashtags and user accounts.

But in addition to hashtags and user accounts, Instagram has added another feature that allows users to search based on interests.

Instagram SEO refers to the practice of making your account and content on Instagram more search engine-friendly.

If your account and content are properly optimized, they will show up at the top of the search results when someone types in a keyword that is related to what you have to offer on Instagram.

Five Instagram SEO techniques to expand your audience

It all comes down to what you post, what your material is about, and how you handle Instagram as a business when it comes to how to enhance your Instagram SEO, especially with the "search by interest tool."

1. Make your Instagram profile search engine friendly.

It is crucial to optimize your Instagram profile for search because, similar to Google, when users search for a specific term on Instagram, Instagram searches through millions of profiles to locate the keyword that best matches their search. Therefore, any Instagram account that uses that phrase will appear in the search results. Therefore, your Instagram profile, also known as your Instagram Bio, is the perfect spot to include pertinent keywords and search terms. Additionally, Instagram SEO starts with your Instagram handle, so be sure to select a name for your profile that is pertinent to what you have to offer. As you can see in the image below, all of the accounts that showed up in the top search results for the term "marketing" include the term "marketing" either in their Instagram profile name, handle, or bio.

Always make sure that your Instagram handle and profile contain keywords that are pertinent to what you have to offer, as this will increase the likelihood that people will find your company.

2. Fill out your caption with pertinent keywords.

Writing pertinent and evocative captions can improve the exposure of your material on Instagram, particularly on the Explore page. This is so because Instagram's algorithm for its explore tab learns from user behavior on the app, such as which accounts users follow and which posts they like or comment on, to determine what content interests them. This is the reason why each Instagram user's explore page is absolutely unique from the others: it is customized to their interests.

In order to choose what information to show on the explore tab, Instagram uses machine learning. Instead of showing individual posts, it concentrates on the most relevant accounts based on user preferences. For instance, Instagram may deliver information from accounts that frequently post about marketing if you indicate an interest in "Marketing."   How does Instagram choose accounts that publish marketing-related content? To find accounts with comparable material, they employ machine learning. This suggests that while some of the keywords are generated from an account's name, username, and profile, others are derived from your post description, Instagram examines keywords on accounts to determine how relevant they are to one another. Instagram will recognize when you write captions that are descriptive of your company and put you in a group with other accounts that are like yours. You may improve your chances of showing up on the Explore page of individuals who have previously indicated an interest in themes connected to those keywords by including pertinent, illustrative keywords in your Instagram captions.

3. Make use of hashtags related to your goods or services.

One of the easiest strategies to get new followers on Instagram is to use hashtags that are pertinent to the material you offer. Increased interaction, followers, and clients for businesses may result from this. Use hashtags that are pertinent to your content or what you have to offer while using them. Use hashtags that are well-known in your industry, and look for hashtags that your target market or companies offering products similar to what you do are using. This will increase your discoverability and make it simpler for consumers to learn about your company.  Additionally, you should never use more than three to five hashtags in a post. Never forget that a hashtag is a tool that helps deliver your information to individuals who are interested in a specific topic and offers context for your post. Therefore, your content and the responses it receives may have a greater impact on distribution than hashtags.

4. Use alternative text for your photos.

Instagram uses the same alt text as websites do for its pages.

An image or video can be described using this new Instagram function.

It enables you to create personalized alternative text so you can give your images or movies a thorough description.

Although it can be used for SEO, this function was primarily created for visually impaired Instagram users. Instagram automatically generates a substitute so users of screen readers can hear photo descriptions.

As users scroll through the app, the alt text automatically creates a description for each image using object recognition technology.

The substance of your photo is described in the alt text, which helps Instagram's algorithm and search results better grasp what is in your content and determine whether it is relevant for a given search.

Because of this, it's crucial to add an alt text whenever you submit a picture or a video to Instagram. Otherwise, Instagram may automatically construct one for you, and occasionally, this alt text may not be appropriate for your picture or video.

5. Maintain an excellent account.

Instagram has community standards, and Instagram search results are based on these standards.

Your account will show up lower in search results or not at all if it violates these rules.

Make sure your material always complies with Instagram's community guidelines.

Conclusion

Always make sure that your bio, description, and captions contain relevant keywords. However, make sure the most significant ones are near the top of your captions. You can employ them naturally in your phrases.

Don't overlook hashtags either. Yes, new innovation is allowing for more keyword usage on Instagram, but hashtags continue to play a significant role in Instagram SEO. Use relevant terms frequently that your client base is connecting with.