instagram-seo-strategies-instagram-hashtag

Your Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Instagram SEO Including Instagram Hashtag Strategies

By Manuela Willbold

Table of Contents

Tapping into Instagram SEO is the first step to boosting your brand. Here we discuss Instagram SEO strategies.

If you’re struggling to gain traction online through low Instagram post engagement, it’s time to up your Instagram hashtag game and optimizes SEO throughout your Instagram account to attract more followers.

After all, Instagram has one billion users – and counting. To take advantage of these potential customers, you’ll need to ensure your content reaches the right people through the various Instagram filters that the Instagram algorithm applies.

Here’s how to build an Instagram SEO strategy that actually works, using best Instagram practices from the experts at Flick.

The Instagram Algorithm

The Instagram algorithm is often shrouded in mystery. It’s quite simple: Instagram rewards you for top user engagement.

Building and improving your user engagement is the #1 method to reach more users and attract more Instagram followers.

User engagement can be defined by several key concepts, including:

Findable: Your Instagram appears in relevant keyword searches and is tagged in others’ relevant content.
Reachable: Your hashtags serve your content to relevant users, making it accessible to interested parties.
Appealing: Your Instagram posts and stories are well-written and attractive.
Engaging: Your content receives interactions, including follow, tag, like, comment, save, share, etc.

If you pursue these aspects of user engagement, your Instagram profile and posts are more likely to rank highly in Instagram’s algorithm.

Why Instagram SEO heavily relies on Instagram Hashtags?

Instagram SEO is somewhat different from other social media channels in that hashtags are king. In fact, by ranking on hashtags, you can reach up to 40% more people.

Hashtags should never be after-thoughts when it comes to your Instagram SEO strategy. They should be a vital part of every aspect of your user engagement.

Key Ranking Metrics for Instagram SEO

As you better understand and optimize your Instagram SEO, you’ll want to focus on your engagement rate. This metric involves the number of Instagram users who like, comment, or save a post compared to the total number of users who saw the post.

According to Instagram, the average monthly Engagement Rate is 15.1%, so you’ll want to shoot for this number at the least. To get a sense of these ranking metrics, you should look at your:

Engagement rate
engagements per post
reach per post
Number of posts
Reach rate

Together these metrics will help you understand where you are now, so you can start cultivating a stronger relationship with your following, using our tips below.

5 Tips for Boosting Your Instagram SEO with Instagram Hashtag Strategies

1. Up your Instagram Hashtag Game

(Example: @wework)

It’s important to rethink your hashtag game. Hashtag metrics are critical for becoming findable and reachable by others. You’ll want to include hashtags for your niche, branded hashtags, and general ranking hashtags to reach relevant users.

You can build up your hashtags by using tools like Flick that give you access to advanced hashtag metrics such as the Competition Score (the difficulty of ranking in top posts) and the Potential Reach Score (the estimated audience size for using said hashtag). On Flick, you can also get tailored suggestions and organize hashtags in your library.

Overall, you should always be researching keywords and collecting them for future use – regardless of your tools of choice.

2. Load your Insta Bio with relevant Hashtags

(Example: Flick)

Your Instagram username, display name, and bio should be filled with relevant hashtags. Be sure to think of hashtags that potential users would use to find somebody like you.

For example, if you’re an artist, you might include hashtags such as #womenwhopaint, #supportartists, or #paintergroup to attract other artists. On Flick, you can search using advanced filters and get suggestions to find relevant options to add to your bio.

3. Get better Engagement

(Example: @halotopcreamery)

Don’t forget about your content, either. Create content with Instagram Reels or Instagram Stories that’s attractive to look at and easy to engage with. That means great visuals, but also tight copy and the ideal hashtags. You should also be attentive to the Best Time to Post and schedule your posts according to when you’re most likely to get action.

4. Boost SEO through Instagram Post Strategies

(Example: @empiredsgnevent)

At the same time, you can use some advanced post strategies to improve your reach. As part of Instagram best practices, you should be using:

Hashtags in captions: Add extra hashtags in your captions and first comments.
Location tags: When relevant, tag the location of your post to get nearby followers.
Stories tags: Mention other relevant users in your stories to spark interaction.
Alt-text: Add alt text to your visuals to boost your reach.

Make sure to utilize these post strategies to get that extra lift for your content, too.

5. Track, analyze, and improve

(Example: Flick)

At the end of the day, you’re just human. It can be challenging to know exactly what’s going to work on Instagram. That’s why you should make use of Analytics to get the full picture. Track your posts and stories, dig into the analytics, and improve your Instagram SEO strategy as you go.

Build Your Instagram SEO Strategy Effectively

With this cheat sheet to Instagram SEO, you’ll be well on your way to success. It’s essential to optimize your Instagram SEO and start boosting your engagement rate to maximize your brand online. Make sure you’re on top of the latest Instagram marketing trends to beat your competition.

Author Profile

Manuela Willbold: Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.