Ever heard of Instagram’s search engine? That’s right! SEO is not just about Google; Instagram has its own version of SEO. Just like Google, Instagram SEO aims to boost your content’s visibility and reach.
If you’re unsure about how to do SEO for Instagram, you’re in the right place. We’ll break it down for you. Let’s get started!
Looking for an all-in-one option to handle your Instagram optimization? Try AiGrow right now!
What is Instagram SEO, how does it work?
SEO and search engines are all about keywords. Instagram SEO refers to the techniques used to optimize your Instagram content to improve its visibility in search results and increase organic reach.
While Instagram is primarily a visual platform, SEO is important in helping your profile, posts, captions, and hashtags get discovered by users interested in your niche or industry.
Instagram has its own search engine and built-in search functions. When you’re in the Instagram search box, you can look up relevant accounts, Reels, audio, tags, and places.
Why is Instagram SEO important?
Instagram SEO is important for several reasons:
- More visibility: With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a highly competitive platform. Effective SEO strategies help your content stand out in the crowded feed and become discoverable by users interested in your niche.
- Engagement: When your content reaches the right audience, you’re more likely to receive likes, comments, shares, and follows, which can boost your profile’s authority.
- Reach a larger audience: Optimizing your content with relevant keywords and hashtags allows you to connect with a larger audience.
- Brand awareness: When users consistently come across your account in the Instagram search box, they become more familiar with your brand. This makes it easier to build trust and loyalty.
- Traffic generation: Instagram can be a valuable source of website traffic. By optimizing your profile and posts, you can drive users to your website, online store, or landing pages. This will increase conversions and sales over time.
How does Instagram rank search results?
The Instagram algorithm sorts out search results based on relevancy. So you’ll see the content, accounts, or hashtags that are most related to your interests. To rank the results, Instagram uses different information called signals. The most important signals include:
Your text in the search bar
Instagram pays the most attention to what you type in the search bar. They use this text to find the best matching accounts, bios, hashtags, places, and more for you.
Your activity
It’s worth noting that Instagram keeps track of all your activities on the platform. This includes the accounts or hashtags you follow, the posts you’ve viewed or liked, mutual connections, and all your interactions with others.
Popularity signals
When we talk about popularity signals, we’re referring to the count of your clicks, likes, shares, or follows. If you’ve interacted more with a particular account, hashtag, or place, it will have a higher ranking in your search results.
Best tactics to improve your Instagram SEO
There are various methods to optimize your Instagram account. Let’s dig into the most important ones:
#1. Optimize your username
Begin with your name and username. A top-notch SEO strategy for your Instagram bio involves incorporating keywords into both your bio and name.
For instance, if you’re passionate about travel, consider including keywords like “travel” or “traveler” in your username and name. By doing so, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. Look at what the Instagram search list shows when you search the word Travel:
Here are other basic tips:
- Make your profile public.
- Choose a high-quality and clear profile image.
#2. Optimize your Instagram bio
Creating a strong first impression requires extra focus on your bio, especially for business accounts. To optimize your Instagram bio for SEO, consider these tactics:
- Add location to your bio. We’ve already created a whole post on how to add location to an Instagram bio. But here’s the short version:
- Go to your profile and tap Edit Profile.
- Then, click on Contact Options and add your address.
- Use the relevant primary keywords you want to rank for. For example, if you’re a beauty blogger aiming to rank for the word “Skincare”, you can also add secondary keywords (make-up or cosmetics) to your bio.
- Highlight your unique selling point in your bio. Mentioning why people should follow you is a tricky Instagram SEO practice you can rely on.
- Don’t miss CTA in your bio because it can encourage your followers to take action.
- To apply SEO on Instagram bio, we also recommend using emojis to add personality, but don’t overdo it!
#3. Select primary and secondary keywords
A primary keyword is the most searched keyword on Instagram that is relevant to the content of your post. This keyword is used in various places like captions, hashtags, alt text, and profile bio to improve the discoverability of your post.
Imagine you’re running a fitness-related Instagram account, and you’re posting a photo of a healthy smoothie bowl. Your primary keyword in this case could be “healthy smoothie.”
But you’ll also need a secondary keyword. These are words or phrases that support and complement the primary keyword. Here, the secondary keywords could be “Smoothielove” or “Healthydiet”.
#4. Write optimized captions
Your captions matter a lot on your profile. So, it’s important to optimize them. Start by adding Instagram SEO keywords to your captions. Some other tips to create SEO captions for Instagram include:
- Whether you’re writing business Instagram captions or art captions, descriptive ones will work best.
- Don’t forget to add relevant and trending hashtags to your captions but don’t go overboard with them.
- Tag relevant accounts in your captions in order to increase your post’s reach. We’ve previously written about how to tag someone on Instagram.
- Include a call-to-action (CTA) in your caption. This could be liking the post, leaving a comment, sharing, or visiting your website.
- If possible, tag a location in your caption. This can attract local or location-specific audiences.
#5. Use hashtags strategically
If you want to show up in the top search results, you need to use hashtags for Instagram growth. But what are the characteristics of Instagram SEO hashtags?
- SEO-friendly hashtags are relevant to your niche and content.
- Use a combination of general and specific hashtags. For instance, if you’re a travel blogger, you can include broad ones like #Travel and specific ones like #SoloTravelTips.
- If your content is location-specific, add location-based hashtags.
- Yes, Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, but trust us, 3 to 5 per post would be enough.
- Stay updated with hashtags as popular hashtags change over time.
- Stay away from banned hashtags (See why Instagram hashtags not working).
Instagram SEO 2023 tip: Place hashtags in the caption not in the comments.
Want the best hashtags for SEO on Instagram? Try AiGrow’s free hashtag generator.
#6. Add Alt Text To Your Photos For Instagram SEO
Every picture on Pinterest and every webpage has a tag. When you add Alt text to your photos, you provide Instagram with additional information. This will help categorize your image and reach new users in their search results.
Adding an ALT tag is essential for your Instagram growth. The platform wants all its users worldwide to use Instagram, such as people with visual impairments.
Alt text also serves users with slow internet. If your followers have a weak connection, Alt text helps them understand your post’s content. To make the most out of alt text, consider these:
- Use the keywords in your alt-text.
- Write your own alt text instead of Instagram’s auto-generated one.
- Create descriptive Alt text that aligns with the context of your content.
- Limit your text to 2 or 3 sentences.
Here is a step-by-step on how to add Alt text to your post:
- Go to your profile and tap the (+) button to create a new post, then select your photo or video.
- Edit or apply any filters you want, and tap “Next.”
- Now, click on “Advanced Settings” and add Alt text.
- Finally, tap “Done.”
#7. Optimize Your Instagram Posts
We’ve talked about hashtags, captions, and alt text, all important components of an Instagram post. Yet, there are additional tips and tricks to create SEO posts on IG.
Post-high-Quality Photos
Instagram uses a technology called “image recognition” This technology can “scan” your photo to figure out what’s on it.
By doing this, IG is going to search automatically for new people to show your photo to. All you need to do is keep your photos clear, simple, and of good quality. This way, the technology will work in your favor.
Post at Optimal Times
Determine when your target audience is most active on Instagram and schedule your posts accordingly. Read what is the best time to post on Instagram.
Use stories and highlights
Make use of Instagram Stories and Highlights to showcase behind-the-scenes content, promotions, or quick updates. They appear at the top of your followers’ feeds.
Use Carousel Posts
Share multiple photos or videos in a single post using the carousel feature. It can tell a more comprehensive story and improve your Instagram SEO.
Experiment with videos
Instagram prioritizes video content. So, try Reels and IGTV to diversify your content.
#8. Track and analyze everything
Just like regular SEO efforts, it’s essential to measure the impact of your Instagram optimization. If you have a business or creator profile and want an Instagram SEO tool for free, Instagram built-in analytics for post insights, reach, impressions, and audience sources will work.
However, these features don’t track the long-term impact of your Instagram SEO strategy. That’s where third-party Instagram SEO checkers like AiGrow come in.
How does AiGrow boost your Instagram SEO?
AiGrow is an all-in-one Instagram marketing tool for finding keywords, creating content, generating relevant hashtags, and managing your optimization activities.
In addition to providing powerful and detailed analytics of your account’s performance, we create SEO-friendly posts and Stories for you (PostMate service).
Whether it’s a captivating caption or a high-quality and appealing feed design, your dedicated account manager will create it for you.
Our promise? A 14-day money-back guarantee, and you can cancel anytime if you’re not happy with your service. Grab this opportunity and Sign up For Free Now!
#9. Avoid Black Hat SEO Instagram Techniques
Since Instagram changed its algorithm, the possibility of getting shadowbanned is higher. Shadowbanning is the act of blocking a user’s content on social media sites.
If you’re shadowbanned on Instagram, your content won’t appear on anyone’s feed unless they already follow you.
For your Instagram account to get on Instagram explore and not be shadowbanned, you need to avoid the following common mistakes:
- Don’t buy followers.
- Prevent all kinds of bots.
- Don’t follow or like too many accounts at the same time.
- Don’t steal content.
#10. Increase Your Instagram Traffic
While page ranks are essential to SEO, it’s not the only purpose. Utilizing links to your Instagram account, such as a website or Twitter and any social media platform, is a massive win.
How to drive more traffic to your Instagram?
- Add a link to your Instagram Bio.
- Add links to your Instagram stories.
- Use the swipe-up feature ( if you have more than 10,000 followers. )
- Add links to Instagram Direct Messages.
- Try to add links to your IGTV description.
- Leverage the capabilities of a QR code generator to effortlessly create QR codes, which can be strategically employed to drive traffic from various sources like physical stores, packaging, and more.
These actions are enough to bring you high visibility on Instagram and may also cause your page/content to appear on Google as well. But if you are looking to do things perfectly, you can rely on trusted tools like AiGrow.
There are also companies such as Digichefs which is an SEO agency in Mumbai, with many happy customers that guarantee a good placement on the first page of Google.
More SEO tips for Instagram
Apart from what we’ve talked about already, there are more handy tips to boost SEO on Instagram.
- Treat your Instagram hashtags as your main keywords.
- Take advantage of Instagram giveaways to engage your followers.
- Be authentic and natural.
- Engage with top accounts in your niche.
- Follow Instagram community guidelines.
- Apply for Instagram Meta verified.
FAQs
Let’s take a look at the most frequent questions about this topic.
Q1. What does SEO mean on Instagram?
SEO on Instagram stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” It refers to techniques and strategies used to improve the discoverability and visibility of your content on the platform’s search and explore features.
This involves optimizing your profile, captions, hashtags, and alt text to ensure that your posts reach a broader audience interested in your niche or topic.
Q2. What is the SEO for Instagram Reels?
Reels are the most popular feature on Instagram. To increase your Reels visibility, consider these tips:
- Use popular and trending music in your Reels. Trending songs can make your content more discoverable as they often appear in the music’s dedicated section.
- Keep it Short and Sweet: Reels have a maximum duration of 60 seconds. Try to keep your content concise and engaging to hold viewers’ attention.
- Leverage Trends: Participate in trending challenges and use relevant hashtags to increase your content’s visibility.
- Engage Quickly: Capture viewers’ attention within the first few seconds. Start with an intriguing clip or hook to encourage users to watch the entire Reel.
- Use Effects and Filters: Instagram provides various effects and filters. Experiment with these to add creativity to your Reels and make them stand out.
- Cross-Promote: Share your Reels on your feed and in Stories to reach your existing followers and encourage more engagement.
- Engage with Comments: Respond to comments on your Reels. Engagement can boost the visibility of your content.
Q3. Are hashtags good for Instagram SEO?
Yes, hashtags are beneficial for Instagram optimization. They categorize and make your content discoverable to a wider audience. When used strategically with relevant keywords, hashtags can improve your post’s visibility and engagement. However, it’s important to choose appropriate and trending hashtags to maximize their effectiveness.
Q4. How can I find the best keyword for my Instagram?
Finding the right keyword for your Instagram content involves understanding your niche and audience. While there’s no Instagram keyword tool like the ones for Google, you can follow these SEO techniques.
- Identify Your Niche: Determine the main theme or focus of your Instagram content.
- Research Competitors: Look at similar accounts or profiles in your niche. Analyze the keywords they use in their captions, hashtags, and alt text.
- Use Instagram Search: Start typing relevant keywords in the Instagram search bar. Instagram will suggest related keywords, which can be excellent starting points.
- Explore Hashtags: Use hashtag research tools (like AiGrow) or Instagram’s search to discover popular and trending hashtags in your niche.
- Audience Insights: Consider what terms your target audience might be searching for. Address their pain points or interests.
- Experiment and Analyze: Try different keywords in your posts and monitor their performance using Instagram Insights. Adjust your strategy based on what works best.
