What is Instagram SEO and why do sing keywords even matter? If you’re trying to grow or increase your brand awareness on Instagram then this article is for you!
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation – it is a type of strategy to get in front of more people’s eyeballs (in short and simple terms). You’re using search engines to your advantage to hopefully rank higher in search results.
Step 1 – knowing what your niches’ keywords are
But what are keywords? (We are really simplifying everything for you here).
Keywords are ideas and topics that define what your content is about. In terms of SEO, they’re the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called “search queries.” Basically, keywords are words or phrases your ideal audience is typing into other search engines like YouTube, Google, Pinterest, etc.
If you’re a fashion influencer, for example, you may find that your audience will be typing in words or phrases like fashion week, fashion tips, how to style yourself at home, sustainable fashion, etc. You would then make content around those keywords so that in the future, your content will appear first in search.
Use real search engines to figure out your keywords. If you go onto Google right now or Pinterest and type in your niche keyword, all of those results that will appear will appear down below are the most popular searched keywords. Therefore, you should probably create content around that!
Now, for Instagram Reels, do this right now. Type in your niche into the search engine Google, see what comes up and write it down. Share this article on Twitter or Linkedin and tell us which keywords you chose to create content on.
Now that you know what keywords to focus on, you will want to start integrating them into your Instagram page. There are six places you can utilise the power of SEO to your advantage.
- Username
- Nameplate
- Bio
- Hashtags
- Captions
- Alt text
Pick a username that is relevant to your niche or brand or use your own name if you’re the face of the brand! Travel influencers for example will use @travelwithitplive or fashion influencers would use @stylewithitplive. That is one way that you can adapt your username to include your keyword.
Having the keyword in your nameplate (tagline) and bio will also help to optimise the search. Putting the keywords here will help users find you easier. Ask yourself what do you want to be known as? Once you have the answer, start to use these keywords throughout your profile and firstly, in your tagline.
If you want to be found by brands, then using your niche keyword in your bio will help them to find you. If you’re a fashion influencer then simply use the word fashion in your bio. Although this sounds very basic, don’t skip the basics! These are the roots you need to grow your platform and you should really begin to see a change in traction by doing these simple steps.
The next is hashtags – we have a whole article on how to use Instagram Hashtags if you’re using them in the right way: Are you using the wrong Instagram hashtags in 2022? (itp.live)
However, a tip would be to use hashtag keywords in your posts. If the keywords and key phrases are Instagram tips then the hashtag would be #instagramtips.
Using keywords in your captions can increase your posts alone. Make your captions have a meaning rather than just putting a quote from a book. You will start ranking on SEO without even using the keyword in hashtags and just by putting it into your caption.
Finally, we have Alt text. The business insider describes Alt text to be the description that identifies the content of an image and allows screen readers to describe your photos to blind or visually impaired users. Instagram uses object recognition technology to automatically describe your post to visually impaired users. This ORT is also used to categorise your profile and posts. You can use your Alt text to produce stronger keywords than Instagram might use. To find Alt text, click on advanced settings on the posts and you will be able to input in your keywords – get creative!
If you found this article helpful then let us know by tweeting us @itpliveme.
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