When it comes to growing your Instagram account, Search Engine Optimization aka SEO, allows you to improve your content’s ranking in order to be discovered in search results.
It is a highly essential aspect of marketing that can help you tailor your content to make your brand search-friendly and enables you to build a strong online community.
So how does it really work?
Instagram’s algorithm works by processing content on the app and gathering the right information, in order for a post or profile to be discovered by those who will take an interest.
The Instagram posts you see on your feed and explore page are based on a number of factors, including:
- Accounts that you follow
- Posts that you like
- Accounts you tag
- Posts you also comment on
How is it a game-changer?
There are over 1 billion users on Instagram that are active monthly. From the explore page to reaching certain accounts, SEO plays a significant role in improving your discoverability – further allowing your brand to tap into a targeted audience.
It is also an effective opportunity to drive high-quality traffic to your profile, even on users suggested accounts. Meaning, that those people may not necessarily follow your account but will still be able to see a display of posts.
According to Instagram, these may be related to posts you ‘interact with, save or like’.
SEO marketing also prevents you from spending a large amount of costs on ads to generate traffic, as it improves your rank on the Instagram search functions.
#1: Handle username & account name
One of the first things people will notice on your account is your name. Many will simply just provide the name of their business with no relevant context.
It is highly important to make use of keywords (yes, even in your username and profile name), as they are both ‘searchable’ on the app.
If you are looking to higher your visibility ranking, find a niche keyword that fits the nature of your business.
For example, if you run your own beauty magazine, it could be ‘Essence magazine’. Take a look at Vogue below.
#2: Your personal Bio
Another mistake people tend to make is using a bunch of irrelevant things in their Bio on Instagram and not making use of relevant keywords for that section.
Think of your Bio as an equivalent of the meta description on your homepage of a website domain.
Instagram actually allows you to use hashtags and tag accounts in your bio which are both strategies to improve your search ranking.
You can always use the same keyword that you may mention in your username handle, let’s take the example of ‘magazine’ from above. However, it is encouraged additional keyword phrases that are relevant to your business in the Bio section.
Example being: ‘Female beauty & skincare magazine’. Australian self-tanning brand Bondi Sands illustrates this really well on their Instagram seen below.
#3: Not using Hashtags
Instagram hashtags are short words used to help categorize posts and profiles on the app.
Many accounts shy away from utilizing this, but if used correctly, your content can be visible as users of the app tend to use hashtags as a form of ‘search query’.
Don’t be broad with what you hashtag, instead, make things tailored to what your post is either displaying or informing your intended audience.
Additionally, hashtags allow you to tap into an audience that does not follow your account but instead follows a specific hashtag!
In the circumstance of the beauty magazine example, appropriate hashtags would be:
#beautymagazine, #beautytips, #skincaretips, #benefitsofcollegen, #acneremedies.
Detailed below is an example of a post based on skincare brand Cerave by one user & how she uses hashtags.
#4: Forgetting to use Location & Mention tags
Location Tags help you to attract a wider audience from different countries/cities. Under the “Places” tab, people can find content tagged using the specific geotag for that location.
If your business is based in a particular place, it is crucial to widen your reach by using Location Tags in your posts.
Users of the app may be looking for a service or brand in a particular city and will therefore search that location, presenting with the various tagged posts that come up within that geographical location and enables users to engage and interact with your post.
Instagram also considers proximity when providing users with search results. That means when someone searches for a “Makeup Artist” in the search bar, it will firstly present them with the places that are closest in distance. This allows your brand to display your content in searches conducted by users located nearby.
On the other hand, User Mentions are tagging usernames in conjunction with the ‘@’ sign.
These can be tagged on your profile, caption, comments or stories and users that are mentioned will then be notified.
Every time that someone mentions you in a post or in their bio, or if someone in turn mentions you – Instagram’s algorithm will consider this as a ‘link’ between profiles and allows the app to further determine the specific type of content you typically engage with or post.
So there you have it, our top mistakes to avoid and the best ways to improve and leverage on SEO marketing in the world of Instagram.
Whether you’re looking to grown your brand and market it to the right people, or you’re looking to build your following as a content creator and influencer, SEO is an imperative part of your social media tool-kit.
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