SEO for Instagram: A Guide to Increase Business Visibility

Instagram is one of the social media platforms that provides an opportunity to connect its users with audiences from various backgrounds. The existence of this platform also has a positive impact on digital marketing activities, which are driven by the implementation of SEO for Instagram.

As is the case with website optimization activities, the implementation of the Instagram SEO strategy also has the same basis. Basically, SEO practices on Instagram are aimed at increasing the visibility of accounts, whether they are personal or business.

Even so, Instagram has its own characteristics that distinguish it from search engines and their SERP system. As a result, in order to apply the best optimization strategy, you must first understand how social media works. For more information, you can check out the following guide.

What is SEO for Instagram?

SEO for Instagram is a content optimization strategy on Instagram with the aim of increasing profile rankings in search results. That way, more and more audiences can find your account and start to be interested in the content displayed.

SEO strategies on Instagram aim to increase the visibility of your profile to make it easier for audiences who are interested in your content niche to find it. In this case, both personal and business accounts on this social media platform can implement such a strategy.

Generally, SEO for Instagram is carried out as part of digital marketing activities by business people. Both small businesses and large companies can apply optimization methods on Instagram and get the same benefits, such as increasing brand awareness, engagement rate, and number of followers.

It can be said that follower and engagement numbers are two important elements in measuring the effectiveness of activity on Instagram. Both are metrics that assess the effectiveness of the optimization strategy used to track the progress of your Instagram profile.

The Importance of SEO for Instagram

Instagram's SEO  is primarily aimed at customizing content and arranging it to appear in various places for Instagram searches, including in feeds and explore pages. This is an important tactic to increase your profile's discoverability.

The more audiences find your content, the greater the opportunity to attract potential consumers. Every piece of content on your profile will be processed by the Instagram algorithm, which will determine which posts should appear in the feed or be explored by audiences who are interested in that niche.

Even though the Instagram algorithm has a big hand in curating content for your audience, you can still show content specifically to your target audience. Here, the role of Instagram SEO is needed.

Ranking Factors on Instagram

Before knowing what Instagram SEO tips you can apply, get to know some of the ranking factors first. Just like website SEO, the optimization system on Instagram is also inseparable from metrics that affect ranking or profile visibility on the Explore page.

There are three important metrics that you need to know when implementing SEO for Instagram, namely:

Relevance in Search Queries

The algorithm will match search queries with content that is most relevant to the search topic. As a result, you must optimize every aspect of your Instagram account, including your profile and the content you display. 

User Activities

Instagram doesn't work like a search engine. This social media algorithm focuses on user interests or preferences. Therefore, it is user activity itself that determines content recommendations on search results pages and feeds.

Information Related to Search Results

Like SEO on the website, Instagram also has several metrics that need attention. If search engines review website performance improvements based on organic traffic and the quality of articles that are SEO friendly, then Instagram gives an assessment based on the number of likes, shares, and followers.

7 Tips for Implementing SEO for Instagram

In short, Instagram SEO serves the same purpose as other types of digital platform optimization. However, the metrics used are slightly different from e-commerce SEO practices or Pinterest SEO.

Basically, optimization activities on Instagram need to be adjusted to the algorithm. Therefore, several crucial things need to be done in optimization activities to display your profile and content in the top searches.

Optimization on Instagram generally revolves around the content. As a result, the use of keywords is crucial in Instagram SEO activities. Given the importance of keywords in this case, you should also spend some time doing keyword research before implementing the SEO strategy on Instagram.

Use Keywords in Captions

After collecting a list of keywords that match your Instagram profile niche, use these important words or phrases in the content caption. In other words, you need to insert relevant keywords so that they increase the visibility of your content and profile on the search page or when you explore Instagram.

The thing that needs to be noted in this case is the planning of content production according to the keywords that have been agreed upon by the marketing team. In this stage, you need to create a content publishing schedule. So that this activity goes according to plan, you can use the content calendar to neatly organize all activities related to content production.

Add Keywords on Instagram Profile

Apart from inserting keywords in content captions, you also need to add them to your Instagram profile. This is important to increase account visibility on the Explore page. Make sure the keywords you choose accurately describe the brand's image.

For example, you can add the keyword "bakery" behind the shop name. That way, Instagram users and algorithms will easily recognize the products you offer.

Provide Relevant Hashtags

To help display your content on search or explore pages, you can provide relevant hashtags in the caption. Generally, hashtags are used for specific purposes. Using hashtags can help you monitor how much engagement your audience has.

The hashtag system can help you promote new content or products. However, it is preferable to do careful planning before implementing it in the caption; otherwise, it will be useless.

Optimize the Use of Tags and Mentions

Instagram has a tag and mention feature that you can use to build connections with brands or other businesses. In this way, your content will be easily found by potential consumers.

Apart from tags and mentions of other brands, Anad can also use location tags to provide information regarding certain events to the audience. This location tag can also make your content and profile appear on the Explore page so that you can search for events in that area.

Write Alt Text in Post

As is the case with image SEO, the use of alt text is also important for optimizing content on Instagram. With alt text, your content is more easily recognized by algorithms without requiring image analysis first.

The alt text contains a description of the image you uploaded. Therefore, make sure to write text according to what is in the image by clicking Advanced Settings and selecting Write Alt Text.

Show Brand Image Consistently

One way to optimize Instagram is to show a consistent brand image. In this case, you need to display content with topics that are related to one another.

The more aligned the content displayed on your account is, the more your account will be recognized by the Instagram algorithm. In addition to interconnected and relevant content, it is important to use keywords that are consistent with your business niche.

Do Monitoring with the Insights Feature

SEO practices must be carried out on a regular and periodic basis.For this reason, monitoring is an important thing to implement after carrying out optimization activities. You can use the insights feature on Instagram to see how much your reach, likes, comments, and followers have increased.

That concludes our guide on Instagram SEO and optimization tips for your business. In order for the optimization process to run effectively, you can use SEO services to get recommendations for professional optimization practices.