David Bridges
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has talked about how crucial Instagram Search is to your Instagram content. Amount of followers and interaction were important factors in determining who sees your Instagram material, so we can now move search up the list of tools to use in your social media strategy for Instagram.
When you search Google you get a set of results related to the terms you searched for. This is similar to the content that will be returned to you on Instagram. If your content is about a user’s search term, the Instagram Interests Search page can include your content on that page when searched.
Here’s a quick rundown of steps you can take to level up your Instagram Search game for your profile, as a to-do list of tools and tactics:
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Optimize your username to include the biggest and best search term people will use to find content like yours.
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Make sure your bio includes a few of the most searched for terms for your content. Don’t overdo this, 2-3 terms is a good start.
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Include plenty of search terms in your caption content. Don’t overdo this either, spamming keywords is likely to have a negative effect.
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Optimize your hashtags with search terms in mind, and include those hash tags in your post (not the comments)
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If your business is based out of a physical location, and that’s relevant to the way you do business, include your location in your content. Geotag your photos & videos to include GPS-based location data
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Add keywords as Alt Text in your images
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Add 1-3 hashtags to to your Instagram Stories
Instagram always prioritizes new features when they roll them out, so getting on Instagram Search as fast you can is to your advantage.
You can increase your instagram reach by making Instagram Reels, posting original content and not using repost tools from TikTok or there apps
Instagram reels have also been tapped as the new big priority for Instagram, to compete with TikTok and YouTube shorts. Pretty much all of the major social media platforms offer some kind of short form 9×16 video content now. It’s quickly consumable, short attention span content for when you want to be entertained but not engage in long form content.
Instagram Search, then, will offer more Reels content than in the past. You should also include keywords in your caption. Don’t overlook the caption and Reels, this is where the findability comes from. I’t not just about likes and views count.
The same strategy applies to Instagram Stories, think of ways you can create add a little text to your Stories, and a hashtag or two helps as well.
Here are the other Instagram updates that are soon to be rolling out on the app:
- The full-screen feed design has been turned off based on feedback from users
- They’ve dialed back new content recommendations in the feed with less new content and filled more of profiles you know and like
- In the “Following” vs “Favorites” option for your feed, the “Following option is a chronological feed
Tessa Everly
