More than a decade ago, Facebook was the most popular social networking site among youth. Today, Instagram is to youth what Facebook was back then. The interaction and personalisation possible on Instagram and the ease with which it occurs is greater than Facebook.

Hence, optimising Instagram for your business is a smart way to reach out to the younger demographic.

Here are a few ways to optimise SEO for Instagram. What is SEO for Instagram?

While the techniques may differ, the basis of SEO remains the same. Your brand needs to be more reachable, searchable, and recommendable to its current customers and potential customers.

The Basics

• If you want to make your Instagram profile more appealing, you need to do the needful. The first step is to make your profile public. You’re not just marketing to your friends here. Anyone who visits your page should be able to browse on your profile without any restriction.
• Have a recognisable brand image for your entire profile. Don’t post anything that is not relevant to your brand. This includes your captions as well.
• You should choose a colourful and on-brand profile picture. This will help people recognise your brand. It will also help potential customers know you as a brand they may want to try.
• Your username should also be recognisable and searchable. Don’t go for anything vague or secretive. The goal is to get more people to endorse you and follow you, after all.
• Register for an Instagram Business Account. This will give you access to more tools to promote your business and access data from profile visitors.
• Include a link in your bio that can be tracked. This will help you get more data from your followers. It will also allow you to market offers and discounts to your followers directly.

Optimising Instagram Posts for Keyword Search

Keywords are just as important here as they are in Google search. You’re just searching through a database, after all. Here is how to use keywords to get the most out of your posts:

For Username

Your username should consist of your primary keyword. This way, whenever that keyword is entered, your account will pop up and vice versa. This helps build an association with customers that consistently search for similar products and brands. It will also make it more likely for your account to feature on their search feed consistently.

For Bio

Any secondary keywords should be featured in the bio. You don’t necessarily need to construct a long and thoughtful bio. However, keywords should be a priority. The bio is like the Meta Title and plays a big part. Make sure that your secondary keyword is more specific so that niche searches are directed to you.

For Image Captions

Image captions should also include secondary keywords. This is to optimise every single post for SEO. Don’t’ forget this. Perhaps, a single well-optimised post can be a doorway for a visitor to become a customer.

Hashtags Matter

Finally, hashtags are the most important tool for Instagram. Every single post should be rife with them. No matter the length of your post, hashtags should be featured in its caption. Make no mistake – hashtags are like the keywords for Instagram. They should be used as often as possible. Don’t just make do with one. Instead, try to add as many relevant hashtags in each post as possible.

Using these basic SEO tips for Instagram, you will be able to optimise your account for SEO.