Instagram SEO is a simple way for brands to achieve greater reach. This is how savvy digital marketeers take advantage of its SEO rules to organically grow a business.
Instagram SEO is essential to businesses around the world for a couple of fundamental reasons. First, Instagram is based on storytelling, which has great value for consumers. Users need to create an emotional connection with the brand to feel like knowing more about their products and, eventually, buying them.
Second, it is a great way to reach a target audience fast. Instagram has more than 700 million active users, making it the social media app with the highest engagement rate. More than 400 million users publish and watch stories every day.
Users see this app as a quick way to feel inspired by new visual content (e.g., photos, videos, reels) as well as interesting products and services they can buy.
SEO (search engine optimization) tools are coming to Instagram, granting businesses a new way to optimize their business account. Potentially, this new feature could mean higher reach and interaction. As brands setup their efforts 2021, these are the most relevant techniques to take into consideration.
Instagram SEO is self-contained
Instagram has an independent search engine, so you must work on the main keywords within the app to assure a good ranking for your business.
Therefore, if a brand is related to "Manicure" products or services, then one thing to consider would be to include the main keyword in the Instagram handle or @Username.
If "Nail polish" and "Vegan nail polish" are secondary keywords, these search terms should be included on the second most important part of an account’s profile: the Bio section.
Instagram SEO does not requires hashtags, but it helps
Having at least one hashtag increases the probability of engagement. However, having more than 30 hashtags brings a post down in the search list. So, prefer a number of hashtags between 1 to 10 hashtags, depending on the variety of keywords that are relevant to your brand.
Defining secondary keywords to a business is an important part of SEO strategy, as these also must be placed as hashtags. On Instagram, 90% of brands are found by hashtags, which include services and products that a niche market is looking for on the app.
Using too global keywords as frequent hashtags, like #beauty (with over 400 million associated publications) is not as helpful. Brands should choose more descriptive words about the product or service they have to offer, for example: #sustainablebeauty #sustainablecommunity #vegancosmetics.
Reinforce Instagram SEO with Alt Text
Alt Text is a recent feature of the app that allows brands to write customized alternative text, to increase content reach by its more detailed photo and video descriptions.
This option was created to help visual impaired users have a better experience (these users can hear the Alt text of the photo or video through the screen reader), but it can also be used as an SEO strategy.
Alt text editing must be done before the post is published, clicking on the bottom of the “Advanced Settings” page. In the section “Accessibility” there is the option “Write Alt Text”. Just click and edit this text box.
Over the years, we have helped businesses make the most of their Instagram accounts. Get in touch with one of our Growth Specialists to learn how.