What impact will Instagram’s new Keywords have?
Instagram is introducing searchable keywords, which enable you to find posts that include your search term. The aim is to make finding content that much easier, but will keywords really help and what does it mean for hashtags?
Imagine you’d like to find posts on a specific topic; for instance, the image below shows the word “Baking” being searched. Keyword searches will return 10 search options to choose from with only the top 3 showing by default.
If you click on one of these search options such as “Baking Recipes”, it takes you to a baking recipes page where you can check out posts that include these keywords.
This means that you may no longer need to find space for key hashtags (if 30 hashtags had ever proved not enough!) and using keywords could enhance the look and readability of your caption by reducing the need for visual interruptions by hashtag symbols.
Suddenly writing useful and relevant captions just got a lot more important and may even lead to fewer ambiguous posts that seem to address only the most ardent fans, but before you throw away your hashtag lists, you might also need to consider the shortfalls of using keywords.
Firstly, Instagram itself, says that keywords are limited. At the moment they are limited to general interest topics and “keywords that are within Instagram’s community guidelines”, so if you’re operating in niche areas you may struggle to find appropriate keywords.
Also, keywords will be ranked and the most relevant matches shown to each user, so it could be risky to rely on them alone. Add to that, the sheer number of posts that will be using the same keywords and the “noise” generated, it’s easy to imagine that the majority of posts will get lost in the crowd.
As a tool to enhance your chances of being discovered, keywords are great news and could lead to more mindful and useful captions, enhancing the user experience and making life easier for the poster. However, not enough is yet known about how the Instagram keyword algorithm works and how the most relevant posts are selected. Given the huge number of posts available, it seems that considering keywords in your captions should be in addition to continuing to use relevant hashtags for your business.
Deborah Padwick is a trained Social Media Manager, with experience of helping small and global businesses with their social media presence. Deborah set up Redcurrant Social to help small business owners and freelancers get the most out of social media and ultimately to grow their businesses. Deborah has helped businesses and charities gain clarity with their social media marketing, reach greater audiences, generate leads, fill their appointment books, make sales and grow.
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