Gone are the days when Instagram was only for fun and entertainment. People are making millions of dollars through this magical platform.

You must have heard of one of the most famous Kardashians – Yes, I am talking about Kim!

Do you know how much she makes from a single Instagram post?

AROUND 1.7 MILLION AMERICAN DOLLARS!

Yes! You read it right. Ok, let’s not see only big numbers. 

On average, influencers generate approximately $2,970 monthly through their Instagram activities, which accumulates to an annual revenue of nearly $36,000.

Now you know how much crazy money you can make through Instagram alone. But but but…..

It is not done randomly. 

• You need a proper strategy,
• You need to follow the Instagram algorithm,
• You need to optimize your Instagram account.

Let’s explore how you can optimize your account so you can also earn this handsome money. 

What is an Instagram Account Optimization?

Instagram account optimization, or Instagram SEO, is a strategic method to improve your account’s visibility beyond your current follower base. 

This ensures that your content and profile prominently show up in search results for Accounts, Audio, Tags, Places, and Reels. In other words, it’s about making your presence known where it matters most.

How to Optimize Your Instagram Account?

Everyone wants their Instagram content to get noticed by more people, right? Well, there are a few tricks that can really make a difference. 

Let’s explore them together. 

#1. Define Your Main and Second Keywords

The first step to optimizing your Instagram account is defining primary and secondary keywords.

Your main keyword is the most searched on Instagram within your niche. For instance, if you’re into social media marketing, ‘Social Media Marketing’ could be your go-to keyword. Your main keywords should find a home everywhere—from your username to your favorite hashtags.

Take a look at the profiles of social media marketers, for example. Notice how they smartly include their main keyword right in their profiles.

Besides your main keyword, grab some sidekicks—secondary keywords that back it up. Write down all those keywords; you’ll need them every step of the way!

#2. Optimize Your Instagram Profile (Username, Name, and Bio)

To set the stage for search success, make sure your account is set to a professional (business or creator) and public status. Now, sprinkle your main keyword strategically—add it to your name, username (handle), or bio. 

Remember, it’s crucial not to go overboard with the keywords; a tasteful touch works wonders without feeling like keyword stuffing.

Even if your keywords can’t sneak into your username or name, still make them searchable. How? Add your brand name or something tied to your identity. The mantra here is simplicity and clarity—keep it straightforward and easy to find.

#3. Optimize Your Instagram Posts

A crucial aspect of Instagram account optimization lies in your posts. To make your content shine, follow these steps:

Create a content calendar

Having an Instagram content calendar is all about staying organized and maintaining consistency. With one in place, you can plan everything in advance—from posting times to keywords, captions, hashtags, and more. This not only streamlines your content creation but also makes it easier to keep track of your posts. Moreover, you can also schedule Instagram posts to ensure they go live at optimal times without manual intervention.

Craft captivating content (Reels)

If you’re aiming to grab Instagram’s attention and get your content in front of users, captivation is key. Dive into the popular pool of visual content, especially Reels. As per Demandstage, a whopping 2.35 billion people engage with Instagram Reels every month.

Now, for that Reels optimization magic, keep things short, and relevant, and spice it up with trending audio. And don’t forget those magic keywords—they’re not just for show; toss them into your hashtags and watch the engagement soar

#4. Write Optimized Captions

You can’t optimize your Instagram account without weaving those keywords into your captions. Think of your post captions as the title tags of the web—they play a crucial role. Treat them with the same care, but keep it balanced; don’t go overboard with keywords. A sweet spot of 2-3 is plenty. 

It’s even better if you slide those keywords in at the beginning. And remember, relevancy is key—make sure those keywords align seamlessly with your post content.

Besides keywords, your caption isn’t complete without the right hashtags for that extra visibility. Instagram says you can throw in 30, but, no need to go hashtag crazy. Keep it chill with 10 or fewer, and you’re good to go. 

#5. Use Hashtags Strategically

If you believe hashtags have lost their mojo, think again! There’s a potent hashtag strategy to supercharge your Instagram account: Treat those hashtags like keywords.

Hashtags are your ticket to showcasing content to non-followers because, guess what? People are still on the search train. Here’s the lowdown on how to make them work for you:

• Relevance is Key: Stick to hashtags that make sense for your content and avoid random picks.
• Keyword Hashtags: Transform your keywords into hashtags for that optimization magic.
• Popularity Check: Steer clear of hashtags that are either too popular or overly searched. Find that sweet spot!

As you can see from this post, the hashtags are on point and focused:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnE28yihlC6/

#6. Add Alt-text to Your Photos

This trick might be flying under the radar, but it’s a game-changer. Tack on a short description of your image, around 2-3 keywords, and watch the visibility soar. Just a heads-up—stick to relevant words. 

If not sure where to find this feature, head to Advanced Settings while creating a post, scroll down, and there you have it—Alt text.

#7. Track and Analyze Your Account Regularly

Keep in mind that absolutes don’t really exist in the realm of social media. That’s why staying flexible is key—always be ready to test and tweak as needed. Tap into the Insights feature to keep a close eye on your Instagram account optimization efforts. Here’s what to look for:

• Dive into metrics like likes, comments, saves, and shares to understand how your audience interacts with your content.
•  Analyze the effectiveness of your hashtags. Which ones are pulling their weight?
• Identify your shining moments—what content hit the jackpot, and more importantly, why? This insight is gold for future strategies.”

#8. Optimize Your Follow-to-Follower Ratio

It’s straightforward: take the number of followers you have, and divide it by the number of people you follow. The larger the resulting number, the better your account is set up. It signals that people are following you for your content, not just for a follow-back. How can you keep this number up?

• Only follow relevant accounts. Unfollowing those irrelevant accounts may seem daunting. But, you don’t need to waste your time on this. Services like AiGrow run a smooth and safe Instagram mass unfollow for you and keep your ratio in check!
• Only interact with your target audience.
• Mark irrelevant posts as “Not interested”.

Learn how to increase your followers organically.

#9. Stay Away From Black Hat SEO Techniques

It’s crucial to get your content seen, but not at any cost! Keep in mind that Instagram is vigilant. Now, what exactly do we mean by ‘black hat techniques’?

• Buying followers
• Stealing content
• Using bots 
• Keyword stuffing
• Using the same hashtag sets for all posts
• Following or unfollowing too many accounts in a short time

Why Optimizing Your Instagram Account Is Important?

You need to think about optimizing your account because Instagram now has a leading role in business. That’s what the figures tell us:

• Over 200 million businesses are promoting their products and services on Instagram. (Source: EmbedSocial).
• 90% of users follow at least one brand on Instagram (Source: EmbedSocial).
• 81% of Instagram users utilize this platform to learn more about products and services (Source: Done.Iu).

So, optimizing your Instagram account can bring more visibility, audience, engagement, brand awareness, and traffic. 

More Tips on Instagram Account Optimization

Now, Let’s see a few extra tips for optimizing your IG account:

1. Add location tags to your captions.
2. Include CTA in your Instagram bio.
3. Tag relevant people.
4. Be patient. SEO is not an overnight activity.
5. Put the keywords in the post itself.
6. Don’t bring hashtags in the comments.

How Instagram Search Engine Works?

Instagram’s algorithms are all about getting personal and keeping things relevant. They want to show you stuff that matches your personal preferences. And get this – every part of Instagram has its own thing going on with algorithms: Feed, Story, Reels. 

• Your feed posts? It highlights the ones you’ve liked the most.
• Stories? They’re from the people you’ve interacted with the most.
• And Reels? You get the cream of the crop, the popular ones.

So, yeah, the algorithms have their style. What do you know about other Social Media SEO?

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