Rashida
Most brands and marketers understand the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for their website (don’t worry, we’ll offer a quick refresher shortly).
To have any chance at your website showing up for relevant keywords on Google and other search engines, you have to have a sound SEO strategy. By this point, the majority of companies understand the value of using SEO to target ranking factors for search engines. They either perform SEO themselves or turn to an expert for help.
Great, right? Your website has a great Search Engine Optimization strategy in place so you’re all good.
Well…not quite.
There’s a good chance you also know how valuable social media marketing is for reaching and engaging your audience, and up until now, Instagram has only allowed you to search based on hashtags and people.
Instagram recently announced a new change that will make Search Engine Optimization crucial for the success of your social media marketing.
Read on to find out more about how SEO will impact Instagram and what you can do about it.
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Before diving into Instagram’s big change, it’s worth reviewing SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a proven set of strategies that work to improve ranking factors.
If you sell dog food, you want your website to show up as one of the first results on Google and other search engines when people search for things like “dog foods,” “healthy dog food,” “what’s the best dog food,” etc.
Without a dedicated strategy, it will be pretty hard to beat out all of the other dog food brands on search engines. SEO is about upping your ranking factors to help you climb the search rankings for relevant keywords.
There are many components to SEO, but the overall strategy includes:
- Meta tags
- Link building
- Title tags
- Keyword research
- Site mapping
- Website design/functionality
- Copywriting
- Competitor analysis
- And more
There’s a good chance you already have someone on top of SEO for your website, which is great! But soon, traditional search engines won’t be the only place SEO matters.
Instagram’s Announcement for Keyword Search
Imagine you want to look for dog food, but this time on Instagram. Previously, you could type in “dog food” but Instagram would limit results based on hashtags, profiles, and locations. This could help someone find a brand if “dog food” was in their title, but it didn’t allow them to see the posts about dog food unless the post had #dogfood.
In November 2020, Instagram announced a pretty big change. They introduced the beta version of Keyword Search. Keyword Search allows people to search for content on Instagram using keywords, rather than just hashtags.
Keyword Search is live, but only for limited countries and certain keywords. According to Instagram, Keyword Search will only be offered for general interest topics and words within community guidelines.
Ranking Factors for Instagram’s Keyword Search
Much like any search engine, Instagram does not share its exact algorithm for determining which results it shows for a keyword. They rely on several ranking factors that are likely to evolve as the feature does. What they did state is that some of the factors include:
- Posting date
- Type of content
- Captions
- Content that is relevant to the user
Why The Change?
The Keyword Search is a pretty big change for Instagram, so why are they doing it? Well, frankly, finding content on Instagram has been limited and frustrating for users in the past. While the feature is still limited right now, it still makes it much easier for users to find the content they are interested in.
Another consideration is competition. Instagram is facing heavy competition from TikTok. They’ve made several changes in the past year (like the introduction of Reels) to compete with TikTok. Making it easier for users to find posts they are interested in is to their benefit.
How Will Keyword Search Affect Brands and Creators?
I bet I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, great. Another thing to worry about.”
It’s understandable. Navigating SEO for a website and tackling social media marketing is already difficult enough.
While it may sound daunting, the good news is that Keyword Search on Instagram is, well, good news. It not only helps users find the content they are interested in, but it also helps brands and creators get discovered.
Keyword Search gives brands another opportunity to get their content discovered. Brands that can optimize Instagram posts for relevant keywords are more likely to appear in the search results.
How to Prepare for SEO on Instagram
Keyword Search provides brands with another opportunity to get discovered, but only if brands properly leverage SEO. it may seem a little strange, but SEO is definitely coming to Instagram and you want to be ready.
Understand the Feature (and its Limitations)
Before you dive headfirst into an Instagram SEO strategy, you need to first understand where the feature is starting. Right now, search only allows for a limited number of keywords. Think basic. If you search for a simple word, Instagram provides recommendations, which are other ideas for related keywords you could use.
Additionally, Keyword Search only applies to grid posts for the time being. You cannot use it to search Reels or Stories.
Start with Your Profile
Instagram looks for accounts that contain the keywords being searched. To start with, optimize your profile by doing the following:
- Incorporate the keyword into your name and username (when possible).
- Include keywords into your bio.
- Add clickable hashtags to your bio.
Strong Caption Game
Writing descriptive captions will help you increase the chances of appearing on the Explore page, especially with the Keyword Search. Instagram examines the keywords of accounts to determine how related they are, and this is important because they curate results based on an individual’s interest.
Some keywords come from your captions. Write captions that describe your business and industry for a better chance of showing up for relevant results.
Write Alt Text
Alt text allows you to create richer post descriptions. The feature was primarily designed to assist users with visual impairments, but it can also help your Instagram SEO. Instagram automatically created alt text for screen readers, but you can also write a custom alt text. To do this:
- Click “Advanced Settings” on the photo before posting.
- Under “Accessibility,” select “Write Alt Text.”
- Add your alt text to the box, and press “Done.”
Measure and Analyze
Like any good ole SEO strategy, you’ll need to track your progress. Examine your Instagram analytics to gain insights about your reach, your followers, etc. To do this, you’ll need a business profile or creator account. Then, you can check your Post insights. Track data for various posts so you can figure out what works best for your brand.
Stay Up to Date
The Instagram Keyword Search is a brand new feature that’s not even fully rolled out. Right now, it’s very limited, but just think about Google when it first started…
Chances are, there is a lot to come for the future of this tool. To ensure you are ready for Instagram SEO, stay up to date with the Keyword Search and other tools. Over time, more people will learn the ins and outs of Instagram SEO, and Instagram will expand the tool as is necessary. Staying in the know will help your brand create an agile strategy for Instagram SEO.
Are your Instagram posts ready for SEO on Instagram? Now is the time to get ready. Begin building your Instagram SEO today using the tips above. Continue to leverage hashtags, quality content, and interactions to get your profile in front of your target audience, but also prepare for the new wave of Instagram SEO.
