7 Tested Strategies to Functionally Leverage Instagram SEO

Social media is a network of interaction-based platforms; hence, it's a bit far-fetched to consider Instagram in total isolation.

These social media outfits have unique attributes, objectives, and the type of content that thrives on them. For instance, Instagram is the home of glam and glitz.

The platform provides a lot of visual stimulation as everyone tries to be prim and proper. So the visual language here is very different from what is obtainable on Twitter, a microblogging platform.

Nonetheless, every one of these social platforms shares some form of similarities and connections. So a friend or content might start on Instagram and reach a new audience by Google search or on Facebook.

This is good news as far as Instagram marketing is concerned since the goal is to get to as many people as possible. As a brand, you can maximize this potential and attribute of Instagram through Search Engine Optimization.

Here are seven proven ways to optimize your Instagram SEO:
 

1. Ensure that your Instagram account is public

This is the first step to take in leveraging Instagram SEO. The contents of a public account are easy to find from search engines like Google.

Depending on how great your content is when a random user searches for information relating to your brand, offering, or niche, your post might be the first thing that pops up.
 

2. Refurbish your bio and optimize your Instagram name 

This is one way to direct a fraction of the searches that Google receives per second to your Instagram page. You should know that Google creates tags (like headings) for a website, Instagram account, and information relevant to a search.

The first element of the tags is your Instagram name. So the correlation of your Instagram name to the content a user searches on Google is the key element of discoverability.

Apart from Google, you can also direct traffic to your content through Instagram’s search tab by placing specific keywords in your bio.

To many Instagrammers, the bio is nothing but a little summary of yourself or your brand. However, it can represent an opportunity to show your presence to the rest of the world.
 

3. Dish out share-worthy pictures 

The effect of this strategy isn't particularly direct because Instagram doesn't support picture indexing from search engines. Nonetheless, you should take every measure to ensure that your pictures come out crisp and sleek.

Many trendy and chic photos on the Gram find their way to other platforms through users who share content. If the content is trendy enough, the picture can even show up as results on image searches from search engines.

As a brand, every photo you put up should show a lot of creativity and be brand-worthy. For instance, if your brand is into food, you should ensure that the picture comes in the proper layout. You need captivating angles to keep whoever sees it salivating.

The idea is to make followers and non-followers consume the product visually, to stimulate interest or purchase. If you're one of those brands with a tight schedule and limited time, several online tools and apps can help edit your pictures to grandeur without stress.
 

4. Key into the potentials of ALT Text

Alt Text is a visual recognition technique that assigns texts to images on Instagram, to help match images with text searches on the platform.

This is one way Instagram ensures indexing for its content and converts images into texts and keywords for easier consumption by visually impaired users.

This has gone to the next level as users can now edit the ALT Text for posts and include as many keywords as possible.

So if your ALT Text contains keywords like "beach, summerhouse, island, sunbathing, good time," when a user searches for content relating to vacation or get-away, your content will likely come up.
 

5. Make swell use of Google Trends

This is one significant way Google tries to bring trends closer to the online community. With this tool, anybody with access to Google can discover the issues, trends, topics, and keywords trending in their locality, country, and beyond.

Brands can easily take advantage of these trends and adequately fuse them into their content. But you have to ensure that you use topics and keywords related to your brand or content at the time.

If you sell phones and a particular model enters the trend list in your area, you can easily adjust your post with the phone at the center of it.
 

6. Construct your captions like headings

As earlier discussed, when an Instagram post appears on a Google search, the name of the Instagram account becomes part of the tag alongside the caption.

So you might want to give the main point of your post in the first few words of the caption. This is part of what an audience would see to decide on clicking the link or not.

You must come up with captions that will suck viewers in at first glance directly to your page.
 

7. Link up with influencers 

Unsurprisingly, influencer marketing has been an important tool right from the inception of Instagram, and it's still very relevant up to date.

Brand-influencer partnerships are still responsible for a substantial amount of sales on the platform. Furthermore, collaboration with influencers can primarily improve your brand’s SEO.

For effectiveness, you need to find an influencer with a presence in line with your brand. Don't just go for the most famous names on Instagram but influencers with audiences and followers that can connect with your brand’s products or services.

That way, there would be more engagements, and more traffic would be directed towards your Instagram page. If you have a campaign with a unique hashtag, the influencer will sufficiently help drive more organic traffic to it.