Get Your Instagram SEO To Rank Higher in 2021

Instagram SEO is the process of optimizing your content in order to rank your profile higher in the Instagram search results. And though it may not have the same appeal as live streams or carousel ads, it’s as worthy of your time as anything else.

Why is Instagram SEO important?

Instagram SEO is important because it enables you to connect with people who are actively searching for content related to your business.

This means that each time a user types in a keyword that’s related to your business, you have an opportunity to make a positive impression and drive high-quality traffic to your profile (and your website). Instagram SEO is the key to capitalizing on these opportunities — the key to engaging prospective customers who are more likely than others to convert.

Keep in mind that searching for specific keywords is only one of several ways that users discover new businesses. Instagram ads drive discovery, and the Explore tab does, too. Instagram SEO, in other words, is not the be-all and end-all.

4 tips to help you succeed with Instagram SEO

1. Identify and prioritize your keywords
You can use regular keyword research tools to come up with Instagram keywords. There are 2 types of Keywords and it is important to know the difference:

• Head terms (e.g., gardening) are searched frequently, and they typically indicate low commercial intent in the mind of the user.
• Long-tail keywords (e.g., gardening ideas) are searched infrequently, and they typically indicate high commercial intent in the mind of the user.

2. Establish KPIs to measure impact

To set yourself up for success, make sure to establish a few key performance indicators (KPIs). With Instagram Insights — the native analytics tool that comes with your business profile — you can track KPIs such as these (both at the profile level and the individual post level):

• Impressions
• Reach
• Profile visits
• Followers
• Website clicks

3. Optimize your profile (username & bio)

It’s time to optimize both your profile as a whole and your individual posts. Let’s start with your profile as a whole. So let’s optimize your username and your bio. Your username and your bio are the heavy hitters; optimizing these two assets can make a huge impact.

Your username is straightforward: You need to incorporate the keyword you consider most valuable. What if you already have a well-established business name — one that doesn’t include your primary target keyword? Fortunately, Instagram allows you to differentiate between your business name and your username

Optimizing your Instagram bio is equally straightforward: This is your opportunity to target any high-value keywords that didn’t quite make the cut for your username.

4. Optimize your individual posts (captions, hashtags)

When you’re optimizing an individual post, you should:

• Use the main body of the caption to target a specific high-value keyword
• Use hashtags to reinforce that keyword and target ancillary keywords

The more descriptive you are in your caption, the better optimized your post is for Instagram SEO. While the algorithm really only supports general terms right now, there’s no doubt in our minds that it will become more and more advanced over time.