Did you know you can optimize your content on Instagram to be SEO friendly? Technically, since Instagram does have a maturing search option you’ll start to find that we can do more and more things with Instagram search. Let’s explore this idea quickly below.

What is Instagram SEO?

Instagram SEO or SEO or Instagram however you want to phrase is essentially search engine optimization for the social networks “search function”. Although search may not seem like a huge aspect, Instagram search, is one of the few mechanisms on Instagram that allows for discoverability. In short, Instagram SEO means optimizing your account for discovery. Below I’ve included an image of the different types of results that appear in Instagram search, though keep in mind these are not the only types of results that will appear in search other types of results include: geotag results, location results, and, handle results. In the future, I’m sure Instagram will be adding more advanced search features as other apps are already creating functionality to search posts and comments on Instagram.

Optimize Instagram Captions in 3 Easy Steps

Now that you understand what Instagram SEO is in general let’s walk through the 3 ways you can optimize your captions for the best possible reach on Instagram.

Step 1 – Reverse Engineer Hashtag Research

Reverse engineer hashtags by researching hashtags used by accounts on the explore and hashtag results page. You want to make this a routine to ensure that you are constantly using a fresh set of hashtags every week. It’s a great idea to hire a social media caption writer or use a hashtag research app to do the hashtag research for you. The process is not overly complex but it does take strategy, a bit of knowledge, and some elbow grease.

Step 2 – Use keywords and keyword phrases in your captions

Take note, this does not mean stuff your post with irrelevant keywords it simply means if you post an image of your product for example it may be a shower gel or a bath bomb include those keyword phrases in your caption content.

Step 3 – Leverage Alt Text

Accessibility is the cornerstone of every good optimization process. On Instagram and now every other conscious social media platform Alt text for your images is an option. Alt text means alternative text in other words the text that is referred to in lieu of the image. Alternative text can be read by algorithms or robots as well. Which means in the moving forward adding alternative text to every post is essential.

To add Alt text to your Instagram post tap on advanced settings when creating a new post then under accessibility tap “Write Alt Text”. Input a descriptive keyword-focused alt text. The text should reflect the image.

Now that you understand how SEO for Instagram works all you have to do is start following the 3 steps above. Let us know if you have any questions.